THE Group for Authors! discussion

Here's the thing. I'm having trouble naming the main character in my book. Mind, you, the book is finished. Well, the 2nd draft. Still have work.

So what's with this name-blockage?

No problem with the guy's name. Deon. His folks named him after the singer, except for the spelling, of course.

My character? Right now her name is Lucy. I like the name. If anyone reading this now shares a name with my Lucy, please speak up. Do you love your name? Should I keep Lucy?

She's a middle school science teacher who loves to bake, and she's an Instagram fan. Loves taking photographs Posts recipes and invents original, sometimes healthy––but not always––desserts. Adores bold colors. Dresses to please herself.

Oh, she has a crush on Deon. I'm sure you're not surprised.

Got any ideas name-wise?

I'm serious here, btw, if anyone has doubts. How do you find a name that "moves" you?

You could create a more classical name from Lucy. E.g. Lucinda, Lucile, Lucia, etc. and use it to even help create conversations how they ended on Lucy. By the way, Lucy means light. So again, possible subject of discussion.

I name my characters based on meaning mostly (as Athina mentioned above). Not kidding, yesterday I typed "name for strong boy" into Google. Then, I scroll through the lists and wait till something jumps out at me. I ended up picking "Everett" in this case, which means "wild boar" and fit the character perfectly. I also look at the origin on the name which can be especially important if your character comes from a particular culture or background and you want them linked to it.

Lucy is a beautiful name, but, if it's bothering you, maybe there's another one out there which would fit better. Or you could pick an alternate spelling to add some flavor. Best of luck!

Is there a man's name that has meaning for you in a different context? For example, if you love War and Peace, Andrew (or Andre); if you love Scripture, Paul or Mark or Matthew or John. Lucy is a pretty name, and very feminine. The only thing that might give me pause is that Lucy is so suggestive of the character in "Peanuts," the girl who torments Charlie Brown. But, maybe it wouldn't be for your readers.

I think the fact that you're not satisfied indicates that you need to dream some more, until a name suddenly feels just right.

Lucy is the name of a down-trodden heroine in my historical trilogy. She is meant to be feminine, kind, and the sort of girl men liked to protect in those days. She turns into a strong-minded person and I then wondered whether 'Lucy' was the best name for her.

Hope this helps!

Since she's a bit bohemian, maybe Delilah, Calliope, Paisley, Coriander, Lyric, Demelza, Lark, Lennon, Paloma, Marigold, Ophelia. I named the baby in my second novel Marigold Eulalie after the grandmothers.

I had the same problem with one of my characters. Sometimes, their perfect name pops into my head and I type in and keep going, never to look back. Other times, I search on names and meanings, etc. to find the perfect name.
In one of my books (not yet published) I named my main female character Tessa for the short term. As the story developed, I soon couldn't call her anything else. I plugged in other names and re-read the story with it in and it never "felt" right to call her by any another name.
You might try that, plug in other names you are considering re-read it and see how you feel about calling her something else. You might find that your first idea to call her Lucy was correct in the first place. :)

I used a placeholder for a minor, unsympathetic character — Suzie-Q. Finished the book and still didn't have a better name. So I made up a last name starting with Q and dropped it in for an even more minor relative. So she stayed Suzie-Q in the published book.

But for major characters, I usually research meanings or honor someone I admire by using their name for a character. Have also robbed a character name from one book and moved it to another one that had a better chance of selling.

Maybe if Lucy isn't quite right for this character, it might be perfect for another one in another book.

I write historical romance, and I very often have placeholder names for minor characters to keep their personality in my head, then have to change them to be historically accurate. It involves a final read-through after the search and replace to make sure nothing sounds "off." I think if you're not happy with Lucy, there might be a reason for it. What does SHE think her name is? ;)