Evolution of Book Outlines

Part 1: Characters

Characters are one of the most important parts of any story. You have to have someone who needs to learn a lesson or accomplish some sort of task. Because without that one person overcoming his or her challenge, why does the story exist? And there are different types of characters: flat, round, evil, good, supporting, etc. What type of character they are and their level of importance affects the story.

Today, I want to focus on something else: the characters' names. It may seem basic to many people. Who cares if his name is Joe or Joseph or Edward or Jacob? (Lol. See what I did there?) Of course, all jokes aside, it has been my experience that the name an author gives their character ultimately influences who that character is as a person and how other characters respond to them. A character's name has bearing on the type of personality you give them.

I have never once read about a Walter who was an underwear model, or an April with a fiery temper. I'm not saying stories with characters that have meek sounding names with alternative personalities don't exist. I'm simply saying I have never read any.

As much thought that goes into planning your plot should go into creating the characters. The characters are the soul of the story. Their desires, ambitions, and friendships are all important. And personally, I think the character's name plays a roll in how you, as a writer, build your characters and the world they inhabit.