It's supposed to reach 85 degrees today. The sun is shining. My redbud and daffodils are in bloom.
I'm working steadily on the WIP while letting the actual mss cool. I took another look at the character names. I wasn't wholly satisfied with the surname of one of the alternating POV protagonists and that stopped me until I could find one. Obsessive behavior, no doubt. Along the way, I ended up changing the names of four more characters.
Considerations in naming characters:
Vary in terms of first letters;
Very in terms of numbers of syllables;
Vary in term of the sounds they make (vowels and ending letters have great impact);
Consider the meaning of the name (but not in a too-obvious way);
Consider the age of the character (don't give a "new" name to an octogenarian)
When applicable, consider names' geographic/ethnic history (whether thematic or not; hey, it's a diverse world).
Here's an example of the names from Jingle Dancer (Morrow, 2000): Jenna, Grandma Wolfe, Great-aunt Sis; Mrs. Scott, Cousin Elizabeth. Note the variety of syllables, sounds, etc.
This reduces reader and, for that matter, writer confusion as well as adds resonance. I don't go crazy with it so as not to seem forced, but I do think about it.
Two of the minor characters in my WIP have similar names, but the meanings fit each, they never appear in a scene together, and in many ways they're supposed to be mirrors anyway.
