Names have power.

The name you were given, the name you use, the one nickname your best friend calls you that no one else does. They all have their own unique connotation and meaning to you.

It can determine how other people treat you. Perhaps your name is John and someone meets you. Their abusive ex was named John so they immediately view you a little more negatively than they should. Your name reminds them of darker days.

That’s the kind of power names can have. Power to sway opinions. Power to bring you down, too. Words hurt. If someone calls you ugly, whore, asshole, that name hurts your feelings. Or pisses you off. Giving named the power to not just sway your opinions, but affect your mood, your emotions, the kind of day you’re having.

As an author I spend a lot of time considering names. I research them, I find different meanings for them in different languages. I test how they sound out loud. Naming a character can be quite a task. You have to find a name that helps show who and what your character is. Or perhaps a name that indicates who and what your character will become. It can influence how the reader views your character. A strong, powerful name for the hero. An exotic warrior name for the heroine. Something unique that sets your character apart.

These are the things I take into consideration when naming a character. The same way new mothers and fathers prepare to name their child. How does it sound? How will it fit in with our family? Is it the perfect name? The perfect name is just waiting to be discovered.