What Not to Name Your Characters in A Romance Novel

 

Okay, I have a hard time coming up with names for my romance characters, and sometimes, because I am too tired to look back at my old stories, I end up reusing names. Fun fact: I heard James Baldwin liked the name David, and more than one of his male characters was named that. Now, back to what I was saying. I have such a hard time. I looked up male and female names for my romance stories, wrote them down, immediately forgot them, and lost track of them. I have a lot of notebooks.

But this post is about names for my characters that I won’t use for different reasons. Here I go:

 Sebastian

This name conjures up Harlequin Romances, and dark-haired, six-foot, bodies to die for Alpha males with a lot of problems. I want to name a romance hero Sebastian, but I just don’t have the writer’s juice to pull it off. I mean, this name inspires so many fantasies that I don’t think little old me can do it justice. So, for now I am sticking to Darren and Dudley.

Declan

I can’t remember if I named any of my romance heroes this: I hope not because then I would feel embarrassed that I did not remember. This reminds me of that joke about a man so hot he melted butter just by standing next to it. Okay, so I write hot heroes, but this one reminds me of piercing, intense eyes, charismatic presence, and a sensual touch. I am saving Declan when I have an idea where nothing, but Declan will do.

 Family Member

I can’t write a sexy hero named after my brothers or cousins. It just won’t do. I mean can you imagine writing a love scene and using your relative’s name repeatedly. I would vomit. So, no relative’s names like Samuel, Marvin, or Maurice or God forbid, after my mother or father.

After Myself

Okay, I have considered this. I thought it would be fun. When you are writing those sexy scenes in romance novels, the thought of having the female character named after me filled me with glee, but I won’t do it. It will be too weird and maybe self- serving.

Conclusion

What is in a name? A lot goes into the process. I think of Dracula, Count of Monte Cristo or Elizabeth Bennet. When choosing a name, I try to choose wisely, but sometimes there are those that are just not suitable ever or at the moment. What is your favorite character's name? Answer in the comment section below.