Names for fictional personae

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Interviewing an author…

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Demetrius: When you give names to characters, how do you choose those names?

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Hmm. Fagin?

Areeba: I think of similar historical figures, or foreign names. Something with a hidden meaning. Sometimes with a bit of wry humor.

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Demetrius: Names that reflect the nature of the person?

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Welcome to the
Billy Goat Tavern.

Areeba: Charles Dickens was the master of naming characters. Thomas Gradgrind and Wackford Squeers, different kinds of schoolmasters, Mr Bumble, full of bombast, and Dr Payne. Some modern writers follow a similar approach. Mike Royko with his Slats Grobnik and Dr. I.M. Kookie.

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Voice-over

And even for real-life: does the name influence the game? Usain Bolt (sprinter). William Wordsworth (poet). Nomen est omen.

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