“What makes a good character? It is not the name – though a name is an excellent thing to create, for a nameless character is nobody at all…”

Naming characters is a delight for me, especially if I get to make up the name. This is an element to character development that I applied to Edmund Naric. Of course, the one dilemma with creating names is that everyone has their own way of saying it. So, how did I come up with his name, and how is it pronounced?

I had adapted some names before with Helyn (instead of Helen) and Falkner (instead of Faulkner). So, I was in the groove of thinking outside the box. I chose Edmund’s first name, but I didn’t want to call him “Edmund” (what with his military status and all that). So, I played around with a few names that did exist to decide what letter I wanted his last name to start with. Some name combinations flow, and some do not. I started getting a flow with the letter N.

Then, I stared at the keyboard of my computer, waiting until some letters seemed right to me, and then I threw them on the screen. The first couple of “names” came out like nothing, especially when I forget the vowels. After playing around with the alphabet, I decided that Edmund’s last name should end with a C. Soon enough, I had “Naric.” His name is pronounced “nAIR-rick.”

If I had been older when making this name, it might have had a more foreign, Hebrew twist. Yet, that’s it: “nAIR-rick.”

However, Edmund Naric is more than his name.

To finish the thought above: “What makes a good character? It is not the name – though a name is an excellent thing to create, for a nameless character is nobody at all – but it is what he does, what he says, and how he says it. Whether the character will be good after all this is achieved depends on the author who pens him.”

Edmund Naric is merely twenty-seven in Chained. Yet, instead of the older brother feel I could have gone with, I wanted Naric to become a friend and mentor – a man of understanding. Because book characters are invisible, you have only two ways to gauge their maturity: words and actions. I went with the first, primarily. I modeled Naric’s style after my father, which made him sound older and wiser. Giving him authority and the answers in challenging situations made him someone to look to consistently.

When you feel uncertain and inexperienced, it’s impossible to look to someone your age and find a genuine answer in times of crisis. Adrian Falkner looked to Naric for direction in battle and his spiritual life because Naric was wise beyond his years.

Creating a character takes forethought, a little ingenuity, and some playing around! It’s fun! It’s the most exciting part of writing because, without people, there is no story. My favorite part of creating a character is giving them a unique name so that when you first hear it, you are intrigued to look into their traits.

I achieved what I desired in Edmund Naric. Although, whether the character is “good” or not depends on the reader. What do you say?