[AgentBEATS]

I did a quick search and didn't find a topic so I figured it would be safe to ask. If I just happened to miss it I apologize for regurgitating topics.

How do you pick the names for characters in your writing?

I use to have the utmost difficulty picking out a name for a character, not even for whatever I was writing at the time but it started with picking a character name is some online game I was playing at the time. I would obsess for days trying to figure out the name I thought would fit the character best, of course there was the difficulty of it being taken that doesn't really happen in writing something.

Anyways, eventually it got easier. So much so that picking a character name for a game became pretty easy, although I continued to obsess and it carried over into my writing.

Picking a name for a character is an important task. It literally defines a character or at the very least is a part of it. Some people find it easier than others, some don't even give it a second thought. But for me my process of finding a name is rather random at best. Depending on what I am writing at the time, the name sort of just pops out at me. I would see or hear a name and just feel like it would fit, meaning the time it takes me is again random. I can't go through lists of names, such as at a baby names site, it just gets overwhelming and I can't decide because there is so many. I have to just wait it out until that one name jumps out at me. At least for first names, last names I found a pdf file awhile back that has a list of supposed last names for writers to use and usually I can find something off of that.

Anyways, the point of all this is I was just wondering, what is the process you guys go through to pick out character names? Obviously mine is not efficient in the least, but I can't see myself doing it any other way.