Names are important.

{If you haven't noticed, I am starting to do more ''writing tips'' than actually pieces of my writing. I'm going to try to mix it up because, hey, why not help writing in general rather than just post about MINE.}

Names are so important to a story. Never give a character ''just'' a name. They need a name that totally fits them, that will get the reader to understand them better, that sounds right when you think about that character.

Let's think about the Hunger Games for just a second here. Katniss, the main character, lives in Panem {basically the world after a huge war, wiping everything but Panem away}. Panem et Circenses is literally translated into ''bread and circuses'' from Latin. That is significant for just a few of these reasons: The book is built upon food. No kidding. :) Food has a lot of things to do with the book. For one, Katniss lives in a place where many people are poor and can't always afford to fill their stomachs. Plus, the side characters are named after how Katniss perceives their persons. 

In other words, the author, Suzanne Collins, is basically a genius. The characters are given names that help us understand them {that's why some of the characters are named after herbs, or other edible plants}. 

I'll admit, it's hard to be as mind-blowing with names as Suzanne Collins is. Then again, I'm only twelve, so you really can't expect me to write a mind-blowing novel that books have been published on only how to understand it. So I'm going to start simple.

Think about your characters pepersonality before you name them. I have a half-finished novel somewhere with a character who is bright and sunny, and basically happy all the time {basically, all my other characters in different novels would not get along with her.}. Before I wrote about her, I looked up what name means ''light'' in English. Lo and behold, it was Lucy. Surprising at the time, that name fit my character perfectly. 

''Well... ------ sounds right when I give it to my character. ''
  That's totally alright. Sometimes, for example, names just sound right when they roll off your tongue. If hearing a name instantly makes you think about your character/personality traits they have, that's just another good way to develop your character and to help us understand them. 

So.... that's it. :)   

~Madeline