Writing Cool Short Stories textbook - Carol J. Amato, Author

Writing Cool Short StoriesChapter 3Creating Cool CharactersNow that the genre is determined, it’s time to create thecharacters. The writer has several things to considerhere, such as the main character’s name, his/her background,age, grade, family members, pets, hobbies, likes anddislikes, achievements, and fears.“So what’s ina name?”Naming CharactersSo what’s in a name? Everything.Just as parents-to-be rustle through the family tree or hunttirelessly through baby name books for that special name fortheir child, writers do the same. After all, story charactersmust live with their names in print—forever!Imagine if 19 th century author Louisa May Alcott had namedthe four sisters in her children’s classic novel, Little Women—Gertrude, Flora Jean, Agnes, and Wilhelmina—instead of Jo,Meg, Amy, and Beth? Also, the sisters in the story affectionatelycall their mother, Marmee, instead of the traditional titleof Mother or Mama.Just as people live up to their names, so do characters. JosephineMarch, also nicknamed Jo in Little Women, lives up to thestrength of her name, no matter what hardships and tragedythat come her way. While her sister, Beth, is sweet, shy, andfragile.To help students think of unique names for their characters,have them flip through baby name books, newspapers, magazines,phonebooks, school yearbooks, and maps. Maps are agreat source since most towns are named after people. Youngwriters can also shake the family tree and see what falls out.13