Onomasiology (Ah-no-may-see-ology)

That's a really fancy word that means nomenclature, or close to it.  I delve into this subject because my characters in my novel do not seem to like the names I give them.  Oh, I finally made them behave.  I now call my female protagonist "Adriana" or "Dree" for short.  The two male protagonists (over which Dree will agonize, pun intended) are called "Jaren" and "Merek" as of this writing.  The two men will both be handsome, charming and brave.  They will look as different as night and day.  Dree's mother is called "Marie" but that is not engraved in stone.  No, I have become expert at the Search and Replace feature of Microsoft Works.

See, Dree's name was originally "Bree" which was short for "Brinna."  Or "Breanna."  But then I read two different books with the heroine's name being very similar to those.  Hence, "Dree."  I admit, it sounds a little too trendy, but, so far, my heroine seems to like it better.  The guys' names are meant to sound a little foreign, maybe even a little otherworldly.  They are, naturally, of a different world.

Many authors that I have looked to for advice say not to have multiple main characters with similar sounding names.  For example:  Dave, Dan, Don and Dennis.  Unless you are trying to be absurd, it gets hard for the reader to keep them separate.  And if you are trying to be absurd, you might as well go with Larry, Darrell and Darrell.

So, if you can believe it, onomasiology is like a science to, well, uh, scientists, I guess.  Of course, they are concerned with the naming of new finds, like a newly discovered fish, or a skeletal bones that reveal another type of dinosaur.  But, for me anyway, the naming of my characters is as important.  At least until I become established.  People like Nora Roberts, Ted Dekker and John Grisham can get away with naming their heroes "Humphrey" or "Eugene."  Or their heroines "Ethel" or "Mabel."  More power to 'em!

For now, I'm sticking with trendy "Dree" and her best friend, a conservative "Amy."  I will probably change Amy's name, though.  Too many real Amy's out there that I don't like.  Maybe, "Elizabeth" or just "Beth."  Hmmm, this will take some thought . . .