finding characters

​As I mentioned last week my process of drafting my fourth novel varies from the process, I used in the Irish Troubles Series.  I began with the story idea and then began developing characters for the novel.

I wanted to use authentic southern names and specifically names from Pike County, Kentucky.  Once again, my research proves that the internet is truly a strange and wonderful place.  I googled surnames in Pike County, Kentucky and found a list with hundreds – hundreds of names.

My first idea was to have the protagonist be of Irish descent because I’ve learned that Irish are the third largest group in Pike County and I am familiar with Irish culture and traditions that could cross the Atlantic to Kentucky.  I tried out different names for weeks but nothing “sounded” right.

Then I took a different tact and researched common southern names for women.  You guessed it, I found a site with hundreds of names and developed a list of about 27 names that struck a chord with me.  I repeated the process with male first names and came up with a list of 25 names.

The next step was to name my protagonist.  I chose Adeline because it feels like a strong name and my character will need to be made of steel.  For a surname I didn’t use my list of Pike County surnames but selected a name that, at least to me sounded, strong – rock solid – Dawson. 

The working title is:  The Story of Adeline Dawson – Pike County Pack Horse Librarian.
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For the remaining characters I paired first and last names and then gave them an “occupation.”  For example – Earle Calhoun is the mine supervisor and Sterling Aldridge is the mine owner.  In total I have a list of thirteen characters who may or may not appear in the novel.
 
Let me know how you create characters.