Creating Fictional Names

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Creating names for characters is a big part of writing fiction.  I tend toward the realistic; as much as I love Dickens, he went out of his way to create onomatopoeic names.  I think names should be memorable but not metaphorical.

So I was scrolling through my Twitter feed (instead of writing) and came across a post from one of many indie authors who advertise on Twitter.  The character of the novel's name was "Buck McDivit." Oh, my.  This being a paranormal romance novel (is that an oxymoron?) the character was depicted as a cowboy, shirtless, with massive six-pack chest/abs.

I was reminded of  Dash Riprock and Bolt Upright of The Beverly Hillbillies, and of this great clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFHlJ2voJHY.  Dirk Hardpeck!

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