Beagle Lover (Avid Reader) asked David Wong:

How do you chose the names for your characters?

David Wong If you're asking as like a writing tip, the first purpose your character name has to serve is to be memorable enough that the reader won't be confused about who you're talking about. That's why books will large casts of characters will include a lot of nicknames, or names that cartoonishly fit the character. Like if the bad guy has a huge bodyguard named Moose, you're not going to hear that and say, "Wait is Moose the huge bodyguard and Nigel the weasel accountant, or is it the other way around?"

In an epic fantasy, your humble salt-of-the-earth heroes will be Ned and Kat, the exotic enchantress will have a big elegant name like Melisandre, the scary tyrant will be Tywin, and nicknames will abound (Littlefinger, The Hound, The Mountain). You're not going to see Littlefinger on the screen and say, "Wait, is that the Mountain?"

Otherwise, if everyone has unremarkable names (as you still see in many books) you'll notice the author putting in extra work to remind you who they are. Like if the assassin with the burned face is named Fred Johnson, you'll see them throw in little reminders like, "Fred was sitting there in the dark, his burn scars almost hidden by the shadows." That's the author reminding you that Fred is the assassin with the burned face. But other authors would have just given him a name that automatically reminds you ("And sitting there was Scorchface Johnson.")

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