So I am working out my plot and doing some character sketches, but I'm getting pretty tired of typing ______ every time I refer to the villain. Basically he's a 1930's gangster, runs a pretty big racket, is the arch nemesis of my MC in as much as he left him almost dead in an encounter back when my MC worked for the police. His name should inspire fear and awe to anyone in the business... but what is that name? argh! everything I come up with sounds cheesy and not very villainy. Any suggestions? please?
----------
33,256 / 50,000
Sep 29, 2008 - 00 10
The very cool thing about the 1930s is the amazing amount of information you can find from the Census during that time. Names back then were very important, especially in the mob. The good thing is, people who had the same first name as others often had an awesome nickname. "Bugsy Malone," "Lucky ________" "Knuckles McGee..." All depends on their nationality. Are they a transplant from another country? Were their parents? You can get a general idea for the type of name if you know where they're coming from. There were a lot of Irish and Italian Mafia at the time, and they often conflicted a lot. So those are some fun name pools you can take from.
40,818 / 50,000
Sep 29, 2008 - 06 38
The mobster's knickname can come from a persistent habit or physical trait they have. The Dick Tracy strip named a lot of its villains this way - "The Brow", "Flat-top", "Shakey" etc. Think about what habits, physical traits, hobbies or mannerisms you want your villain to have - that could be key to choosing their name.
0 / 50,000
Sep 29, 2008 - 15 38
Thanks guys! I am getting a kick out of reading through 1930's census names... I think my favorites so far are "Kitchen" and "Joseph Peed"
Good tip on the mannerism thing, I think it's hard to make a proper name sound sufficiently menacing.
27,684 / 50,000
Sep 29, 2008 - 21 13
Just my two cents-- but I like when my villains aren't so obvious. They're regular guys with regular names. But that's just me, and a different take on it.
But going through 1930s names will give you some great ideas for what names would (and would not) have been common. Some that have long fallen out of usage.
38,760 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2008 - 10 11
Marcus Fortuna
0 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2008 - 13 20
Apparently I fail at searching. Where can I find an online version of the 1930 census that will let me easily browse through folks' names?
35,247 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2008 - 21 12
Old news stories from the period will also give you a selection of names. Obits. Old phone books. I just happen to live in a city where the library has such old items. Check to see if yours contains these kind of resources.
Of course, if you don't have access to such things, this is simply annoying.
Also, newspapers are often on microfiche in libraries. If you have a university nearby, you can find a plethora of such things.
27,684 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2008 - 16 20
Try here: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
Bo is a sexy, smart female private eye who know how to use her fists, brains, and body. Visit her at www.bofexler.blogspot.com for links to short stories and more.
7,018 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2008 - 12 46
Francis Sharp...aka Frankie The Blade (could also be his weapon of chpice)
7,018 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2008 - 12 47
Choice, I mean.
Typing too fast again :-)
103 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2008 - 18 35
Al "Mountain" Mason
Joseph "Leadfoot" Lebrowski
Harry "Shitstorm" Brown
41,477 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2008 - 11 11
Gareth Dickerson
Terence Nicely
Quentin Duroi