Characters- Are the names of your characters in your novels important? What about the titles?

Characters names are very important. Usually they name themselves. In fact, recently, I tried to change the name of one of my characters. I even took a survey of names she thought might be appropriate - and let me tell you, she didn't have many choices.

When the vote was finished, I tried to change her name and nope, she absolutely refused to change it. So what could I do? I changed it back and she's very happy about it.

That's not to say all characters are that stubborn. I had to change both hero and heroine's name on one of my other novels. Once I found the right combination, they were very cooperative and the name change was done.

To me, charachters names have to fit. Seriously, think about names for a minute. Let's take Candy - do you see her as tough, serious-minded with a man's job? I don't. I see her as a sexy, sultry woman that all the men drool over. That's not to say she can't be serious. In fact, it might be kind of interesting to write a story with her just the opposite as her name. But you'd have to make her believable to your readers. I just can't picture her as a cop or fire fighter.

It's funny how we picture people with certain names. What I might see as a pampered rich girl, others may see as a sweet, innocent needing protection. I think a lot has to do with our life experiences.
Where we grew up and how. Not to mention who we knew or know with the same name.
When I had my first child and told my inlaws what we were going to name her, my mother in law wasn't overly thrilled. She knew a girl by that name growing up and didn't like her. I stuck with the name and my mother in law learned to love her.
Funny how things like that stick in your mind.
I have a difficult times with titles. Often they don't come to me until I write the last sentence. Once in the while they'll hit me right from the beginning, but that's not as often.