Monday 26 January 2015

What's in a Name?


Choosing names for your main characters is very important, so it's necessary to get it right. Of course choosing a name is a personal choice. I figure since I'm going to be typing my main character's name an awful lot during the writing process I may as well like it. I also think it helps to endear the character to the reader if they have a pleasant name. The same could be said for an unlikeable character – I like to give them an unpleasant name to suit their personality.


I like a strong, masculine name for a hero and nice feminine name for a heroine. Having a heroine named Gertrude would certainly put me off, as would a hero named Eugene. (No offence meant to the Gertrudes and Eugenes of the world...it's just a personal thing.) I don't like it when characters have similar-sounding names like Molly, Dolly and Holly. It can become confusing.


Another thing that can become confusing is having too many characters' names starting with the same initial, such as Bill, Ben, Bob, Bernie. Names also need to apply to the age and class of the character. Clearly the names Joan or Shirley would be more suited to a 60-year-old woman rather than a newborn baby. The same applies in reverse. A newborn may be called Summer or Indigo, but it would not fit well with an older lady.  Though of course some names are recycled and come back into fashion. Others are eternal and could fit any age, such as Elizabeth and William.

Be careful not to have a character's name too similar to a known personality or actor. Or a last name that will be associated with a TV show or movie e.g. Brady (The Brady Bunch) or Gilmour (The Gilmour Girls). I did this unintentionally when writing Sinister Intent. I used a little-known actress's name for one of my characters, although I didn't realise this until it was pointed out to me by my editor. I had never heard of the actress (or so I thought); the name just popped into my head. Although I have to wonder if I had heard her name before but my subconscious conceded that I'd come up with it myself?

In Jennifer Bacia's book, Creating Popular Fiction, she talks about choosing the right combination of names for characters. She suggests making sure last names match with the first name, and to keep in mind that first names capable of abbreviation should still sit well with the chosen surname (otherwise Gerald Perry will end up as Gerry Perry). She warns to employ unusual names with care. They can give a character distinctiveness but can also detract from the authenticity of the character if they are too outlandish, are hard to pronounce or have confusing spelling. Long names or tongue twisters can become tiresome and annoying and can give the appearance of being artificial and contrived. 

Author Tara Moss has a strong lead character in her Makedde Vanderwall series. Yes, the name is a mouthful, however she is referred to as Mak, which makes it much easier to read but also keeps the name distinctive, I think. I suppose the same could be said for a plain name like Jane or Anne, or extremely common names like Sarah and John. Do they suit a strong feisty character or would they be more suited to a minor character? Or do you give a minor character that might only appear once or twice a name at all? Can they just be referred to as "the secretary", or "the workman"?


I think discussing the topic of choosing characters' names could go on forever. However, at the end of the day it comes down to personal choice, the time frame being written about, and common sense. Though knowing a few basic tips on what might work better and what might not certainly can’t hurt.
 
What do you think?

I love to love this summer weather so I can lie by the pool and read to my heart's content...

I love to learn all there is to know about writing...

I love to laugh at silly things...


Karen is the author of Sinister Intent and Deadly Obsession.  



17 comments:

  1. Hi Karen! This post really resonated with me. In the past I've agonized for days over names for my book babies because names play such an important part in any story. In most cases, before you have any knowledge about a book character, you learn their name and if that name that doesn't sit well with you as a reader, it can put you off the book as a whole.
    That thing about nicknames made me laugh, too. I once read of a family with the surname of Katt and children named Katherine and Thomas. Their nicknames? Yep, you guessed it: Kitty and Tom.
    Happy Australia Day, btw!

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    1. Hi Marilyn Forsyth, happy Australia day to you also. I like that, Kitty and Tom Katt, it's funny but 'm glad they are someone else's names and not mine... I went to school with a Peter Abbott which when said quickly when calling the role it sounded like Peter Rabbit. The poor guy got laughed at constantly so you do have to be careful when choosing names. I've also agonised for days when trying to get my main character in Sinister Intent and Deadly Obsessions name right. Lexie Rogers (just popped into my head one day) and it suited the character instantly. Before that she was Mikayla and then Alexandra, but they just weren't right for the character. Sometimes I think it takes a while to get it right. Well, al least it does with me.

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  2. Happy Australia Day!! Great post Karen. I have changed a name because it didn't feel right and it was amazing how the character came alive once she had the right name.

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    1. Hi Cassandra Samuels, I hope you are having a nice Australia day even though the weather is not the best. I've done the same thing with the book I'm writing now - a stand alone mystery. I've changed the main characters name a number of times and think I have finally got it right as - like you say - she has come alive and really developed beyond my expectations.

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  3. I love this topic of names! Great post, Karen. It's funny, isn't it, but when someone names a baby, some think - Really?! while others think it's the greatest name since Adam. I don't like ridiculous names for characters, but I enjoy unusual names. Probably comes of having a fairly unusual name myself! I think the character eventually 'becomes' their name, anyway; it owns them... which is all the more reason to choose it carefully.

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    1. Hi Malvina, thanks for your comment. Your right, unusual names can be good because they are so distinctive. I agree also that names can grow on you. When my brother called his daughter Willow, I did the; really? But now I like it, have got used to it. It helps that she is very cute too I think.

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  4. Hi Karen. Posted a comment yesterday after multiple tries only to discover this morning that it didn't publish. So posting again.
    Great topic. Naming a character is so important. For me, if I don't have the right name for the characters, the story refuses to flow, so I have to take time to learn about the character. Who they are, what made them that way, etc. Along the learning curve they tell me their names (not a matter of me choosing myself!) and then the story reveals itself.

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    1. Hi Enisa Haines, thanks for your comment and I agree. Sometimes the character pretty much names themselves after a while. Sounds strange doesn't it. Certainly to anyone who isn't into writing. But so true.

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  5. Thinking more on this topic I sometimes gravitate to the same letter for names (not in the same book) but in my first book the heroine is called Lisbeth and it seems I like L names as I found in a lot of other drafts of other books that the heroines had L names (eg. Lillian, Lucy, Lucinda). Same with Surnames I gravitate towards A names (eg. Ashton, Atwell, Alstonville). I know have started a names register so I can keep my head around what I have used and what I may want to use in the future. Being an Historical Romance writer I also often have to think up title names too (as if thinking up a first name and surname isn't enough). Does anyone else seem to gravitate to a familiar letter or have a names register?

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  6. Yes, Cassandra Samuels! I'm with you on name faves. 'A' is the letter I favour for heroines. I've had Amanda, Aerin, Annie, Alana. For heroes, I had Jake twice. Jacob once. Must love not only J but that particular name. :)
    I must keep a name register.

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    1. Hi Enisa Haines, a name register is a great idea. I have scribbled notes of idea's for names but nothing too organised - will have to do that. I tend to go for J names for men also - Josh, James.

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  7. I don't tend to have favourite beginning letters for character names, but I sometimes make the mistake of having names that sound/look similar in the same story eg. Harry/Hardy. (It's funny how you don't see stuff like that immediately, or is that just me??) I do like the idea of a names register though, Cassandra. Thanks for the idea.

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    1. Hi Marilyn Forsyth, it is not just you. I tend to do that also and I have to be aware of using similar names or the same letters. I did that when initially writing Sinister Intent. At one stage I had Lexie (main character) Leila, Lisa, Lincoln... Too many L's, so needless to say I change it once I realised what I'd done and that it can be confusing. I've just finished a book by Barbra Bradford Taylor (famous author)and her four main female characters were, DeLacy, Delia, Delilah and Deidre. I was constantly confused (even though I liked the book) and had to think hard each time she mentioned one as to which character it was.

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  8. Thank you - These are all great tips Karen.
    Normally my characters will announce themselves from the beginning, but in my current WIP - I have changed my Heroine's name twice. I like this 3rd choice. :) Other writers suggest using a *working* name until the right one made itself known.

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    1. Hi Marianne, I change my main characters names sometimes too. I find it is hard to get it right and has to be played with at times. For example in my WIP I called my main character Sumer. I thought this was a pleasant name that represented the time I'm writing about - present day - but my literary agent hated it. Told me it will date the book. So I went in search of a more "common" I suppose you could say, name.

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