What's in a Name?
Naming my children was always so fun, but also . . . so "heavy." I mean, you are bestowing on a child this name for their whole lives. You think of every nickname. You think of what it "says" about them. My oldest has a name of Russian heritage with a middle name after my grandmother. Next in line has a name of Russian heritage with a middle name after my father. Next, a Hispanic name with a middle name after my mother. Next an Irish name with a middle name after his Hispanic grandfather. They each have a name of their own, and a name of their lineage, with their heritage tossed in.
I wonder if people who read books realize how much energy goes into naming characters. Sometimes, I character "arrives" with a name. Sometimes it a more involved process not unlike naming a baby. What does the name "say"? It is tied to a heritage?
I think of some of my characters like--Teddi and Billie. They got named after men in their families--and not only was it about giving them gender-neutral names . . . it was a clear intention to show their families were part of the front and center storyline (mobbed up that they were).
Skye, a gambling addict, was named after Skye Masterson in Guys and Dolls--also a gambling addict.
In my new YA, the lead character's are Calliope and August . . . dramatic names, I thought, for teens with a dramatic love affair.
So what's in a name in your work in progress?
33 comments:
Character names are important to me. Not only do they need to fit, but I also want the name to reveal something or give the reader a feel for who this person is. I want the characters name to roll off the tongue yet be memorable. Some of my favorite character names in my stories -- Mavis Purvin, Maynard Speight, Anna Jane Forbes, Mary Sue Clark, Billy Talbott, Buddy Frey, Aletha Carter, Blerim Zimmerman, Hardy Beamer.
My main pet peeve in reading is having a book full of character names that I don't know how to pronounce. If I choose a really different name for my character, I find a way early in the story to give the pronunciation as a courtesy to my readers.
Beth:
I swear pronunciation issues were at the heart of my not liking sci-fi as a kid.
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I like my character names to 'fit' so that they're not an issue the reader even thinks about. For my current characters I used Social Security's name database for around the times I wanted my characters to have been born - so I could choose something that would have been popular but not too popular.
I recently changed my main character's name to what I originally imagined it would be. (Lots of find and replace) Last night I decided that other names must change as well. And when that happens it seems to fall into place quite quickly, which tells me it's right.
I suggested to someone that a name for his character didn't seem likely - or make sense - to me. And that it was just something to keep in his head in case anyone else ever mentioned it. I gave the reasons I felt that way -- and how the name distracted me.
Of course we all know that in real life people grow into their names and become them. And then we know that real life isn't fiction.
I don't struggle with it, usually, but I pay a lot of attention to it. I'm not entirely sure where Derek Stillwater came from, but I liked the name Stillwater a lot. When I first told my brother the name he gave me a funny look and said, "As opposed to running water?" Well, still waters run deep and all that.
In the SF novel I'm playing with, the main character's name is Con Torres (short for Conrad). It's vaguely futuristic, with the Con, and I'm not sure why I went with an Hispanic last name, except my feeling that in 200 years nobody will be a single ethnicity.
The mystery I'm working on, the main character is Parker Marks. Sometimes it's just a rhythm thing, something the way names go together.
I'm working on a screenplay with a friend. We named the evil husband "Leopold" because his family is Russian and convinced they are descended from Russian royalty. For fun, my friend bought me a Beta Fish named Leopold. Then we figured out that Leopold is an Austrian name, and Leonid would be the Russian version, (something I'm sure you knew all along).
I wasn't upset about changing the character name, but I was worried I'd have to rename the fish. We decided not to, because it would only upset and confuse him.
Oliver(Or Olie-kun as another character has taken to calling him) got his name from well...Oliver Twist. Yeah, the orphan kid with the annoyingly high pitched voice. By the first chapter of the book Oliver is orphaned. It seemed so right.
I put a lot of thought into my main characters, but ultimately I go with my gut. Whatever comes to me first often stays.
I had to change a lot of names in The Other Side because I used names of friends and relatives and didn't figure they'd appreciate some of the characters named after them.
In my current wip, I accidentally named all the parents after the Brady's, lol, so now I've fixed that too.
Amy:
I once edited a novel for a best-selling author. I called him and said, "Look, you have got to change names in here." There was a Shawn, a Shane, a Sharon. It was like the guy was fixated. It was so hard to keep straight visually.
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Mark:
I like Stillwater, too. So poetic.
Funny . . . I really LOVE the Kings of Leon. Their last name is Followill. And they were raised in a Christian fundamentalist church. It just fits . . . and would make a great character name. Poetic.
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Robin:
Nothing like a fish with an identity crisis.
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JT:
That is a perfect fit. I love when books and names play homage to classics.
In MKII, my fave scene plays homage to the Wizard of Oz.
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Melanie:
Sometimes I just do not want a character's name to be x or y . . . but it's the "gut" name and I often find I just can't change it.
I think names are fascinating. Sometimes my characters choose their own names (as did my second child) and sometimes I have to hunt and hunt.
Heather:
Same here.
And my second child was always going to have his name. Always.
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The names of my characters have to be "right," otherwise it bugs me every time I use the name. Naming the characters in my WIP was probably one of my easiest. I've had a woman's name I wanted to use for a long time. I knew right away I finally had the heroine that fit the name. My hero was found in a woods as a child, and his name fits that image.
I don't like similar sounding names, either. Too confusing.
I pick regular names like Bill John or Sue to start with. Usually by the end of the first chapter, I find myself typing something different.
Names become important when I have a good handle on character.
Then again, I have a novel almost complete without a single live character with a name. We get their names after they die.
Thank God there is blood everywhere in the first couple of chapters.
In my WIP, many characters are named after places and cities that no longer exist due to global warming.
Trinidad is named for the Trinity and the place. Castile is named because of the lost region. They're a people without a place of their own. Troy is obvious. Israel, ditto, but to a greater extent, since he's dead.
Some people also are called by animal names: Wolf, Magpie, Robin.
I spent some discomfort on the names for awhile, but I've had readers assure me they're not distracting in text, so I guess I'll leave them.
My favorite character name story is from CORALINE, in which Gaiman mistyped it and then decided to leave it. It makes a great device to show her gumption when she keeps correcting the people around her.
Edie:
Yeah. I can't write a word until the name fits.
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Allen:
I could never do that. I have to have that name!!!! :-)
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Sex Scenes:
I have a friend who names characters very similarly to you. I like animal names.
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I borrowed names from dead family members. I doubt they will haunt me since these are the good guys. Sometimes I use names I run across in my research.
I couldn't bring myself to name my children with offbeat names though my sister-in-law figured with a surname like Jones you're obligated to.
I use names that I like saying. They have to roll off my tongue and paint a mental picture of guy/gal I have in mind, which is why I never name characters after people I can't stand, lol.
Rcihmond:
I wanted to name Demon Baby Atticus. I was overruled.
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Okay, first, I loooove the name Atticus - but that's one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite books.
I knew what I wanted to name my oldest two when I was still a kid myself. My daughter is named for my favorite aunt and Godmother and my son is named for my father and grandfather. The husband type person got to name littlest guy, though I supplied the nickname, because I'm an ass and really don't care for the actual first name... which also happens to be the husband's first name - see, I'm an ass...
Names for characters really depends. For Raskin's Wings I had a little bit of fun because some of the characters were fairies and I got to play with names a bit. The name Raskin I made up completely, but it fits him. The real world characters had real world names that I think fit them well, and I used my own grandmother's maiden name as the character's grandmother's name... a little homage on my part, though his grandmother was much cooler and less likely to crack you with a wooden spoon for walking off the plastic runners.
I do tend to have some fun with last names. They almost always mean something in their language of origin. My MC in the WIP is Jack Poverelli. The last name does mean something. The first name just fits and the juxtaposition between the Irish first and Italian last names were on purpose. I also play a bit with nicknames, like my favorite side character, whose name is Jinxie.
I grew up in a place where nicknames were the going currency and everyone had one... no matter how creative I am, I'll never come up with anything near as original or a more compelling backstory than the ones I know from real life.
When I name my characters sometimes they tell me what they want their names to be others I tried to name them according to their era.
Kath:
I sometimes borrow last names from real people, but not too often on first names because I feel like it would distract me.
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Merry:
Wow . . . I hadn't thought of your Raskin being completely made up. And it does fit him.
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LA:
I'm aware of eras, too.
Particularly in Magickeepers, there's also heritage (Russian).
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I become attached to the names as I write about the characters. I think the name comes to have meaning as I give it life in the story.
Hi Joe:
I definitely become more attached as the characters become more vivid.
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Sometimes I pluck the names out of the air. Most times the names fit. Lately though I've wanted to match the hero and heroine's names to the character I think they would be. ('Cause what I think they will be and what they become are miles a part.)
So the WIP I just finished the heroine's name is Lynne. It's unisex at least I think it is. It's a simple name for a very complex person.
The hero's name is Nathan. I always loved this name, because it's a strong one for a male. Even if you shorten it to Nate it still packs a punch, because it's one syllable. It's unbending. I shouldn't have been surprised the hero turned out to be an Alpha.
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