Choosing names,
for me, can be a challenge. It also varies with the book. I’m a plotter so I
work out a plot before I get to know my characters well.
If I’ve begun
plotting and have a hero/heroine and maybe the idea for the mystery or
suspense, I may have a name in mind or I might have no idea at that time.
Other times I may pick
a generic name when I start writing. It’s like a placeholder. Once I’ve
developed my characters and get to know them the name will come to me. It’s a
name that fits that person. Often the character's physical appearance, characteristics, or actions will lead to a name that fits.
When I’m choosing
names, I look at all the characters that I’m naming. I make sure that the names
aren’t similar. For example, the hero is named Rob, the secondary character is named
Ron and the suspect might be Ross. For a reader, this could be very confusing.
They might have to flip back to check which name it is. I don’t want to confuse
a reader. They might quit reading in frustration. I will probably keep Rob as
my hero if it’s a name that fits. The secondary character will be Jack and the
suspect will be changed to Murray. So, I avoid similarities in names.
I also avoid names
that might be difficult for a reader to pronounce while reading. Again, pulling
the reader out of the story each time. It frustrates me when a character has a
name I’m not familiar with and it’s spelled in another language.
I look forward to
reading how other authors chose their names. I’m off to read their blogs.
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2i7
Marci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
I also avoid names similar in sound or beginning with the same letter. I once read a very-well-known author who had numerous names beginning with A. It was very hard to follow. And it's funny how the brain works when reading. We have to be able to pronounce the name, even if the brain pronounces it differently from the story's spelling. (Done that, too.)
ReplyDeleteYes, Rhobin, the brain can do funny things and we have to be careful not to confuse our readers.
DeleteYes, Rhobin, it's funny how the brain works so we have to be careful for our readers.
DeleteGuessing you'd be as frustrated as I was with Stone Barrington and his woman named Arrington Carrington. Like you, I've changed names when something like this pops up.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think I would, but also it struck me as funny.
DeleteYour point about avoiding names that begin with the same letter hit home! In my current WIP my characters are Colt and Callie. I tried Callie with a K but it just did not sit right. I think this is the only book of mine in which I have had this happen.
ReplyDeleteInteresting and I can see how it might pull a reader out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote Snow Spirits, which is set in China in the 60s, I made sure the names were authentic, but easy for people to pronounce. That's very important. In California, names are kind of a free for all. I always find it fascinating how different things are from culture to culture. When I was in high school, my French teacher said that France actually had a law about what were acceptable names for parents to name their kids. This was back in the 80s. I don't know if that's still true, but it's interesting to think that a government would tell its people what they can, and can't, name their kids.
ReplyDeleteThat's an important point, Marci, making sure the Chinese names were authentic but also pronounceable.
ReplyDeletePronounceable names are an important point, you are right. In the Belgariad, David Eddings has one culture with names that are polysyllabic consonant salads, and that's about the one point I didn't like in those books.
ReplyDelete:)
Bob
Having been in the field of education for over twenty-five years, I've felt a parent should be 'counseled' before signing off on a legal name. Case in point: Kale, Princess (cute only when you are a toddler), Charlie Brown, and Sterling Silver. Good post :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Beverley, that's interesting that you use a 'placeholder' name. I'll try that out sometime. The trouble I find, though, is that once my characters are named, I find it very difficult to think of them as anything else. I enjoyed your post, and this topic!
ReplyDeleteHi Beverley, Love the point about the reader being able to pronounce the character names. I have Menzies in one of my books and even in Scotland people argue over the pronunciation. I would say Ming-is. Some folk say Men-zes. It was self-indulgent and I hope not to have done it again. Anne
ReplyDeleteFrank Mir,
ReplyDeleteNews & Tech
Keeping your health for a better life
ReplyDeleteA Healthy Heart Makes a Healthy Life
Healthy Diet
What Healthy Eating for Healthy Life
I've rarely done names that have the same first letter, but in my first werewolf shifter series, the mom and dad had the same first letter in their names, so they did that for all 3 of their kids. But the names are very different, and the characters are rarely in the same room together. In my vampire book, in the second part, there's a Chinese female, and I gave the pronunciation of her name in the beginning, before the story, so readers could "hear" her name as they read.
ReplyDelete