Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as
sweet” – but would a character by any other name still be the same person?
Recently, I put out a call on the Darkride facebook page, asking readers to
suggest a feminine, old fashioned name for a little girl character in
Crossfire. Readers came through for me with dozens of suggestion, many sharing
the names of their own aunts and grandmas and kids. It made me think about
everything that goes into naming a character, so I came up with a list of things
for writers to think about as we name the people in our stories:
Does the name fit the setting of the story? Is it
appropriate to this particular time and place? To the culture the character was
born in? You can find listings online of the most popular name for a certain year or place.
Will readers be able to pronounce it? Some readers are
thrown out of a story if the names are too difficult to read. This can be a
challenge in fantasy and scifi in particular. A hard to pronounce name may keep
a reader from talking about your book with others, or even from bonding
properly with a character.
Is the name too similar to other names in the story? Many
readers suggested Emily as a name for my little girl character. I loved it,
but it was too close to the name of my character Emmie! I try not to even have
two characters whose names start with the same letter. I also double check that
the name doesn’t rhyme or sound funny with other characters’ names. Having a
serious scene between Pat and Matt could be a challenge!
Is the name too close to other well-known names in the
genre? Bella is beautiful, for example, but too associated with Twilight.
Readers suggested Caroline – another favorite name of mine – but because
Caroline is a character on The Vampire Diaries, I crossed it off my list. I
also check in with other writers I know before naming a major character, to
make sure no one else has claimed that name for their hero or heroine, the same
way I might check in with friends and family members before naming a new baby.
Names aren’t copyrighted, of course, and with common names there’s bound to be
some overlap between books, but writers are very attached to their characters’
names and I don’t want to step on my friends’ toes by taking a name they
planned on using. I also don’t want any confusion for readers. If someone says
she is Team Ander, I want it to be clear that she is talking about Darkride.
Having too many characters with the same first name is like having too many
Ellas in a kindergarten class.
Is it the name of someone I know? If it is, are the
associations too strong? I need to be able to set that person aside and focus
on the character.
What does the name mean? This one is very important to me. I
have a shelf full of baby name books and I love to look up meanings. The right
meaning can reinforce the theme of a book and reflect a character’s personality.
A name with religious connotations – something like Grace, for example - might
fit my new little girl character because several Darkride characters are named
for Catholic saints and there are religious themes throughout the book. Readers
also suggested a flower name like Poppy, Daisy or Lily, which made me think of
the scene in Darkride when Cicely says that Ander finds cut flowers depressing.
Rose, in particular, made me happy because there are several mentions of roses
in Darkride – and in Romeo and Juliet, which plays a big role in the book.
Having a name that echoes themes and symbols from other parts of the series
makes the book feel more layered, even if I’m the only one who consciously makes
the connection.
A few more random tips:
Keep a running list of names you like. Keep a notebook on
hand to jot them down.
Collect baby name books. They’re easy to find at yard sales
and thrift shops, and you can carry them with you and jot down notes in the
margins.
Check out baby name sites, where you can search by culture,
time period, meaning, etc.
Collect programs from concerts and performances. You should
never borrow an entire first and last name combination exactly, of course, but
you may find a great first name here, a great last name there. The program from
my daughter’s middle school graduation has provided a lot of inspiration for
names appropriate to YA!
Stick around for the credits. Movie credits are a goldmine
of names. Pay special attention to the list of “set babies,” children born to
the cast and crew during filming, to see what’s popular now. Also, many movie
tech people use nicknames, which may get your imagination rolling! I always
bring a notebook to the movies!
Pay attention to how other authors use names. Look up the
meanings of the names in your favorite books. Pay attention to how the names
make you feel. I think the Harry Potter books and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer
series are great examples of original names used consciously. What are your
favorites?
Play with names! Use a last name as a first name, use
initials, change a spelling, give your character a nickname – and keep playing
until it feels right. What’s in a name? Anything you want!
(Writers, do you have other tips on naming? I would love it if you would leave them in the comments!)
A tip or two I could offer as a writer, is to do what you did by asking for help on Facebook. Ask your friends names that they think may work.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it is important to be sure that the names of your core characters are unique (much like Ander and Cicely) so that they will stick out to the reader. That, for me, is critically important, because you want people to not only remember what they read, but that the names of your core characters are part of what sticks out in their minds when they think about it and then share it with their friends. I'm not saying that the supporting characters names should be less important, but that the story mostly revolves around those core characters, so the names you give them (or they give you as is my case) stand out separately from the rest. It means more than you know. :-)
Excellent tips, Adriane! I have crowdsourced names on facebook twice, and both times readers have come through with fantastic suggestions. I also strongly agree that, as a reader, I love it when characters have unique names. It's easy to fall back on common names, but it's worth the effort to push a little harder and find something that truly stands out.
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