Attached to the Names of Your Characters?

CathleenT · May 23, 2015

I'm not going to comment on your specific names, because I personally need more context to feel like I'm doing it intelligently.

But I will relate an anecdote. I can't specifically source it, but it came out of a reputable book. Tolkien originally named Frodo 'Bingo,' and he later changed it, adopting the name of a minor character instead. (Can't remember if his publisher made him or he did it himself when he saw the tone of the book becoming more serious.) Even though Tolkien admitted it was a good change, it never sat right with him. In his heart, the character was always Bingo.

So you're in good company if name changes never seem to fit, even if they're necessary.

Marian Perera · May 24, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
It isn't popular because of the names. I read more reviews about readers who find those names laughably bad than I have about any other series, ever.

I tried reading one of those books. I enjoyed the heat level, the emotion, the dialogue.

But after a while, the names made it impossible for me to be immersed in the story. I'd be constantly reminded I was reading about characters whom I was supposed to find cool or dark or edgy, and after a while I'd start making up names of my own - Dhiscomfort, Mazokhist, that kind of thing. So I gave up.

Lillith1991 · May 25, 2015

Roxxsmom said:
I'd argue that the modern world might give us more free reign for strange names than a historical or pre-industrial fantasy setting. It seems to be increasingly common for parents to give their kids names simply because they like the way they sound with no regard to family history or culture. Naming fads seem to come and go more quickly than they once did too. Calliou was a character in a kid's show when my nieces were little, so someone in the US or UK might actually name a kid born around that time, even if they're not of French ancestry themselves.

But it might be strange if every character in a modern setting had a fanciful or improbable name.

Another possibility is to have all the kids' parents part of some counter culture that picks unusual names for their kids, or the kids even just being drawn to one another as friends because they had the "weirdest" names in their class or something.

Depends on where exactly you're talking about to be honest, and when. Because what names are popular cycled even in the pre-industrial world. Anne, Emma, John, James, Marcus, Rose etc. have been pretty common names for a fair chunk of the last view centuries in England, and later her colonies. But kids still got strange to us names like Asenath, Adamantine, Allegra, Allegorn, Albion, Taliesin, Elbertha etc. much more often then people think they did. I doubt there's ever been a lot of Asenath or Albion's running around, but there's been some, as well as some other odd names.

And this is without focusing on other groups like the French, German, Russian, Indian, or Welsh. They would have similar patterns too, often the names being translations of others or culturally equivalent.

bearilou · May 25, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
It isn't popular because of the names. I read more reviews about readers who find those names laughably bad than I have about any other series, ever.

Which was my point. It isn't popular because of the names. The OP talked about being attached to names and how some may not be mainstream or perceived as normal. Well, neither were Ward's and she's doing alright with the series.

Marian Perera said:
I tried reading one of those books. I enjoyed the heat level, the emotion, the dialogue.

But after a while, the names made it impossible for me to be immersed in the story. I'd be constantly reminded I was reading about characters whom I was supposed to find cool or dark or edgy, and after a while I'd start making up names of my own - Dhiscomfort, Mazokhist, that kind of thing. So I gave up.

Me too. When I realized that the series was heading in the direction of each of Wrath's 'court' getting their own romantic arc, I suddenly grew tired and put the books away.

Albedo · May 25, 2015

My dilemma is I gave a walk-on character a joke name, and then they went and turned into a bloody protagonist. And I'm too attached to the name to get rid of it, although it's ridiculous. I hate it when characters do that.

VeryBigBeard · May 25, 2015

I have lost count of all the characters in my favourite books whose names I think are a bit silly.

Funny thing is, I don't think it's ever stopped me reading any of them. Sometimes the silly names are part of the appeal. Slartibartfast, anyone? Or everyone in my high school who ritually mispronounced Hermione when HP first came out?

See this mountain? There's the mole who made it. He wants all the credit, too.

Brightdreamer · May 25, 2015

Albedo said:
My dilemma is I gave a walk-on character a joke name, and then they went and turned into a bloody protagonist. And I'm too attached to the name to get rid of it, although it's ridiculous. I hate it when characters do that.

That kind of behavior is why authors put their MCs through all seven levels of Hell. Repeatedly.

(Reminds me of a story from an old PC game I used to play, with a certain randomness factor that often chewed you up before passing Level 5. I slapped my best player names on time and time again, only to see them die. Finally, I when it told me to Enter Name for yet another run, I just entered "DUHOK" - as in "duh, OK" - and sent my little guy into the maw of Hell. Take a wild guess as to whether or not that little twerp almost won the game, save the computer going belly-up first. Go on, take a guess... Because of that, I avoid the flippant, funny-at-the-time names on any character, game or story. Because you just never know who's going to go the distance...)

Melanii · May 25, 2015

^^^ What game was that? XD

I have a few random names floating around, and I'm just waiting on the right character to use them on. It won't be this story, since they're more fantasy names, and that the cast is already set. I'm not sure why a new character would appear. Heh.

I used to have a list of names to use, and now I can't find it. Ah wells! Right now I'm debating if I should replace their names NOW or do it later. If I do it now, I'll have a chance to get attached to the new name I think.

Brightdreamer · May 25, 2015

Miss Strawberrii said:
^^^ What game was that? XD

IIRC, it was Dark Tower, or something along those lines... I believe this was the computer that came after my IBM 8088... the 386? It was on one of those little 3 1/4" floppy disks, so it was some time ago. It was pretty simplistic; you were climbing your way up through a tower maze, and each level had two different, random monster types (this was what could wipe you out early on, if you got a bad monster combo.) My next computer wouldn't run it, because it was too primitive for the system. Still wish I could find a version to play again, though, because I was so danged close to winning. (It also reminded me of one of my all-time favorite Commodore games, Demonstalker - which I also almost won, but kept chickening out on the last level. And now I feel old...)

Usher · May 25, 2015

Or you could create a reason why they have the names they do - maybe they were drawn together because they have unusual names.

blacbird · May 25, 2015

For me, as reader, three rules for the writer:

1. Do not use too many ultra-common names. Those can blend into an unholy amalgam of sticky confusion for the reader.

2. Do not use ultra-cutesy symbolic "meaningful" names. Those just plain get silly real quicklike.

3: Do not use names composed of letters in unpronounceable combinations.

caw

John Ayliff · May 26, 2015

I get attached to names, too, and if I do change them they feel wrong, but eventually I find I'm used to them and attached to the new name. Actually this applies to naming characters in the first place: often no name I pick will feel right for the character until I've used it for a while.

In my novel I was using an asteroid called Isis as the base for my villainous space cops. My publisher asked me to change it (because, since I wrote the novel, ISIS had become a thing), and I picked a new asteroid, but I still think of it as Isis unless I catch myself.

My first draft also had characters named after brands of candy I was snacking on while I wrote, and I always intended to change them, but even so it took me a while to get used to the new names.

Helix · May 27, 2015

I've got a character called Tasha Krefft and I'll have to change the name because I keep thinking of her as Tash Kent.

(Or I could partner her with Sam R Kand. I dunno.)

oceansoul · May 27, 2015

I am attached to having 'authentic' sounding names for the places I generate in my writing, but beyond that, not too attached to the names themselves.

In the manuscript I just sold, the protagonist's love interest was initially named Lesley. I changed the name to Kara after one of my CP's said that in the mind of your average teenager 'Lesley the Lesbian' was too cliche/kitchy. That honestly hadn't even occured to me, but I changed it pretty quickly!

Attached to the Names of Your Characters?

CathleenT

I write

Marian Perera

starting over

Lillith1991

The Hobbit-Vulcan hybrid

bearilou

DenturePunk writer

Albedo

Alex

VeryBigBeard

Preparing for winter

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

Melanii

Talking Fruit

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

Usher

blacbird

John Ayliff

Helix

socially distancing

oceansoul