Any objections?

Madison · Jul 3, 2008

Two questions concerning my newest WIP:

1. The main character's name is Sophie; her best friend's name is Sarah. Would these two 'S' names trip you up?

2. The evil group in the book is called Caravel - well, it's more than a group but that's a long story... A caravel, in real life, is "a type of sailing ship common in the 15th to 17th centuries," according to google. The Caravel in my WIP has nothing to do with sailing. So...
a) Did you know what a caravel was?
b) IF you knew: would this bug you - knowing that it's really a ship but isn't a ship at all in the book?

Thank you for any suggestions!

Clarec · Jul 3, 2008

I think the two names will be ok, though sometimes when names are similar, I do get a bit confused. I am easily confused though, to be fair.

I did not know what a caravel was so that wouldn't bother me at all. Quite close to 'cabal' though, not that it particularly matters.

Have at it!

Clare

Makai_Lightning · Jul 3, 2008

The similar names wouldn't bother me. At least, those two wouldn't. If they both started with "sa" it'd be more problematic, and you might just want to be careful not to have them going back and forth too too much in the same paragraph. I've still got to change the names of some of my characters, because 1/5 of them have C names. And the are main characters, and they all start with "ca". It bothered even me, and I knew the difference. >.< Still need to fix that....

I didn't know what Caravel meant, and I doubt if I did it would bother me much. It did remind me of the ice cream store Carvel though. But that might be because I'm hungry at the moment.

escritora · Jul 3, 2008

I read somewhere, sorry I can't be specific, that characters starting with the same letter is something publishers frown upon.

No. I didn't know the meaning of Caravel. And yes, if I knew the meaning and the evil group has nothing to do with sailing it would distract me. While reading, I'd think it was a metaphor and I'd look for clues as to why the group chose the name.

Chris Grey · Jul 3, 2008

Give Sarah and Sophie nicknames if you're worried. "Hey Bubbles!" Sarah called to Sophie across the campus.

I knew what a caravel was and I expect many people have heard of it. Does the organization have a reason for choosing that name? Other than "it sounded cool"?

t0neg0d · Jul 3, 2008

Madison said:
Two questions concerning my newest WIP:

1. The main character's name is Sophie; her best friend's name is Sarah. Would these two 'S' names trip you up?

2. The evil group in the book is called Caravel - well, it's more than a group but that's a long story... A caravel, in real life, is "a type of sailing ship common in the 15th to 17th centuries," according to google. The Caravel in my WIP has nothing to do with sailing. So...
a) Did you know what a caravel was?
b) IF you knew: would this bug you - knowing that it's really a ship but isn't a ship at all in the book?

Thank you for any suggestions!

Holy crap! I knew what a caravel was! Happy dance! I have nothing to add aside from that. >.<

Lies!! It would not bother me in the slightest, as long as you gave me your reason for them deciding on this name--at some point.

As for the the double S-names, no issues here.

Madison · Jul 3, 2008

Okay - I'll give a reason for Caravel. So far I'm using because, (yes Chris...) 'it sounds cool.' But I'll make up some very important reason.

thanks everyone

FennelGiraffe · Jul 3, 2008

Sophie and Sarah - both start with "S", both have two syllables, and both are female. I've seen worse, and it also depends on how well you've done at giving them distinct voices, but it could be a problem. I think you would be wise to change one of them.

Yes, I know a caravel is a kind of ship, but I don't think it would bother me, as long as the caravel in your story
a) has nothing to do with transportation
b) if it's an object, is either quite small or not built out of wood
c) the first time the word is mentioned, it's very clear what it refers to

Danger Jane · Jul 3, 2008

I'd say Sophie and Sarah look different enough on the page to keep them.

As far as Caravel goes, yea, give it a reason for the name. Something in the organization's history, or maybe just an acronym--not a seven-letter one, though! Something more like CaRAVL, and since it was so close the group is colloquially called Caravel.

t0neg0d · Jul 3, 2008

Madison said:
Okay - I'll give a reason for Caravel. So far I'm using because, (yes Chris...) 'it sounds cool.' But I'll make up some very important reason.

thanks everyone

I don't think it has to be an 'important' reason. How old are the characters involved? Couldn't 'it sounds cool' be a good enough reason?

It is a good enough reason for most people. It was good enough for you. It is good enough for me (if this matters). Why wouldn't it be good enough for the reader who knows the meaning of the word?

kuwisdelu · Jul 3, 2008

Sophie and Sarah wouldn't bother me.

I knew what a caravel is, though, and it would bother me if the group has nothing to do with the sailing. If the name's history acknowledges the meaning, somehow, however weird the connection may be, I'd probably find it acceptable, though.

Cinzia8 · Jul 3, 2008

Hey, Jane!

I think the way you explained the purpose of Caravel works. Sophie and Sarah might be a little too close to home, unless there is a connection between them that lies beneath the surface. Rock on!!

Cinzia

Willowmound · Jul 4, 2008

Madison said:
a) Did you know what a caravel was?

Yes.

Madison said:
b) IF you knew: would this bug you - knowing that it's really a ship but isn't a ship at all in the book?

Why did you choose this name?

Willowmound · Jul 4, 2008

Madison said:
So far I'm using because, (yes Chris...) 'it sounds cool.' But I'll make up some very important reason.

Then it would bug me.

Names should fit the story, not the other way round.

Bayley · Jul 4, 2008

I personally don't have two characters names starting with the same letter. I read somewhere that readers can get confused, so I just don't. There are enough letters in the alphabet for each main character to have a seperate letter. It probably wouldn't trip me up as the names sound different, but if you don't want to take that risk, then change one of the names.

I have no clue as to what a Caravel was, although if I did know it might bug me. Can't you spell it slightly differently, like 'Carevel' or 'Caraval'?

Willowmound · Jul 4, 2008

Those of you who are celebrating a national holiday today may be interested to know that the the Santa Maria, La Pinta and La Niña were all caravels.

Linda Adams · Jul 4, 2008

I'd have problems with who was who if the two characters were on the page a lot.

Caravel makes me think of carnival.

BfloGal · Jul 4, 2008

I'm terrible with names -- it would help me as a reader if they were different, but I've seen worse.

Caravel brings C.S. Lewis to mind for me. Pair Caravel was the location the children were trying to get to -- the place of the breaking of the curse. It might cause some to look for religious symbolism.

tehuti88 · Jul 4, 2008

1. Wouldn't bother me at all. I have lots of characters with names starting with the same first letter, and what's more, with the same first basic sound (like "Mishi," "Mishu," or "Mitchi"), so I wonder how much I confuse my readers, but the names you gave are so distinct it wouldn't trip me up. If you adequately differentiate their characters.

2. I'd heard the word before but didn't know what it meant. If I did know what it meant, I might wonder why the author used an existing word to name something when there's no relation to the real object (I might in fact look for a relation in the context of the story, though I'd find none in this case), but it probably wouldn't jar me enough to stop me from reading, if the story was good.

I've seen even more common words utilized as the names of things and people in a way that seems to have no relation to the actual meaning of the word; Japanese animation for example seems to do this often. (Off the top of my head I think of an Italian character named "Jacuzzi"!) The more commonly used the word is, the more it would niggle at me (for example, Jacuzzi makes me think, "Couldn't they bother to look up any real Italian names??"), but again, the rest of the story might alleviate that feeling.

Vomaxx · Jul 4, 2008

Is Sophie wise? Readers who know the name is derived from the Greek word for "wisdom" will wonder if her name is reflective of her character (or alternatively is meant ironically).

An "evil group" called Caravel might make readers think it was derived from "cabal", a group of conspirators.

steveg144 · Jul 4, 2008

Madison said:
Two questions concerning my newest WIP:

1. The main character's name is Sophie; her best friend's name is Sarah. Would these two 'S' names trip you up?

2. The evil group in the book is called Caravel - well, it's more than a group but that's a long story... A caravel, in real life, is "a type of sailing ship common in the 15th to 17th centuries," according to google. The Caravel in my WIP has nothing to do with sailing. So...
a) Did you know what a caravel was?
b) IF you knew: would this bug you - knowing that it's really a ship but isn't a ship at all in the book?

Thank you for any suggestions!

1. Change one of the character's names.
2a. Yes I knew what a "caravel" was.
2b. Yes it would bug me; I'd assume the author was trying to come up with
some word that was a real word, sounded vaguely like "cabal", but wasn't.
Bad idea.

Liosse de Velishaf · Jul 4, 2008

I don't know why people think everything written down has to be true. There's nothing wrong with "Sophie" and "Sarah". Besides two syllables and starting with "S", they're not really that similar.

As for "Caravel", yep, knew what it was, and yes, it did strike me as very odd, especially after the admission that you have no particular reason for it. The point of a Google search is to find if a name needs to be changed. This one probably does. It also reminds me of the use of "Galleon" as a coin in Harry Potter, which drove me nuts, since it also happens to be a ship.

~grace~ · Jul 4, 2008

1. Possibly. Are they the only two main characters? If so that would be difficult. If they're part of a larger group, OK. Or maybe you can make it a "thing," like they're together all the time and nobody can remember which one is Sarah and which one is Sophie. ("No! I'm SOPHIE! Sarah is the one with pigtails!")

or you could just change one...I just agonized over having two one-syllable S names in a WIP and the stronger "S" won out.

2. Kind of. Like I knew it was something, and once you said ship I knew it was a ship. It would bother me. Yes.

Quossum · Jul 4, 2008

Liosse de Velishaf said:
It also reminds me of the use of "Galleon" as a coin in Harry Potter, which drove me nuts, since it also happens to be a ship.

I assumed the coin called a "Galleon" in that novel portrayed a picture of a ship on its face, as the ones called "Eagles" probably showed an eagle, and the ones called "Knuts"--uh...showed, um, whatever one of those is.

I wouldn't mind Sarah and Sophie so long as they weren't introduced together, but all-in-all, I agree with those who say heck, go ahead and change one now while you can.

I didn't know what a caravel was; I would have associated it with "cabal" mentally, and if I had known what it was, I would have been looking for some reason the group chose that name.

--Q

BlueLucario · Jul 4, 2008

Linda Adams said:
Caravel makes me think of carnival.

It also reminds me of the company that makes birthday cakes.

Any objections?

summertime...

Love Addict

.

Vagrant Story

summertime...

It's green they say

Revolutionize the World

Lightly salted

Lightly salted

Happiness is underrated

Lightly salted

Soldier, Storyteller

Lost in a plot hole

Mackinac Island Fanatic

Crusty Polemicist

the good old days

Blood Elves FTW