Annoying discovery about a Character Name

Not with another book. I much prefer accidentally copying blockbuster films I've never seen. I accidentally copied the first name, last name, and general physical description from the main character in an entire series of old movies I've never even heard of for a character of my own. I never would have known, except my Dad pointed it out to me. *shrug* I'm not changing anything unless an editor tells me to.

Carrie in PA; said:

Anybody else had a similar experience?

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I can actually do you one better.

My very first novel, my hero's name was Galen Valerand (Fantasy). He was--specifically--a young man about 20yo, 5'4", flame-red hair with freckles and green eyes.

I'm working away at this book, doing rewrites, and take a break to visit my mother in a different city. She hands me a check. Hurray for money! I take it down to her bank to cash since I want the money.

I walk into her back and my teller is a young man, about 20 or so, 5'4" with flame-red hair, freckles and the brightest green eyes I've ever seen in my life. The name plate at the front of his window said his name was--I'm not making this up--G. Valerand.

No, I didn't have the wherewithall to ask what the G stood for. I was too stunned to do anything but stare at the name plate and take the money. I think he bid me good-day, but I honestly don't remember. I just drove home quickly and changed my hero's description and first name.

Some things are far too weird for fiction.

If it's Rhett Butler, you might want to change it.

If it's William H. Piddlewhiff, you're probably ok.

There are so many novels, stories and ms out there, you'd probably be startled to find it used a couple of other places, too. I wouldn't let it bug me. I'm sure you're character's better.

Oh! And then there was the time I discovered that >MY< legal name is the heroine in a Harlequin Blaze book, part of a series.

When I contacted the author, she generously sent me a signed copy of "my" book.

Very odd to read a book where >I< am doing some of these things. LOL!

Carrie in PA said:

Anybody else had a similar experience?

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Wow, yes! I had just come up with the perfect name for a character who'd gone three chapters unnamed. I was so excited when I found her name - it was unusual and perfect.

Last week I was reading Scott Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies, which takes place mostly at sea (like my book). And there's a female pirate captain (like my book.) And who walks into the scene but a character with the same name as the one I just found!

Dang it, dang it, dang it.

I decided to leave my character named as she is. It's spelled slightly differently, and the characters are different kinds of people. Not to mention it'll be a while before this book sees the light of day. So I'm just going to leave it alone and hope no one decides I was copying him. But it's still irritating.

When I come up with a place name or a character name I usually put it through the Google test before I commit to it. It's amazing what pops out when you're writing. You never know if it's something you've read years ago and it's just come to the surface.

I went through the same problem. Unfortunately my character's name was the same as one of Nora Roberts main characters, Aidan Gallagher. It was a name I've loved for years and to find out that I can't use it really sucks! It's one of my favourite authors, the same genre and I just don't feel that I'd be "allowed" to use it, so I've changed his name to Aidan Rhys and used Gallagher (which is my favourite Irish last name) for his love interest's last name.

ETA: I just thought of something else, with movies. It's funny that my mom's maiden name (Kathleen Kelly) is the same as Meg Ryan's character in You've Got Mail!

When I was young, and this is before Google hit the scene, I had a secondary male character with an unusual name. He was a catholic priest. I gave my story to someone, I think my English teacher, who said, "You do know who Flannery O'Connor is, don't you?"

Carrie in PA said:

Anybody else had a similar experience?

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Yes, I searched Amazon.com to see if any book synopses included the name of my main character and one did. I now have the book, but is nothing like mine, though I may read it anyhow. The first and last names are pretty common, not famous, and I like them and have no intention of changing them.

Check out the 1986 film "Troll," which features a young boy named Harry Potter battling an evil which has invaded the real world from a magical realm.

Worst name coincidence I had was when I chose a character name from a baby name book and later discovered it was the same name as a convicted child molester. I think I set speed records changing that name.

Carrie in PA said:

Anybody else had a similar experience?

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Yeah, I posted an excerpt from my first YA novel in SYW and found out that one of my MC's--Lupe Delgado--had appeared in one of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" books.

The hussy. Except I think King's "Lupe" was a guy...which is weird. Anyway, I changed it.

Because of this thread I googled my character's names. I found a woman who not only had my characters full name, but had a sister named Lilly (TWO Ls). My character has a daughter named Lilly. Strange.

There's no copyright on names...but you might want to make sure your choices don't make you look a bit daft.

My sister called one day screaming at me to turn on Wheel of Fortune -- a guy with my main character's name was spinning the wheel. They were physically polar opposites, but it such as hell takes the hot out of a name when that happens!

Carrie in PA said:

One of my characters I googled turned out to be a prison inmate that was some kind of serial killer. Changed that one! LOL

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PeeDee?

I once googled my own name--just to see--and discovered that a woman with the same name lived near this same small town in pioneer days. She had named two of her boys very similar to mine and was a horsewoman. Spooky.

I have a writer friend who once got "hate mail" from a woman with the same name as the heroine in her first historical romance.

The woman was a doctor, and she HIGHLY annoyed that my friend had DARED to use HER NAME in the book. Didn't my writer friend have a clue how EMBARASSING it was when her patients Googled her name, and found references to this ROMANCE novel???

Dr. Crazed Woman really needed to get a grip. There's probably very few names that have only belonged to one person in history.

Plus, her patients, one would assume, would include DOCTOR, or MD when they Googled her.

Plus... just too bad, woman. <G>

Susan G.

Soccer Mom said:

I once googled my own name--just to see--and discovered that a woman with the same name lived near this same small town in pioneer days. She had named two of her boys very similar to mine and was a horsewoman. Spooky.

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You called?

scarletpeaches said:

There's no copyright on names...but you might want to make sure your choices don't make you look a bit daft.

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I never realized why I kept getting rejections for my story about a kindhearted, but misunderstood circus performer--he was a clown--named John Wayne Gacy. He had this fifteen year old clown apprentice boy who went missing and everybody blamed him.


Not until a kind agent pointed it out anyway...

Danger Jane said:

I never realized why I kept getting rejections for my story about a kindhearted, but misunderstood circus performer--he was a clown--named John Wayne Gacy. He had this fifteen year old clown apprentice boy who went missing and everybody blamed him.


Not until a kind agent pointed it out anyway...

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Oh.My.Gosh.

**dies**

that musta been a wee bit creepy.