Before getting started, I want to do a couple of things.
First, here's a HUGE thank you to those of you who stopped by to give me pointers on my openings. I love you guys! You're all so super special awesome.
Second, I want to congratulate those of you who did NaNo this month. Even if you didn't get to 50k, you should be damn proud of yourself for trying!
Today's Topic:
Naming Your Main Character
What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would be just as sweet and yadda, yadda, yadda.
I'm sure you all read that in high school English, so I won't be going through it again here. What I will say is...I don't agree with it. In its true context, it makes great sense--Montague and Capulet are just names and hold no real power over the two of them. But wouldn't the story have been very different if they had been called something other than Romeo and Juliet?
What if they'd been called Matthew and Elizabeth?
George and Cathrine?
James and Martha?
Brad and Janet? (I had to.)
Basically what I'm saying is, don't listen to Juliet. If a rose were called a bumbadilly, it might smell the same, but I'd still look at it funny. Characters are the same way. Their names don't define who they are, but they definitely reflect on them.
So, what should you consider when choosing a name?
--Be comfortable with it
You'll be typing it a lot, so it shouldn't be one you absolutely hate or associate with a person you dislike. For instance, I had a frenemy called Lindsey. Whenever I hear the name "Lindsey," I immediately think of her. So, naturally, I wouldn't want to call my MC that.
--If you trip over it in your head
Your reader won't be any better off. If you have to look back to see how you're supposed to spell it or constantly forget how to properly pronounce it, that probably means you should change it.
--Don't shy away because you don't like it
You know what name I didn't like for a while? Holden. Weird, since CATCHER IN THE RYE is one of my favorite books, eh? Well, as it happens, that's what changed my opinion on the name Holden. It was just a bleeeeh name until I read that book and had something awesome to associate it with. Also, I don't especially like the name Emmett, but he just so happens to be my favorite character in TWILIGHT. (Yes. Emmett. Don't judge me.)
--But consider what it makes you think of
When you hear the name Bertha, what do you think of? How about Lester? Recently, I heard a song about an old Irish story and one of the "characters" was named Madonna. Naturally, I pictured this. That's probably not what I was supposed to picture, but that's what my mind naturally jumps to when it hears Madonna.
--Symbolism is always a plus
But overt symbolism is annoying. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but I'll say it again--don't name your dark, brooding goth girl something stupid like Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way. But you could name her something like Keara (meaning 'dark'). Just find one of the thousands of baby naming websites out there, type in words that are significant to your MC somehow, and look until you find a name that makes your character yell, "Oh! Oh! That one! That's me!"
--Don't name your 18th century romance heroine Gidget
I'm not entirely sure if Gidget was being used back then or not, but I wouldn't take that kind of chance if I were you. Try to come up with a name that fits your genre/time period.
--Nicknames are fun too
In my planned sequel to OPHELIA, one of my MCs is called Terry. His actual name is Terrence. You picture two very different guys when faced with "Terry" and "Terrence." His best friend is named Adrianna, but everyone calls her Addie. So, let me ask you...is your MC an Alex or an Alexander? A Cecilia or a Cecy?
--That's got a ring to it
Holden Caulfield. Romeo Montague. Harry Potter. Grubbs Grady. Anita Blake. Scarlett O'Hara. Those names just roll right off the tongue, don't they? They're actually pleasant to say. Try saying your MC's full name out loud to yourself. Does it sound right? Does it have that ring? If not, maybe you want to work on it a little.
--Place holder names are only place holders for so long
I do this a lot--come up with a place holder name until I can find a real, solid name, but end up using it too long and coming to think of the character by that name. If you use a place holder, try to come up with an actual name ASAP.
For those of you who skipped to the end:
*Don't name your MC after your arch nemesis.
*If you can't pronounce it, your readers are SOL.
*Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you can't use it, but make sure it leaves the image you want it to.
*Symbolism is great as long as you don't beat me over the head with it.
*Pick a genre and a time period and stick to them. I don't want to see any chicks from 1809 named Syl'vana.
*Play around with nicknames. They can put an interesting new spin on your character.
*Does it sound awesome when you say it out loud? It had better.
*You'll eventually start thinking of your character by their place holder name if you don't get a new one quickly.
Do you have any guidelines for naming characters?
What goes into a good name?
Which names sound like nails on a chalk board to you?
HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!
I'm sure you all read that in high school English, so I won't be going through it again here. What I will say is...I don't agree with it. In its true context, it makes great sense--Montague and Capulet are just names and hold no real power over the two of them. But wouldn't the story have been very different if they had been called something other than Romeo and Juliet?
What if they'd been called Matthew and Elizabeth?
George and Cathrine?
James and Martha?
Brad and Janet? (I had to.)
Basically what I'm saying is, don't listen to Juliet. If a rose were called a bumbadilly, it might smell the same, but I'd still look at it funny. Characters are the same way. Their names don't define who they are, but they definitely reflect on them.
So, what should you consider when choosing a name?
--Be comfortable with it
You'll be typing it a lot, so it shouldn't be one you absolutely hate or associate with a person you dislike. For instance, I had a frenemy called Lindsey. Whenever I hear the name "Lindsey," I immediately think of her. So, naturally, I wouldn't want to call my MC that.
--If you trip over it in your head
Your reader won't be any better off. If you have to look back to see how you're supposed to spell it or constantly forget how to properly pronounce it, that probably means you should change it.
--Don't shy away because you don't like it
You know what name I didn't like for a while? Holden. Weird, since CATCHER IN THE RYE is one of my favorite books, eh? Well, as it happens, that's what changed my opinion on the name Holden. It was just a bleeeeh name until I read that book and had something awesome to associate it with. Also, I don't especially like the name Emmett, but he just so happens to be my favorite character in TWILIGHT. (Yes. Emmett. Don't judge me.)
--But consider what it makes you think of
When you hear the name Bertha, what do you think of? How about Lester? Recently, I heard a song about an old Irish story and one of the "characters" was named Madonna. Naturally, I pictured this. That's probably not what I was supposed to picture, but that's what my mind naturally jumps to when it hears Madonna.
--Symbolism is always a plus
But overt symbolism is annoying. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but I'll say it again--don't name your dark, brooding goth girl something stupid like Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way. But you could name her something like Keara (meaning 'dark'). Just find one of the thousands of baby naming websites out there, type in words that are significant to your MC somehow, and look until you find a name that makes your character yell, "Oh! Oh! That one! That's me!"
--Don't name your 18th century romance heroine Gidget
I'm not entirely sure if Gidget was being used back then or not, but I wouldn't take that kind of chance if I were you. Try to come up with a name that fits your genre/time period.
--Nicknames are fun too
In my planned sequel to OPHELIA, one of my MCs is called Terry. His actual name is Terrence. You picture two very different guys when faced with "Terry" and "Terrence." His best friend is named Adrianna, but everyone calls her Addie. So, let me ask you...is your MC an Alex or an Alexander? A Cecilia or a Cecy?
--That's got a ring to it
Holden Caulfield. Romeo Montague. Harry Potter. Grubbs Grady. Anita Blake. Scarlett O'Hara. Those names just roll right off the tongue, don't they? They're actually pleasant to say. Try saying your MC's full name out loud to yourself. Does it sound right? Does it have that ring? If not, maybe you want to work on it a little.
--Place holder names are only place holders for so long
I do this a lot--come up with a place holder name until I can find a real, solid name, but end up using it too long and coming to think of the character by that name. If you use a place holder, try to come up with an actual name ASAP.
For those of you who skipped to the end:
*Don't name your MC after your arch nemesis.
*If you can't pronounce it, your readers are SOL.
*Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you can't use it, but make sure it leaves the image you want it to.
*Symbolism is great as long as you don't beat me over the head with it.
*Pick a genre and a time period and stick to them. I don't want to see any chicks from 1809 named Syl'vana.
*Play around with nicknames. They can put an interesting new spin on your character.
*Does it sound awesome when you say it out loud? It had better.
*You'll eventually start thinking of your character by their place holder name if you don't get a new one quickly.
Do you have any guidelines for naming characters?
What goes into a good name?
Which names sound like nails on a chalk board to you?
HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!
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