{"id":14505,"date":"2022-05-31T08:25:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T22:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/?p=14505"},"modified":"2022-05-27T19:28:40","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T09:28:40","slug":"whats-in-a-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/whats-in-a-name\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s in a Name?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This month, editor extraordinaire of Women\u2019s Ink Magazine<\/em><\/a> Jacqui Brown invited five authors \u2013 including me! \u2013 to talk about how we name our characters. Kristin Darell<\/a>, who co-authored Into Tordon with me, was also featured; as was Valerie Pybus<\/a>, Anne Benjamin<\/a> and Australia’s climate fiction queen Cat Sparks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our answers were as various as the genres in which we all write, but the one process we had in common was: research. Whether it\u2019s a top 100 name list for a time or place, websites offering explanations of names, an encyclopaedia, or checking a name’s cultural authenticity, we all put considerable effort and thought into our characters\u2019 names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, one of the most important things is to make sure readers don\u2019t get confused between characters\u2019 names. For this reason, I make an alphabetised list of names I use in each story, to help ensure no two names sound alike or start with the same letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal association helps too. As I was telling a client during a mentoring session only yesterday, giving characters names that have memories attached to them can help portray them with feeling. It could be a memory of an actual person you know, or a collective memory of a famous person with distinct mannerisms and a certain way of speaking \u2013 either way, if they match the personality of the character you\u2019re trying to portray, use their name! At least while drafting the story \u2013 you can change anything before publication of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also keep a list of \u2018Names To Use\u2019, to which I add names I like the sound of \u2013 be that from real life, watching the news, or reading TV and film credits. Sometimes I\u2019ll include a common noun that should<\/em> be a name. Sometimes I\u2019ll make up a name. But having a list on hand gives me a good starting point for characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Checking the root of a name is also a good idea, and I do this with placenames too. From where did the name originate? If I\u2019m creating a fictional world, then the names of the places and people could suggest a certain location, and I may or may not want that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I also do a quick search to see if anyone already exists with the same name, either fictionally or in reality. The results could have me swiftly selecting a new name! Perhaps the name is more popular than I thought and my character needs something more unique. Perhaps there are public associations with the name that I\u2019d rather avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are other aspects to consider too. A character\u2019s name has to suit the genre of your story, making sense with its context and themes. It has to be consistent for readers, which usually means referring to a character by a single name and not switching between variants of that name. Character names need to be easy to pronounce, even in writing, since readers hear their names in their minds. If there are literary devices at play \u2013 such as symbolism, onomatopoeia or alliteration \u2013 you have to consider the affect of those devices. Might a character be given a nickname and, if so, what? If a character has a first and last name, those names need to sound good together \u2013 eg Callum Murray\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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