In the world of philanthropy, a naming opportunity is a way to entice donors. In exchange for their munificence, a benefactor's name will be plastered on a particular space or even an entire institution. We've probably all found ourselves in the so-and-so gallery or the such-and-such lobby.
Authors have a different type of naming opportunity--the chance to call our characters anything we choose. Today I submitted a short story about a woman named Cecile, or maybe it was Celeste. At several points in the story the name changed. I knew it was a woman's name of French origin, but sometimes my brain supplied one and sometimes the other.
I don't start my short stories knowing my characters' names. I begin with a story idea, then do a lot of brainstorming and make copious notes. Choosing names comes later, so I use placeholders like MC for main character or BF for boyfriend. One time I got pretty far into actually writing the story and had a character I was still referring to simply as "guy." His name in the finished version? Guy.
I usually assign names with more care than in that instance. Once Cecile become the protagonist of my latest story, for instance, I emphasized her family's French heritage by naming her sister Monique and her daughter Esme.
Sometimes character names just hit me and sometimes I do searches for things like "most popular girl names in 1982." Inspiration can come from anywhere. When I still had a landline, I kept a list of the names used by scammers who left me messages. I've also had luck with cemetery headstones.
I don't have any repeat characters in my stories, so every story I start offers a new naming opportunity. Names can do a lot of heavy lifting, revealing character or suggesting background. The name Esme, for instance, means "loved," which made it the perfect choice for the daughter in that latest story of mine, which is all about a mother-daughter relationship.
Shakespeare asked what's in a name. For all his fellow writers, the answer is whatever we choose.
How much do character names matter to you?
Authors also have charitable gift opportunities with character names. I've sold off naming rights to novel characters at a number of charitable events. As a bonus, people who buy the rights also usually buy several books for their friends once the novel is published.
ReplyDeleteWinners don't get to choose if they are "good" or "bad," (Although most state they'd prefer to be bad -- what does that tell you?). My only rule is that if the winner plans to use someone else's name, I require proof the second party is willing.
Sometimes an author nails a name as the perfect embellishment of a character. More often, it's a generic name based on when the character was born (Tiffany, Crystal), particularly those named for soap opera characters.
ReplyDeleteWhen writing, I scan my area for names. I've taken names I like from book covers, diplomas, etc. Names can be problematic. My late friend, Paula Schwartz, who wrote under the name of Elizabeth Mansfield, had an editor who wanted to change the name of her main character. Paula okayed that. The publisher changed the name--at least in the first three chapters. I can imagine the confusion for readers when Claire disappeared from the book and Margaret showed up.
ReplyDeleteJim, I "won" a naming opportunity & had a cringe-inducing result. The character ended up being a not-very-bright school guidance counselor who was blithely unaware of any professional ethics and blabbed all kinds of confidential tidbits as "clues."
ReplyDeleteNever again.
Most of my characters pop up already named.
Oh gosh, that's not what you hoped for.
DeleteI like to play with names and will use any source. Obits are a favorite, but I never use the full name. One gives me a first name, another a last.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem that can occur is when there are too many characters with a name starting with the same letter. It can become very confusing to the reader.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend whose own name, her husband and their four children all had a first name that started with the same letter. She frequently mentioned one child’s name when intending to refer to a different one.
I'm with Jim on raising money for charity with character names. If you can get a bidding war going, that's even better. I usually give people their choice of three different characters. It's amazing when the christian ed director wants to be the killer! But names are ways to raise money for good causes.
ReplyDelete