There's something about Mary
Jul. 16th, 2007 09:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pbrayFind the right names for your characters isn't an easy task. People ask me where I find my character names, and the true answer is everywhere. Over the years I've taken names from street signs, telephone directories, the town where my postcard supplier was located, alluded to genre tv shows, scoured lists of Olympic athletes, and even used the name of a popular manufacturer of plumbing fixtures.
Earlier this year I wrote about character naming, and for those who are interested I'm posting the article here under the cut.
Choosing the right names for your characters is vital. Names set reader expectations, as much if not more than the physical descriptions that you provide. Just think of the images that come to mind when you compare the names Jack Archer and Clarence Witherspoon. Which one do you pick as the romantic hero? Will Jack be more likely to be attracted to Sydney O'Malley or Tiffany Devine?
It's important to find names that fit both the characters' personalities and the story that you are writing. Guillaume may be a lovely name for the hero of your medieval romance, but if you are writing a contemporary romantic comedy, you'd be better off with William.
Sometimes names can be used to reveal character. Think of Sara Paretsky's character V.I. Warshawski--a private detective doing her best to live down her given name of Victoria Iphenigia Warshawski. Here the author used the character's name to tell us something about the character--showing us someone who refuses to allow others to judge her by her gender.
When picking names for my characters, I'll consider the meaning of the name, as well as how it sounds when read aloud. Jane Sedgwick was the perfect name for a Regency country miss, a woman who embodied practicality, and was unused to high society. When a later book featured a wealthy and sophisticated heiress, I chose to name her Lady Felicity Winterbourne.
When I needed a name for the hero's best friend, someone whom every woman treated as a younger brother, I gave him the name Lord Frederick, known to one and all as Lord Freddie. Here the nickname was a clue to his character arc, as he struggled to be taken seriously by those around him.
Beware of using names that are too similar, especially for minor characters that make infrequent appearances throughout the book. If the reader has to pause to try and remember whether Harold is the family black sheep or if that was Howard, you've just jerked them out of your story. In real life, you may go to a cocktail party and be introduced to three Michaels and two Jennifers--not mention Harold, Hayward and Howard--but in your writing you should strive to avoid such confusion.
So, how do you find the right names for your characters?
What's in today
If you're writing a contemporary story, your best friend is a book of baby names. I gravitate to books that include ethnic origins as well as meanings. There are also numerous websites offering collections of baby names, but I prefer to page through a book as I'm collecting potential names.
For last names, there's the ever popular phone book. I'll also write down interesting names as I see them, from newspapers, sporting events, television credits, et cetera.
Beware of mixing and matching names from different ethnicities. If you don't know the ethnic origin of a name, do a little checking before you decide to use it. Consuela Murphy, whose name combines a Hispanic first name with an Irish last name, may be the product of a multicultural family, or simply named after her mother's best friend, but it's unusual enough to be noticed. For similar reasons, Hiroshi Wang, which combines a Japanese first name with one of the most common Chinese surnames, is also an uncommon pairing. There's no rule that says you can't combine names in this way, but it should be a deliberate authorial decision, one that is consistent with the character's back story and family history.
Writing about the past
Madison is a popular girl's name today, but before the movie Splash, it was unheard of. To give your story an authentic period feel, you need to research names from that era. Most baby names books don't mention when a name first came into general use, but the more scholarly references will, such as the invaluable The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names by E.G. Withycombe.
If you are writing about the recent past, there are websites that list the most common names for the past century. For other periods, you may be able to find census records, lists of tax rolls, genealogies or even entire newspapers on the internet. And remember to jot down potential names as you do your general research, especially when you have access to primary sources such as letters or diaries.
Writing about a place that never was
For my first fantasy novel I needed to create two very different cultures. The first was that of Duncaer, where my hero Devlin was from. After being exiled from his homeland, he travels to the rival kingdom of Jorsk, which has its own language and customs. To give the feeling of a common culture, I used Celtic sources to create names for people, places and things in Duncaer. For Jorsk, I used Scandinavian names, referring to Viking sagas and lists of royal genealogies to find appropriate names. Because the names in each culture share the same linguistic roots, they sound natural together. Devlin is clearly from a different culture than Solveig, Drakken, Oluva and King Olafur. I don't have to keep describing his alienation from his hosts, their very names provide subconscious clues to the reader that Devlin is a man out of place, far from his home and everything familiar to him.
This is where a name book that groups names by ethnicities, such as Sherrilyn Kenyon's Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook, is invaluable.
Here a Grimes, There a Grimes
When I was writing Regencies, I would sometimes find that I needed a name for a minor character--someone the viewpoint character would know by name, such as a housekeeper, the gentleman seated next to her at dinner, or the family solicitor. I would pause while writing to think up a name, and inevitably the character would be given the name Grimes. A solid, British sounding name, one that would disappear into the narrative. Except, of course, if you've populated your book with six different characters named Grimes. In this case the astute reader will detect a conspiracy by the Grimes family to infiltrate all levels of Regency society.
Fortunately I caught the problem during the revision stage. To prevent this from happening again, I began making lists of potential names for minor characters, and keeping that list next to the computer. As I use one of the names, I cross it off. When I start to run low, I begin trolling through my research books to come up with new ones.
When I'm working on a multi-book series, I find it helpful to keep a style sheet that lists each character. A typical entry is: Chenzira, Lieutenant Imperial Navy, illegitimate nephew of Proconsul Zuberi, Ch17. This tells me the brief facts about the character, and when they were first introduced. I can also sort the style sheet alphabetically to see which names I've already used in previous books, so I'll know not to accidentally reuse them.
So where do you look for help in find the right name for your characters? Here's a sampling of the resources available:
Books
A Dictionary of Surnames by Patrick Hanks, Flavia Hodges
From Aaron to Zoe: 15,000 Great Baby Names by Daniel Avram Richman
The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names by E.G. Withycombe (out of print--check libraries or used bookstores).
Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The one naming book every writer should own.
Internet
Most popular names by year of birth (covers United States from 1879 onward): http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
Most popular names for selected years (United Kingdom): http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nscl.asp?id=7557
Nameyourbaby.info: website from the author of From Aaron to Zoe: 15,000 Great Baby Names http://www.nameyourbaby.info/default.asp. Note, as of July 2007 this website is no longer active.
Recent popular names by country/region: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_popular_given_names
About the author
While researching this article, Patricia Bray added a new book on names to her collection, but she swears she's not addicted. A multi-genre author whose career spans both romance and epic fantasy, Patricia's latest novel is THE SEA CHANGE, which will be released by Bantam Spectra in August 2007. For more information visit her website at http://www.patriciabray.com.
This article originally appeared in the May 2007 issue of STARbursts.
Copyright 2007 by Patricia Bray. All rights reserved.
Earlier this year I wrote about character naming, and for those who are interested I'm posting the article here under the cut.
There's something about Mary: Find the right names for your characters
by Patricia Bray
Choosing the right names for your characters is vital. Names set reader expectations, as much if not more than the physical descriptions that you provide. Just think of the images that come to mind when you compare the names Jack Archer and Clarence Witherspoon. Which one do you pick as the romantic hero? Will Jack be more likely to be attracted to Sydney O'Malley or Tiffany Devine?
It's important to find names that fit both the characters' personalities and the story that you are writing. Guillaume may be a lovely name for the hero of your medieval romance, but if you are writing a contemporary romantic comedy, you'd be better off with William.
Sometimes names can be used to reveal character. Think of Sara Paretsky's character V.I. Warshawski--a private detective doing her best to live down her given name of Victoria Iphenigia Warshawski. Here the author used the character's name to tell us something about the character--showing us someone who refuses to allow others to judge her by her gender.
When picking names for my characters, I'll consider the meaning of the name, as well as how it sounds when read aloud. Jane Sedgwick was the perfect name for a Regency country miss, a woman who embodied practicality, and was unused to high society. When a later book featured a wealthy and sophisticated heiress, I chose to name her Lady Felicity Winterbourne.
When I needed a name for the hero's best friend, someone whom every woman treated as a younger brother, I gave him the name Lord Frederick, known to one and all as Lord Freddie. Here the nickname was a clue to his character arc, as he struggled to be taken seriously by those around him.
Beware of using names that are too similar, especially for minor characters that make infrequent appearances throughout the book. If the reader has to pause to try and remember whether Harold is the family black sheep or if that was Howard, you've just jerked them out of your story. In real life, you may go to a cocktail party and be introduced to three Michaels and two Jennifers--not mention Harold, Hayward and Howard--but in your writing you should strive to avoid such confusion.
So, how do you find the right names for your characters?
What's in today
If you're writing a contemporary story, your best friend is a book of baby names. I gravitate to books that include ethnic origins as well as meanings. There are also numerous websites offering collections of baby names, but I prefer to page through a book as I'm collecting potential names.
For last names, there's the ever popular phone book. I'll also write down interesting names as I see them, from newspapers, sporting events, television credits, et cetera.
Beware of mixing and matching names from different ethnicities. If you don't know the ethnic origin of a name, do a little checking before you decide to use it. Consuela Murphy, whose name combines a Hispanic first name with an Irish last name, may be the product of a multicultural family, or simply named after her mother's best friend, but it's unusual enough to be noticed. For similar reasons, Hiroshi Wang, which combines a Japanese first name with one of the most common Chinese surnames, is also an uncommon pairing. There's no rule that says you can't combine names in this way, but it should be a deliberate authorial decision, one that is consistent with the character's back story and family history.
Writing about the past
Madison is a popular girl's name today, but before the movie Splash, it was unheard of. To give your story an authentic period feel, you need to research names from that era. Most baby names books don't mention when a name first came into general use, but the more scholarly references will, such as the invaluable The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names by E.G. Withycombe.
If you are writing about the recent past, there are websites that list the most common names for the past century. For other periods, you may be able to find census records, lists of tax rolls, genealogies or even entire newspapers on the internet. And remember to jot down potential names as you do your general research, especially when you have access to primary sources such as letters or diaries.
Writing about a place that never was
For my first fantasy novel I needed to create two very different cultures. The first was that of Duncaer, where my hero Devlin was from. After being exiled from his homeland, he travels to the rival kingdom of Jorsk, which has its own language and customs. To give the feeling of a common culture, I used Celtic sources to create names for people, places and things in Duncaer. For Jorsk, I used Scandinavian names, referring to Viking sagas and lists of royal genealogies to find appropriate names. Because the names in each culture share the same linguistic roots, they sound natural together. Devlin is clearly from a different culture than Solveig, Drakken, Oluva and King Olafur. I don't have to keep describing his alienation from his hosts, their very names provide subconscious clues to the reader that Devlin is a man out of place, far from his home and everything familiar to him.
This is where a name book that groups names by ethnicities, such as Sherrilyn Kenyon's Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook, is invaluable.
Here a Grimes, There a Grimes
When I was writing Regencies, I would sometimes find that I needed a name for a minor character--someone the viewpoint character would know by name, such as a housekeeper, the gentleman seated next to her at dinner, or the family solicitor. I would pause while writing to think up a name, and inevitably the character would be given the name Grimes. A solid, British sounding name, one that would disappear into the narrative. Except, of course, if you've populated your book with six different characters named Grimes. In this case the astute reader will detect a conspiracy by the Grimes family to infiltrate all levels of Regency society.
Fortunately I caught the problem during the revision stage. To prevent this from happening again, I began making lists of potential names for minor characters, and keeping that list next to the computer. As I use one of the names, I cross it off. When I start to run low, I begin trolling through my research books to come up with new ones.
When I'm working on a multi-book series, I find it helpful to keep a style sheet that lists each character. A typical entry is: Chenzira, Lieutenant Imperial Navy, illegitimate nephew of Proconsul Zuberi, Ch17. This tells me the brief facts about the character, and when they were first introduced. I can also sort the style sheet alphabetically to see which names I've already used in previous books, so I'll know not to accidentally reuse them.
So where do you look for help in find the right name for your characters? Here's a sampling of the resources available:
Books
A Dictionary of Surnames by Patrick Hanks, Flavia Hodges
From Aaron to Zoe: 15,000 Great Baby Names by Daniel Avram Richman
The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names by E.G. Withycombe (out of print--check libraries or used bookstores).
Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The one naming book every writer should own.
Internet
Most popular names by year of birth (covers United States from 1879 onward): http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
Most popular names for selected years (United Kingdom): http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nscl.asp?id=7557
Nameyourbaby.info: website from the author of From Aaron to Zoe: 15,000 Great Baby Names http://www.nameyourbaby.info/default.asp. Note, as of July 2007 this website is no longer active.
Recent popular names by country/region: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_popular_given_names
About the author
While researching this article, Patricia Bray added a new book on names to her collection, but she swears she's not addicted. A multi-genre author whose career spans both romance and epic fantasy, Patricia's latest novel is THE SEA CHANGE, which will be released by Bantam Spectra in August 2007. For more information visit her website at http://www.patriciabray.com.
This article originally appeared in the May 2007 issue of STARbursts.
Copyright 2007 by Patricia Bray. All rights reserved.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-17 02:43 pm (UTC)The horse becomes a fairly substantial character, and this totally inappropriate and obviously insufficiently researched name that his author gave him made me so twitchy that I almost couldn't finish the books.
This was in The Time Before Google, I grant you, when it was harder to look stuff up without knowing what it was you might be looking for because you actually had to have some clue where to look. But still.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-17 02:56 pm (UTC)I remember giving a presentation in 1994 to fellow authors talking about how the internet would transform our writing processes, as more and more resources became available through the world wide web.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-17 03:43 pm (UTC)It really is amazing how much things have changed. I got my undergraduate degree in 1996, having spent four years in the library stacks surrounded by piles of books and endlessly photocopying journal articles from bound volumes, all found either through the hard-copy MLA Bibliographies or via long hours seated in front of a library terminal; I had Internet access only through the Writing Centre on the library's top floor, and even that was e-mail (and maybe Gopher) only, no Web. In my fourth year, when I had moved off campus, I finally got remote access to my university e-mail account (via Telemate and a 2400-baud modem). Yet colleagues who graduated only four or five years later tell me they did all their research online, had 24/7 access to the library catalogue and to resources like Project Muse and JSTOR, ordered articles through online ILL, communicated with instructors and TAs by e-mail, had course Web sites, submitted term papers electronically ...
Just amazing.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-17 04:53 pm (UTC)Of course, I also remember logging on to campus with a 300 baud modem in my undergrad days. And my Commodore 64 terminal emulator which could only display 40 characters at a time, so you scrolled from side to side as you were editing your programs.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-17 05:49 pm (UTC)I should admit at this point that I started out as a total Luddite, using the family computer only to play Jeopardy! (from a 5.25" diskette) with my brother and bloody-mindedly writing all school assignments in longhand or on an ancient portable typewriter until the fateful day (or, rather, night) in 1991 when, with less than twelve hours to go until I had to hand in to my Grade 11 history teacher the 2500-word Guided Coursework that I hadn't yet started writing, I got my mother out of bed to teach me how to use WordPerfect 5.1. (To be fair, between my mom's work and my brother's endless series of BBSs and Quest games, it would have been hard for me to get much computer time even if I'd wanted it.) These days she e-mails me for advice when MS Word misbehaves, and I have trouble imagining what my life would now be like in the absence of practically 24/7 Web access -- not to mention that great and hallowed über-implement in the copy editor's toolbox, Google...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-18 02:33 am (UTC)I've thought before about how much a wordprocessor is part of my writing process--I'm not someone who enjoys writing huge chunks by hand, instead I like being able to type a sentence five or six times till I get it right, then move on.
If I was living back forty years ago, when typewriters were the gold standard, I'd be a different kind of writer.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-18 01:26 pm (UTC)And I don't think I could be an editor without word-processors and Google and online library catalogues.