It seems like a such a simple thing to do, and yet, whenever
I start writing something new one of the stumbling blocks I invariably have is
deciding the names of characters, from the major ones to the minors. In many of
my stories the character names have changed multiple times, just because I felt
a certain name didn’t suit well enough.
But why is this? What makes a name a “good” name? And does
it really matter? I know that when I read books I don’t really place much
importance in a character’s name, it’s just what they are called. And yet when
I write myself, I find something pushing me to find just the right name for a
character. I can’t think of many examples of ‘good’ names of characters, only
bad ones (for example, calling a character Hope, whether that character saves
the day, or is symbolically killed at some point, it feels a bit obvious doesn’t
it?).
As a result of this a lot of my characters end up having
more standard names like John, Pete, Laura, Steve (and that last one feels
uncomfortable ‘cos I don’t want my brother getting a big head and feeling like
I included him in a book, so it has to be reserved for bad guys :D ), but then in
sticking to these more simplistic names it feels like a missed opportunity. I
sometimes become tempted to name characters after other characters I’ve read
and enjoyed or people whose work I respect, but then I worry that it will seem
too obvious (and it probably wouldn’t, because obviously not everybody has the
same interests as me, so why would it be recognisable).
I think in a way it’s a lot like band names. New bands place
a lot of importance on picking a good name but in the end it doesn’t really
matter. There are lots of bands with names that aren’t really that great when
you think about them as a sole entity but this doesn’t stop them, it’s the
music that you remember, the name is just a thing (for example, what kind of a
band name is Travis, or Red Hot Chili Peppers. What does that even mean?)
Let me know what you think, should characters names reflect
something about them, or when you are reading do you pay any attention to the
names whatsoever or just quickly move onto what they are doing.
Clean readable names can be a godsend. It's uber difficult to keep track of fantasy names, or an excess of foreign names. One or two is solid - it's more individual, but there's nothing wrong with a few 'normal' names. I've used 'Edwin, Ellie, David, John etc' in Dead on Demand - and I think it works.
ReplyDeleteWe've got a few ethnic characters to give a multi cultural vibe, but no-one wants to read 'Pritpal Rhandalawa said to Slaich Nun-Sur Khalsa.' unless you are Indian.
For English language novels set in English speaking countries, it's fine to call someone Steve, or Travis. As long as they fit the personality, it should be fine.
I think if you wanna make a point with the name, i.e. name a loser in love male you could name him Heathcliff ironically, or more directly referencing a character that you would expect ppl to recognise then you can get something out of it that way, otherwise I dont think its that important. And James is a much better villains name, although Dorcas is perfect ;)
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