Susan here, in the midst of a busy and distracting week -- (including recovering from a computer meltdown that set everything back in the oh-so charming way that computers have), so it's a perfect time for what we like to call a Wench Classic -- a previous post from a while back, polished up a bit, updated and trotted out again.
Naming a character can be a delicate thing, not to be approached lightly, as it's a crucial step in the early stages of writing a book -- and crucial throughout, since I often find myself changing a name more than once in a draft as I get to know that character better. I've spent hours poring over name books looking for just the right name. Main, secondary, tertiary or just a throwaway for someone who appears once or twice in the story, each name can have impact and influence on the story. A name can help determine the reader's perception of a character, too, and particularly in historicals, can contribute to a sense of authenticity. When there are actual historical people in the story, the names can be pre-determined -- so sometimes the author is well and truly stuck and must make the best of it. In writing historical romance, and especially mainstream historical fiction, I've been stuck with some dreadful names that were a challenge to work around.
The right names can establish historicity, and they can be important threads in weaving the fabric of a story and a time period -- just as the wrong sort of name can undermine believability and disrupt the flow of the story. Names have historical and social contexts and it's good to take those into consideration when choosing a character name for a particular time and setting. Some names can sound quite modern despite a historical pedigree; other names are just plain unpleasant or downright ugly; some are hard to pronounce or look strange on the page; and some carry with them a quality that affects the character, such as a name that makes us think of someone frumpy, or sly, or weak. The modern connotation of a name is just as important as the historical context -- because the reader may think of the modern sense of the name first, even if it suits the history in the story.
Like most authors, I love name books. I've gathered a shelf or two of name books by now, well-thumbed pages liberally salted with penciling and underlining, sticky notes and printouts of additional lists. When we named our three kids, I had just two or three naming books (I wasn't a fiction writer then!) and I still use those books today, plus lots more. Now the naming library includes books of historical names, books of cultural names, books with census lists and historical background, books that explore the social, numerological, even the kabbalistic context of names. Any resource that helps name a character is welcome. Because naming a character is part of defining the essence of that character.
Authenticity is important, and so is sound -- even read silently, the sound and tone of a name can contribute to that character. Spelling, pronunciation, how many other characters' names begin with the same letter or with a similar sound -- these are all factors in choosing a character name. If I'm flying through the writing of a story and just need to pick a name quickly for a maidservant or a reverend or some person who pops into the story and pops right back out again, it's easy to pick up the nearest name book, choose a name, and go back to the writing. The pitfall lies in snatching names from the beginning of the book--suddenly I realize that everyone has a name beginning with A or B, and further into the story, C and D. Author process can be so transparent sometimes . . .
For me, authenticity in naming is a big consideration. Character names should fit the historical context of the story, and not only have to sound and feel right for the character, but for the setting and the historical era. Many good name books will give the origin and history of a name, along with some notes on census reports showing the most common and popular names in certain centuries. Withycombe's The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names is one of the best for this sort of information.
A name can be historically accurate, and yet sound all wrong to the modern reader. My favorite example is "Tiffany" -- which seems like a ridiculously modern name for a medieval heroine. And yet the name did occur in the medieval era. It origin is Theophania, or Epiphany. According to Withycombe, there was a Tiffany recorded in England in 1315, along with others. Religious holiday names were popular in earlier centuries, names like Noel, Christmas, Pascal, and so on.
I once named a medieval heroine "Michaelmas"--the feast of the Archangel Michael in September was her birthday. She was a secondary character, the younger sister of the hero in The Angel Knight. Both Michaelmas and her brother were natural hands-on healers, born in a time when that sort of activity was suspect, to say the least. Readers loved little Michaelmas (she was eight years old in The Angel Knight) -- and I got so many requests for her story that I decided to write a sequel. But I hadn't planned on writing a story for Michaelmas when I named her originally -- and so I found myself well and truly stuck with a name that wasn't great for a romance heroine.
As I worked on her book--Lady Miracle, in which Michaelmas grows up to become a female physician in the 14th century -- I called her "Michael" for short. The use of masculine names for females was very prevalent in the medieval era, so there was historical precedent for the name. Publishers Weekly gave Lady Miracle a starred review (which is still framed on my office wall!), but I also remember one reader bashing the book because the heroine had a guy's name and she just couldn't get into the story because of it.
Even so, I love the name Michaelmas, and I love the character. Given it to do over, I would choose that name again. It suited her perfectly. (By the way, Lady Miracle and Angel Knight are now available in ebook, and Lady Miracle is available, for a short time, for .99 cents!)
Besides accuracy and authenticity (two different aspects of good historical fiction), I also have to consider whether I can live with typing that name a zillion times in the course of writing the manuscript. And I've sometimes changed the name of a hero or heroine repeatedly while writing a story, looking for the right fit. The character doesn't click for me until the name is right for them. Sometimes the right name is there from the beginning--other times, it takes continual searching and experimenting.
And can the reader pronounce the name? Not always. I'm often using Gaelic and Celtic names in my stories, and they can be the very de'il to pronounce. I try to find ways to gently show the reader how to pronounce the name, by having another character learn to say it phonetically. I try to go for the ones that are obvious--like Bethoc, Morag, Niall, and I leave names like Siobhan and Eibhlin, lovely as they are when said aloud (Chevonne and Evleen), aside.
When a character is a historical person with a tricky name--that needs to be handled very carefully. In Lady Macbeth, I had to work my way around the names Gruoch, Lulach, Gillecomghainn and others that were even worse--so I simplified and modernized the names as much as possible while still keeping things accurate. Lady Macbeth herself was recorded as Gruoch in a Latin document. I had no choice at first--but I kept typing "Grouch" so I had to find a better solution. My own research indicated that her actual name may have been Gruadh ("Groo-ath"), a bit more pronounceable and much prettier on the page. So I went with that, but I also gave her the nickname "Rue" -- best I could do for the reader's sake!
Do you find that a character's name makes a difference to your enjoyment of a story? If you're a writer, do you pick and choose the names carefully each time for the sense of character or the historical setting? What do you hate about names in stories -- and what do you love? Have you ever named your children (or pets!) after a name in a book? (Friends of ours named their little Yorkie puppy "Tyrion" from Game of Thrones - perfect!).
Susan
