Writing Tips - Story Characterization

Jan Fields, ICL web editor, has published in many and varied children’s and family magazines including Boys’ Quest, Highlights For Children, Shining Star, Crayola Kids, Ladybug, Single-Parent Family and Charisma-Life.  Though she began her career writing for adults exclusively, she was soon lured into the challenging world of children's writing. Jan has taught adult and children’s writing for over twenty years. In addition to this busy schedule, Jan is the editor of Kid Magazine Writer e-magazine. She is a member of the SCBWI and a repeat speaker at local SCBWI conferences. Her articles about writing have been published both in print and online markets such as Keystrokes, Byline, Children’s Writer, and Children’s Book Insider. Her first middle grade novel is presently in production with DRG Publishing. In her spare time, she sleeps.

"What's In A Name?"

by Jan Fields

For some writers, there are few elements of characterization more important than the name. I know writers who can't really get settled in the character until the perfect name is chosen. But I know others who don't really spend much time thinking about names and just toss in the first one that comes to mind. However you choose your names, there are certain things to consider.

WHEN WERE YOU BORN?

One of the problems magazine editors see frequently in fiction is poorly named characters. For example, POCKETS magazine Assistant Editor Patty McIntyre lists out-dated name choices among the common mistakes they see in manuscripts. Many writers choose names that were very common when the writers themselves were children instead of names that are common for children today.

For example, according to the Social Security Administration website in the year I was born (psst…1961) the top ten most common names for baby girls were Mary, Lisa, Susan, Linda, Karen, Patricia, Donna, Cynthia, Sandra and Deborah. Sound familiar? Editors see dozens of stories with characters named Susan or Linda, even though very few young girls have those names today.

So, really, not many of my characters were born in 1961. If I'm writing a story set in third grade, by character was probably born in 1998 when the ten most popular girl names were Emily, Hannah, Samantha, Ashley, Sarah, Alexis, Taylor, Jessica, Madison, and Elizabeth. Quite a difference, right? Some of those were considered painfully old-fashioned when I was born, but now they're exactly perfect for characters set in third grade classrooms today. But are they the right names for characters in high school? Imagine your character is sixteen, then the ten most popular names in her class does show some overlap: Ashley, Jessica, Brittany, Amanda, Samantha, Sarah, Stephanie, Jennifer, Elizabeth, Emily. Looks like Ashley's losing ground in the popular name race.

IS THAT A NAME?

But do you always want to use a popular name? Let's think about some character names from stories you might (or might not) know:

Or how about SkippyJon Jones or Maximum Ride? Why would a writer choose a name that is definitely well outside the norm? A unique name is memorable and the sound of it can suggest certain things about a character. A unique name might be very comic. Or it might be grim or dangerous sounding. When you choose a really odd name, the name will usually tell us something about the character. Another bonus for choosing a really unusual name is that the name itself will never "date" your book.

When choosing a really unique character name, you can sometimes look in unexpected directions. For example, in his blog, Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies, says this about choosing Tally for the name of his main character: "Uglies takes place 300 years in the future. Names probably won't be the same as now. So I needed something that's not a current name, but that doesn't make your brain fritz when you read it. So I chose a regular word in English." And when choosing another unique name, he played sound games: "Peris sounds like, but isn't, a real place name: Paris. Again, it's familiar and yet not quite 20th century. Also, Paris is a mystical city of lights that people fantasize about going to, sort of like New Pretty Town, where we first meet Peris. (Just thought of that.)"

Sometimes you don't put that much thought into the name at the moment it's chosen, but associations come to you later (like Westerfeld's use of Peris). Other times you know the connection you want to make - like a specific region of the world or a word meaning - but don't know how to come up with a name. Here are two quick resources for that:
Regional Names (very unusual) at Gaming Geeks dot Org
Baby Names World - can be helpful for finding names with particular meanings

CAN YOU READ THAT NAME FIVE THOUSAND TIMES FAST?

On her website, Romance author Carolyn Jewel says character names really need to work on three levels. "You must consider how the name looks on the page, how it sounds in your head and how it sounds if said out loud. All three count." That's true whether you're writing a novel, a short story, or a picture book. Read Aloud books can suffer the most from poor naming - roll the character name around in your mouth, can you imagine saying that name night after night as part of a story, especially a story in which the name is repeated over and over?

Sound also matters in keeping names straight. If your main characters are Lisa and her sister Lana - how long will it be before your reader have trouble keeping up with which character has which name? How about if they're named Kara and Tara? Sound alike names can confuse readers who are introduced to them before the characters become fully fleshed out in the reader's mind. With sound alike "place holders" for the characters, the chore of keeping characters straight becomes more difficult. This is especially tough in a book with a large cast of character who come and go.

I JUST FIGURED I'D USE MY KIDS' NAMES

Intentionally using the names of real people can be problematic legally. Since the name is already linked to a real person in your life, you run the risk of readers assuming other traits of the character are shared by the real person. Since you're creating fictional characters with depth and flaws, will the person sharing your character's name like the possible comparisons? Are you sure?

Sometimes you'll see well known writers run contests where the winner will have her/his named used in an upcoming book. You can be certain those winners all signed releases to prevent legal action if the person doesn't really appreciate his/her namesake. So, for safety sake, choose your names from books and brainstorming, not relatives.

So however you choose your names, give it some thought. Make sure it's a name that feels right to you and that you can remember when you think of the character. Consider the sound of it and what it means. Think about connections your reader may make to it. Names give readers the first peek into a character - so make it a good one.

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