Tuesday, August 27, 2013

TTYU Retro: Manipulating the Feeling Conveyed by Character Names

Naming characters can be fun. It can also be hard. When you're using real names for people - by that I mean ones that come out of this world - I see lots of people using baby naming sites like this one to get ideas. One of the things that you'll run into on a baby names site is listings of the "meaning" of each name. The name Juliette means "soft-haired," for example. Peter means "rock." Averil, according to the baby names book we had at my house, means "wild boar battle maid" (I always loved that one!). There are tons of options and they will not only invoke their meanings (for those who know those meanings) but they will also invoke individuals' experiences with other people who have had that name. I know some people who will say things like, "I could never name a child Susie, because I've had bad luck with Susies."

Fantasy and science fiction often involves making up names. This can be fun and challenging in its own way - and also full of potential pitfalls. Each time you make up a name, it's important to consider not only the onomatopoetic feel of "bright" or "dark" consonants and vowels, for example, but also the different similar words that will be evoked by the name. Take Snape for example. It's just one letter removed from "Snake," and the p that replaces the k is quite similar to the k in that it is an unvoiced stop (unlike, say, "Snafe" or "Snade"). Combine that with the fact that he's in Slytherin, where we "slither in," and instantly he's the poster boy for every unpleasant characteristic we associate with snakes.

Sometimes you can have a name that gives you trouble. Take the name of my protagonist in For Love, For Power. Years ago, when I first named him, he was called Taglet. At a certain point, of course, I realized that was too similar to "piglet" and that was why things were feeling weird. I didn't want to change everything about the name, though, so I changed it to Tagret. That I thought was cool because it had a kind of "target" vibe, and a kind of "regret" vibe, both of which were relevant to my character. I have run into trouble, however, with critiquers who actually have misread the name as "Target." I have no doubt that the ubiquity of advertising for the merchandiser Target is in part at the root of this confusion... but here I am stuck in a place where my name is doing just what I want it to, and yet it's not right.

So, how to change it without changing the fundamentals?

One friend suggested that I remove the "r" and change the name to Taget. This had a certain appeal, except that the default pronunciation for the name would suddenly be "Tajet" or "Tazhay," and that I wasn't too big on. Doubling the "r" would turn it into Tagrret, with a big growl in the center. He's not the growling type. Doubling the "g" turns it into Taggret, which removes the misreading and doesn't change the pronunciation, but I'm leery of it because it may be seen as evoking "aggressive," which he definitely is not. Tagrit sounds too "gritty." In the end, I chose Tagaret (like Margaret).

The longer you've been using a name, the more time you've had to become accustomed to it as an identity for a particular character. This is one of the reasons why changing names can be so difficult. After all, you don't want to rename the person completely for fear of losing the "feel" you've already achieved. I appreciated the suggestion that I change one letter here or there, because it's taken me into a place where I feel I understand the name a lot better, and also what I was trying to achieve when I created it. It's something you might like to try if you're not entirely comfortable with one of the names you're using. Then you can see what kind of similar words you end up evoking with the various options you consider, and hopefully arrive at a better character name than what you started with.

It's something to think about.

22 comments:

  1. Naming characters is never easy if done right, and all implications are considered. As well as taking care not to have characters with similarly sounding names, which can be difficult if the cast is big.

    My protagonist's name is Taryn. I changed it at one point into Kaelyn, but couldn't get accustomed to it because I thought it sounded too soft, too feminine, and my protagonist isn't really that much of a girl. After extensive research and several failed attempts to change it, I stuck with Taryn and admit I've quite gotten fond of it. I can't imagine her having any other name now. :)

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    1. Vero, thanks for bringing up the problem of similar-sounding names. Often readers find it easiest if everyone's name starts with a different letter. It's not necessary, but definitely one should be careful not to make names too similar. I know what you mean about a name "sticking," too. Thanks for the comment!

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  2. You could consider adding an accent mark or an "h" to indicate pronunciation. Such as, Tágret or Tagreht. I have had to do some serious mangling of spelling style to get my names where I want them because I always refuse to change the pronunciation.

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  3. What a wonderful topic! I just recently went through a major change for a character and decided he had changed enough he needed a new name. In the end I think it'll work better since there is a reincarnation component, so two different names for the changed personality is really hilighting the transition.

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    1. Reincarnation sounds helpful for accepting a new name! Good luck, and thanks for the comment.

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  4. I hate when I have to change a character's name partway through. I tend to always associate them with the first name. :/

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    1. This is one of the reasons why I'm not changing my character's name by much. Honestly, I'm trying to find something that sounds exactly the same but is spelled differently!

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  5. I don't like when character names distract from reading

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    1. Yes, indeed. Good point. It's not good to have names that appear too strenuous. Thanks for the comment!

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    2. I agree as well... If I have to stop my reading in order to figure out how to pronounce a character name, when the name distracts that much from the story -- then I'm going to find another story to read.

      But whatever name you choose, at least figure out how to pronounce it -- and how to syllablize [I think I just made that up!] it. I was proofing the layout pages of a novel, and came upon a name that was hyphenated from one line to the next. Sometimes, hyphenating a proper noun just can't be helped. But it was a name I was unfamiliar with and could have been pronounced at least two ways. Wanting to make sure the name was hyphenated correctly, I contacted the author directly. His response? He had seen the name in a text at the time he was writing the novel, liked the look of the name, and decided to use it -- but he had no idea how it should be pronounced. I was stunned, to say the least, that an author would actually admit that he had no idea how one of his own characters' names was pronounced. What pronunciation did he use in his own mind when he was writing the story? So I went with my gut on the hyphenation.

      Ah, well....
      Cheers,
      - marty

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    3. What an interesting story, Marty! Given my interest in language, I generally try to be able to pronounce all my names. The one exception is in my forthcoming story, where I'm not able to create the dual tones necessary for the true pronunciation of the alien names (I'd have to be a Tuvan throat singer!). Thanks for the comment!

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  6. Names are sometimes really easy. When I started my Trog and Wizard story, Rhona just slid into place for the "trog". It's similar to Rhonda, a familiar name, but also evokes the term ronin, a meaning that fits rather well with the character concept.

    Whereas, I went through a bunch of names for my Red Riding Hood story. The MC and her lost betrothed had their names changed at least 3 or 4 times after I started the story before I finally settled on the ones I picked. Still not entirely sure on them, but good enough to stick with for now.

    And I like your idea of Tagaret. Very similar in sight and sound to Tagret, but tweaked just enough to break it from the target mistake. And it still feels like "him" from what you've said about him here and in the Wed hangouts. You got my vote! :D

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    1. Thanks, Jaleh! Thanks for sharing your experience, too.

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  7. I agree with the comment about struggling with the pronunciation of a name. If it makes me stop reading, to spend seconds, assessing, then it's broken the flow.

    I often use the most common sounding that I can, but I love to hide things within the name. I'm a long-time fan of punning, play-on-words and the "easter eggs" that were rampant in early computer programming. If I hide it and few find it, that's ok, as long as it doesn't break the flow.

    One of my Flash Fiction stories has just two named characters: Oz Moses and Sarah Bellum.

    When I posted it on my Live Journal, for a (locked friends) review, only one person caught the indications of osmosis and cerebellum.

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    1. rymtr, I think that stuff can be fun, but it's still good to be careful with puns and Tuckerizations (using friends' names). Because they seem to imply humor, it's especially good to take care in contexts where the story is serious. A friend of mine was recently taken to task for this, for a single very minor instance of Tuckerization. Some readers can be extra-sensitive to this stuff.

      Thanks for your comment!

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  8. My MC's name was originally Kayley which I loved for her. But then there was "Firefly" and several other shows that suddenly had Kayley everywhere, so I changed it to Kira. I liked it because it was stronger, the way the character was becoming as I revised the book. Wouldn't you know, suddenly I found Kiras everywhere. So now her name is Rumer, which, appropriately, has a double meaning and is not likely to become terribly popular.

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    1. What I meant to say before I hit "publish" was that changing names can be really hard on you as a writer because you get so attached to your characters as people. :)

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    2. I can see why you made the changes, mfantalis. You're brave to change the name so completely because of similarities to other shows. I agree that we care about our characters as people. For me, it's one of the best things about being a writer. Thanks for the comment!

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  9. My characters tend to wander in out of the woodwork and stick out a hand and say "Hi, my name is..." and that's that. I don't NAME my characters. They already have perfectly good names which they aren't shy about conveyong to me.

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    1. That happens to me sometimes, too. But other times, it doesn't.

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  10. Excellent topic. In my latest historical romance, I have to follow the usual rule of the hero's name being something short, solid, manly. That's not easy when the story is set in Japan. My writing teacher and I have argued over the names I've given the higher ranking nobility. My teacher says the names are too long and Western readers will lose track of who's who. I've been careful to make sure none of the names sound or look alike, which hasn't been easy!

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