Comments on: What’s In A Name

By: jeremy kelly

jeremy kelly — Wed, 19 May 2010 03:11:49 +0000

I get lazy with names sometimes, which probably means that they don’t mean much to me or the story. My characters differentiate themselves in the way they speak and act more than anything else. Lately, though, I’ve been creating characters from cultural backgrounds that are unfamiliar to me, so unless I do the research, I could really screw something up if I’m not careful.

By: Julia Sevin

Julia Sevin — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:51:54 +0000

I’m sure Straub did it on purpose, and Mr. X is the best evidence toward that.

By: Madeline

Madeline — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:10:57 +0000

I definitely wasn’t going to waste a precious Hint Fiction word on a last name.

I was toying with first names, though, thinking it would flesh out the piece a bit more, make the character seem like a real person. Maybe I’ll try two versions – one with names, one without – and see what my first readers think…

By: Robert Swartwood

Robert Swartwood — Tue, 18 May 2010 07:03:11 +0000

Julia – I have not read A DARK MATTER yet either, but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he did it on purpose. He always seems to like messing around with readers’ heads. Case in point: Mr. X. From what I remember of that book, the whole point was to mess with the reader.

And what’s wrong with cheap, lazy characterization??? That’s how all the best-selling authors do it!

By: Julia Sevin

Julia Sevin — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:50:56 +0000

I haven’t read it, but Peter Straub’s recent novel A DARK MATTER contains two characters named Lee. I’m sure there are a few others but probably not many. It’s a strange choice to make, consciously, a curveball for readers and one I doubt has been made many times.

To come up with names, I basically throw the randomizer switch (with controls set for generation, ethnicity and so on, natch). Dull without being generic, ugly without being ironic, but always, always random, never boasting any particular beauty or significance. The second an option smacks of possible poetic weight, I toss it down the garbage disposal with all haste. Cheap, lazy characterization is not my thing.

By: Robert Swartwood

Robert Swartwood — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:04:38 +0000

Charles – 9 times out of 10, I’d say longer pieces definitely need character names.

Madeline – There’s really no right or wrong answer to this. It’s just personal taste. However, I would advise against giving your characters first AND last names. I’ve seen that done a few times and always wondered why: unless the last name is bringing something important to the story (like maybe the character’s ethnicity) then it seems like a wasted word.

By: Madeline

Madeline — Mon, 17 May 2010 20:40:09 +0000

I was just thinking about this – to name or not to name my characters in some hint fiction pieces I was working on. Going to mull this over a bit.

By: Charles Gramlich

Charles Gramlich — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:57:49 +0000

I think a real short piece can work with a no name character. I’ve done it sometimes. But for longer pieces I feel like I have to give the hero a name.