Comments on: The Old Name Trick

By: YA Connection Week of November 8-14, 2008 - The Story Siren

YA Connection Week of November 8-14, 2008 - The Story Siren — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:02:03 +0000

[...] Diana Peterfreund (Rampant) talks about her characters and their names. [...]

By: JulieLeto

JulieLeto — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:24:33 +0000

Diana’s name obsession is not so strange…though I don’t take it to the same extreme, I’ve had the same experience. Once had a hero whose named was Spencer and he totally wasn’t working. My editor read the first draft and came to the same conclusion–he wasn’t working. Could I change his name?

I did and it worked. He became Simon and somehow, I was able to change other parts of the manuscript to make him come to life. He just wasn’t a Spencer.

For what it’s worth…

By: Okie

Okie — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:38:52 +0000

I have a love/hate relationship with titles. A good title intrigues me and makes me want to know more about a book so I absolutely believe in the power of a good title. Unfortunately, the “hate” part comes in the fact that I have a hideous time coming up with titles for my own work that doesn’t seem cheesy, contrite, or just plain lame.

By: Justine Larbalestier

Justine Larbalestier — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:18:44 +0000

I often think I hate a name but then I read a book where the main character’s name is the hated name and very soon I don’t notice cause the author makes the name their own.

Being asked about names in the abstract is very different to how you experience them when reading a novel.

Sorry if I’m still being unclear.

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:47:35 +0000

I actually just did a similar thing. I’ve been really trying to get into my WIP, but my MC’s name never seemed right so I felt like I was doing a terrible job at writing her. Just yesterday, I came up with the perfect name for her and the words have been flying onto the page. It’s strange what a difference a simple, little name can make.

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:44:43 +0000

Glad I could help, vicki! I think that’s an old Suzanne Brockmann trick. I know Julie is a fan.

Justine, I don’t think that’s true. You didn’t like the character’s original name, if I remember correctly and, having read the book, you must agree he works as is.

By: Justine Larbalestier

Justine Larbalestier — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:14:41 +0000

Nah, Diana, YOU is the weirdo.

I love many of the names I give my characters. Love isn’t precluded by not spending much time thinking about it. I just believe that characters (and children and pets) grow into their names. So I don’t worry about it so much.

I feel like the characters bend the name so that it suits them. I know lots of Lilys (some spelled with two i’s some with three l’s) and they’re all very different. Yet their name suits all of them.

I’m prolly not explaining this very well.

By: Vicki

Vicki — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:06:21 +0000

I’ve changed names a couple of times, but it didn’t change the character. It did however, take me weeks to find the new name since I needed it to fit the character.

I’ve never thought about writing a scene in first person and then changing it to achieve the deep POV. That’s a fabulous idea and I’m very thankful you posted it.

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:45:21 +0000

Justine: you are a strange platypus. Especially given how much you love your own name. Perhaps that’s why I care. I was given “Peterfreund”

By: Justine Larbalestier

Justine Larbalestier — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:33:04 +0000

It is very bizarre. I love hearing you talk about your writing process cause it is so completely different to mine. Like names. I don’t think I’ve ever thought for more than half a second about any character’s name.

Titles though I agonise over. And then they are changed by my publisher. *Sigh*.

Mental note: Call everything X.