In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is quoted as
saying,
What's
in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
By any other name would smell as sweet;
While Shakespeare does make a point
about your name not defining who you are, I’m certain that if a rose were
called burlap or the velvet flower, you might feel
differently about it.
This is a post is about names. Specifically, your character’s names. A character’s name is the reader’s first introduction to the person they’ll be spending the next 300 to 400 pages with.
For
example, Remington Stevens III might be a trust fund baby and Clover Sunshine
Jones might be the daughter of hippies. There is so much a name can tell us
right off the bat. And each name carries its own energy. Even though you might
have chosen carefully, sometimes a name can get away from you.
Now,
I’ll be the first person to tell you that I’m neurotic about my character names
(just as my critique group!). If the energy doesn’t feel right for the story, I
chuck it or use it for a street name or a toss away character. Even then,
sometimes it doesn't work.
I’ve
been struggling lately with my prequel. The story is a little villainous, if not, unique. It made sense, but it just wasn’t
working. After talking with my critters (critique partners), I realized that my
protagonist was to blame. She was young and bratty, self-serving, and insanely jealous.
I had named her Nalo, which is a wonderful name for her. She was strong and
self-assured, and knew what she wanted. But Nalo, proved to have an energy that
I wasn’t prepared to deal with and she was taking over my story in a negative way.
If
I had cast her as the villain, she would’ve been perfect, but she needed to be
a likable protag and she was telling me, over and over, that she was a bad guy.
Damnit. So after some brainstorming, I decided to cast “Nalo” aside and start
new.
The
new protag’s name is Hasana and she is working out much better. Compared to
Nalo, her name sounds softer and looks more pleasing to the eye. She sounds a
bit older and more refined. Perfect for the fairy princess that she is. My
critters agree that the change was for the better.
So
the moral of the story is, don't be afraid of the energy surrounding your names.
When its right, the story will unfold naturally and the protag will be
everything you want him/her to be. And don’t be upset if you have to change a
main character’s name. The switch up could be just what you need to save your
story.
