Fascination With Names

In the last couple of blog posts, we talked about character development.  It was established that in order to create valid, believable, fully-fleshed-out characters for your novel, as a novelist you must be fascinated with people.  We can now also add that novelists are quite fascinated with names.

I’m active in working with the youth group in my church.  I love asking our teens about their names.  The amazing diversity of names, and what each one thinks of his or her own name can be a story all in itself.

Hated My Name

Personally, I hated my name all through my growing up years.  I was second-born, and yet I was saddled with the name of my biological father who wasn’t the most responsible father to bear children.   As you might have guessed, his name was Norman.  Sheesh.  Why me?  I wasn’t even the oldest!

He fled the scene when I was about three and I never saw him again – ever.  All he left behind was his bad reputation and his name that I inherited and hated.

Many years later, I came to grips with the name (still insisting on being called NormaJean – as though it’s one word) when I discovered:

Norma means pattern or model; Jean means gift of God .

Well now… I could live with that.

(Oh yes, and nowadays most people have learned that Norma Jean was Marilyn Monroe’s birth name – so I hear that comment a great deal. )

When you set about to name your characters, keep these things in mind.  Is there a story behind your character’s name? Or nickname?  (You may want to refer to my blog about backstory. Never forget that your characters have a history!)

Love the Process

I love the character-naming process.  To me, it’s one of those exhilarating steps in the novel-writing process.  I rummage through baby-naming books, phone books, high school and college year books (love year books!), and of course now much of my name-research is done online.  I have one thick baby-naming book that’s been on my reference shelf for decades! I love to simply browse the pages.

It’s crucial that you have at least formulated your character’s personality types and traits before the name search.  After all, the name must fit the personality.

In Margaret Mitchell’s early drafts of Gone with the Wind, the main character was dubbed Pansy.  I wish this amazing author were right here today, so I could ask her why at the last minute Pansy became Scarlett.  Such a difference!  Not only in meaning, but even the mere sound of the word Scarlett is much more powerful than Pansy.  (Additionally, one can’t help but think of The Scarlett Letter by Hawthorne.)

From Another Era

In one of my earliest young adult novels I named my main character Marsha.  I’ll never forget when my kind editor wrote me and said I should consider changing the name.

“Marsha,” she remarked, “sounds so dated. From another era.”

Sadly, by that time (back when it took me a couple years to write a novel – later to be shortened to about a month), Marsha and I had become quite attached.  I couldn’t imagine changing her name.  Then I had an aha moment.

I wrote back to Julie, my editor, and suggested that my horse-loving character still be Marsha, but change the spelling to Marcia. She graciously agreed, and the Marcia Stallings series was born.

Marcia went on to survive a total of three books.  (It takes another big crying towel to explain why the series stopped at three books. Space simply does not allow!)

In another of my early teen novels published by Weekly Reader Publishing, the main character’s father is a symphony conductor and her mother is a professional cellist.  I named the main character (who plays the violin) Arianna – and in the story a big to-do is made about the fact it is pronounced Ahr-ianna not Air-ianna. 

Given her background, her name couldn’t have been one of the common names of the day.  Arianna was different – she loved classical music when all of her friends were wired up to heavy metal.

What makes your character tick?  What personality traits and characteristics prevail?  This will be of immense help when you begin your own name search.

In my next post, we’ll talk more about the fun – and the challenges – of the character-naming process in Part II.

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I trust the teaching and instruction given in this blog post was helpful in your goal to be a novelist.  For more in-depth writer’s workshops, check out the wide variety offered at the Be A Novelist Website.

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Are you one of those budding novelists who makes a great start but you can’t seem to finish?  Then this is for you!  Be A Novelist, Six-Month, Finish-My-Novel Challenge!  Six full months of guidance and instruction. Guaranteed to light a fire under your novel-writing attempts and to launch you into a pattern of consistent writing! Check it out here!

In my blog post, Characters are People Too – Part I, it was pointed out that novelists must be fascinated with people in order to create believable characters.  In today’s post, we’ll take a further look at character development.

Memorable Fiction Characters

As an aspiring fiction writer it is important that you learn to like people, to listen to people, and to study people.  As a fiction lover, it’s a given that you read a great deal of fiction.  Take a moment and think about some of the characters that you’ve met in those novels.  What made one or two of them stand out in your mind? How do you think the author was able to make them spring to life on the pages?

One of the keys to good character development is simply observing people.  Not in a lackadaisical manner, but on purpose and with focus.  Let me give you an example.

At the Dentist Office

Several years ago, I was in the dentist office waiting my turn.  From the back came a middle-aged man into the waiting area.  It’s obvious he has just had some work done.  He’s holding his jaw.  His wife, who has been waiting for him, stands up and walks over to him.  She is rather overweight and speaks in a tone that is several decibels too high for the small waiting room.  The first thing that becomes apparent – after noting the wife’s penchant for megaphone-type speech – is that the husband has a genuine fear of the dentist.  And the wife is loving it.

Here’s how I recorded this scene in my notebook:

“Did you ask him?”

            “Huh?”

            “Did you ask him about the other tooth?”  The wife cackles a wicked laugh.

            He holds his jaw and shakes his head

            “Chicken.  You’re just chicken.  A little yellow coward.”

            The wife calls to the dentist.  He comes into the waiting area.

            “He has another one here giving him trouble,” she says.  “He needs it out.”

            Dentist looks up at the man.  The husband is a large man.  “Is that right?”

            The man shrugs.  Still holding jaw that doesn’t need to be held any longer.  After an uncomfortable silence he speaks.  “Would it be any trouble?” Probably hoping dentist will say he has no time.

            “No trouble,” the dentist assures him.

            The two disappear into the back.

            The wife cackles again. Has no concept of his level of fear. Totally unfeeling of his hurt.  Has found a soft spot and goads it.

This is exactly how I scribbled it down later that evening after arriving home.  Think of the drama here.  Consider the intricate interactions between these two people.  This large man has an area that is difficult for him to handle, and instead of compassion, the wife give him a big dose of cruelty.  And with an audience to make things even more uncomfortable.  I wasn’t the only one in the room, and the receptionist was there as well.

To most people this is a scene that needs to be quickly forgotten.  But not to a writer!  Oh no.  Heavens, no.  This is fodder.  This is fuel.  This is an incredible lesson in humanity.

Another Notebook Entry

Stopped in at the bread store.  A black girl is in a parked car singing out loud.  Melodious singing; belting it out in full voice.  Full and rich.  Out over the entire parking lot.  It makes me smile.           

And One More…

Are you getting the idea here?  Let me share one more:

          Older lady comes up to the mailbox in front of the post office.  Mutters to herself as she reads the pickup times on the box.  Starts to put letter in.  Hesitates.  Pulls it back out.  Starts to walk off.  Then comes back.  Puts it half in, takes it out. Then with an exasperated sigh – shoves it in and walks off.

Does it make you wonder what was in that letter?  It does me!

Cultivate Powers of Observation

Are any of these earth-shattering revelations?  No.  But as you learn to become oh so observant, you will cultivate a heightened awareness of what goes on around you – how people act and react.

Have I ever used any of these scenes in a book?  No, quite honestly, I have not.  But have I used my knowledge of human nature and basic psychology?  I certainly have.  Many times.

Understand that the writer’s notebook becomes like an artist’s sketchbook.  Actively fill your notebooks on a daily basis with what you see and hear.  You will have an arsenal full of portrayals of life as it is lived out on a daily basis.  Then when it’s time to create your characters, they will not be flat cardboard characters; they will be vibrant, living, breathing, fully fleshed-out people.  People whom your readers will not want to say good-bye to when they hit the final page of the last chapter.

And guess what else?  Character development is so darn much fun! You’re gonna love it!

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Wish you knew more about character development?  Check out the Be A Novelist Workshop #8 entitled Characters – Cardboard Or Fully Fleshed Out? 

I’ve often said that creating characters is the funnest part of fiction writing.  This 11-page Be A Novelist Workshop will give you great insight into the dos and don’ts of character development.