Meg Chittenden Waves
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Characters Part III - Names

It is important to remember when naming characters that no two names should sound alike enough to be confusing to the reader. Recently, I watched a TV drama in which one character was named Randy and another was Mr. Randolph. I read a novel a while ago in which names like Penelope, Paul, Mr. Preston and Pamela were all used, and I became thoroughly confused. Any reader would have had the same reaction. And it's never a good idea toconfuse your reader.

I also get confused when a male character is referred to by his last name and his first name. As I'm reading I'm thinking there are three characters in the room: Jennifer, Brian andBenson, only to discover on page 12 that Brian and Benson are the same person. Aaargh!

I make a list of the names of my characters as I come up with them. I include a few descriptive details in this list. (I need to have many more details than this worked out before I begin towrite--character quirks, mannerisms, gestures, habits, hobbies, education, but for easy reference I make this separate list to keep beside me when I'm doing the actual writing. In this way I not only avoid having names that sound alike, but I don't mistakenly refer to a blue-eyed person as a green-eyed person.)

Example:

Simon Hunter: 6'3", age 33, blue eyes, black hair, land developer.

Rebecca Penberthy, 5'9", light brown eyes, (don't forget she wears glasses,) black hair, health store owner.

Clytie Belyar, medium height, young, West Indian, cockney accent, ethnic clothing, pub owner.

Sometimes, after I start writing, I find that one or two names don't suit the people I'd given them to. I go back to my lists and hunt through them until I find new names I can live with.