This week: What's In A Name? Edited by: Kit of House Lannister  
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Names have meaning. Therefore, choosing a name for your characters can be tricky...
This week's Action/Adventure Newsletter is all about finding the perfect name.
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You’ve just read the first paragraph of a story. The heroine of the piece has been introduced to you by name only: she’s a character called Bethel. What image pops up in your mind when reading that name? Is Bethel young or old? Is she powerful? Is she trendy? Does she differ from a character you only know as Sunbeam? How about Ekaterina, or Aisha?
I don’t know about you, but each name paints a different initial picture for me. That picture may, indeed, be incorrect. Bethel may be a young girl about to climb a tree, rather than an elderly lady. Sunbeam might be a troll. All around the world many different people live their different lives with the same name.
It is the case, however, that name trends change as time passes. That is why, where I live, at least, our Ethels and Bethels, Alfreds and Herberts tend to be older than our Traceys and Amandas, Arthurs and Vincents, who tend to be older again than the Olivers and Olivias who currently top the name charts. Of course, the wheel turns and names can come back in fashion. I know a young Archie, for example. And some names never seem to go out of style.
When choosing a name for their child, many people are interested in what that name means. There are books and websites dedicated to the meaning and origin of names. They are a handy tool for writers in search of the perfect names for their characters. I have used them in the past, also when attempting to find names for characters from other eras.
Another option is to come up with original names for your characters. Creating a name to suit your character can be fun and add that extra little touch of creativity to your work. There are risks, however. Not every original name goes down well with readers – Renesmee in Twilight being one example. Some original names can be difficult to spell and even harder to pronounce. And, for some reason, there is a tendency amongst fantasy and sci-fi authors to, in Musk-esque fashion, stick punctuation in awkward places. The trend is such that to do so now, one turns the original into the unoriginal.
Some authors have so many characters inhabit their worlds that it is quite a feat for their readers to keep track of who is who. Whilst, clearly, it is realistic that there’s more than one person with a particular name wandering around a world and that, in addition, there will be people with similar names, it is not necessarily a kindness to reflect that reality. I am thinking here of George R. R. Martin and his many Walders and his Asha and Osha. This is why, in the Game of Thrones TV series, Asha was renamed to Yara.
I’ve always struggled with naming my characters. I’m not sure why that is the case. Perhaps you find it easy. Perhaps your characters make it known who they are and how they identify. If you are like me, just know that you are not alone. And that it’s probably not as daunting as this newsletter makes it out to be. Once your story gets going and you bring your characters to life, that is how your readers will see your Bethel and your Sunbeam. As long as you make your readers care about them and their adventures, it’s a job well done.
Kit of House Lannister
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Action/Adventure: July 22, 2020 Issue [#10284]
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