Naming Names

Way back when I wrote Wish in One Hand, I inserted a throw-off character.  Jo needed backup, Basil sent her some, and I didn't really think any of those people would ever show up again.  Hell, only one of them even had a speaking part.  I named him Lyle.  I'm not sure why I called him Lyle.  I'm not even sure why I named the dude at all.  He wasn't supposed to ever show up again.

Flash forward to Up Wish Creek.  There he is again.  (He never showed up in In Deep Wish.)  Except I don't use a name and he's just referred to as the big dude who came to save Jo's bacon back in book 1.  He's kind of okay.  He's one of Jo's supporters, which is cool, but he's not impressed with the way Jo has handled things, so he beats feet. 

Until he shows up in Wish Hits the Fan.  Tada!  There he is.  And he's got some major problems.  He's become a plot point. 

When I was writing the first draft, I called him Castor... and then Nestor... and then left it alone until I could finish the first draft because I ain't got time for no researching when I'm drafting.  I figured I could fix the name in edits.  And then, during initial edits, something occurred to me... Did I actually name this tertiary character already?? 

Which is when I discovered one spot in book 1 where Basil refers to the dude as Lyle. 

Lyle*.

I posted about this on FB.  One person suggested that with such a minor character placed in the first book, it wasn't that important if I used the correct name in the fourth book.  Yeah, I could've gone that way.  Except I can't.  His name is freakin' Lyle. 

And his name is Lyle because I got lazy at some point during that first book and just threw down a name without thinking about it.  Yeah, I never dreamed back then that he would be critical down the road.  Derp.

In my defense, when I wrote Wish in One Hand, I had no clue I was writing a series.  I had hopes, but no firm 'yeah, this is BOOK ONE' in my head. 

So, look at this as a cautionary tale.  Names matter.  Even when you think they don't, they do. 



*I have nothing against the name Lyle, or I wouldn't have used it for even a throw-off character.  I just don't happen to think it's the right name for who he ended up being.  Then again, I've met a lot of people who have names their parents gave them that I don't think really suit them.  I guess Lyle has to live with the name his writer-mama gave him.  And you know something?  It's kind of growing on me.

What's in a Name?

Like Shakespeare said, 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet', but I offer you this.  If a rose was actually called a schmerpdoodle, it wouldn't be nearly as poetic.  "My love is like a red, red schmerpdoodle." Umm no.

Romeo didn't care that Juliet was a Capulet, but you never actually hear her mentioned as Juliet Capulet. Which kinda doesn't trip off the tongue, imo.  (It's the rhymy end thing - et and et.)

Thinking of the names used in popular culture, would Will and Grace have been as successful if they were Mortimer and Eugenia?  Would Hannibal Lecter have been as scary if Harris had called him Burt?  Would Rose on the Titanic been as lovely if she was Myrtle?  Would Thomas Magnum P.I. have been as sexy if they'd called him Thomas Lipschitz? 

For that matter, would Jane Eyre have been as excellent a MC if her name had been Bertha Butts?

As you might've guessed, I'm stuck trying to think of a name for the heroine in my latest SCIU novel.  Hell, I can't even think of a title yet.  But for me, titles come AFTER I've started the book, and I can't start the book until I know who I'm writing about.  What is her NAME??? 

My first thought was to call her Grace.  But Dying Embers' MC is Jace.  Too same-same.  Then I had the idea to name her Ginny, but I already have too many J sounds in my heroine names - Jace, Jo, Jillian.  Plus, my villain's name starts with a G.  Then I was going to name her Megan, but I couldn't see her as a Megan.  Then I got the idea to name her Kara.  Kara is good.  It was one of the top girl names for 1980, which would make her 36.  Then I went about looking for a last name.  The problem with having a name that ends in a vowel is when you say the full name, you often end up blurring them together. Kara Toliver ends up sounding like Carrot Oliver. 

Yeah, I'm probably overthinking this.  The real crux of the issue is that I don't know her well enough.  Usually, the character pops into my head fully formed and her name comes along with her.  J.C. 'Jace' Douglas popped right in there.  And it took me like two seconds to make the JC stand for Jaylinda Charlene.  I could actually hear her mother calling her in my head. 

As an aside, the JC actually stands for the first initials of my parents' first names. Kind of a nod to them, if you will.  You know, I don't think I ever told Mom that...

Anyway, I'm still not sure what I'll be calling her.  When I find it, I'll know.  And until then, I have writing to do whether I like the name or not.  I can always use 'Find'/'Replace' later.

What are some memorable character names you've enjoyed?  Any that you really thought fit the character?  Any you would've renamed if you had been the writer?