Help with character naming appreciated.

[Stylo]

Okay... I have a scene where an old woman answers a door, and I've put her as OLD WOMAN; but it transpires later in the scene that she is in fact the grandmother of the character who knocked the door. Now it seems odd to have her as OLD WOMAN, but it would also seem odd to have her initially as PAULINES NAN, as Pauline doesnt know this herself when she calls round looking for her estranged father. Any thoughts?

[Joe Calabrese]

Just give her a name, like Gertrude or Mrs. Something.

[Stylo]

Doh! That is so obvious it's painful... I must have been having a senior moment when I was struggling for half an hour with this earlier... thanks JC!

[scripter1]

Does Nan know who she is?
AND are you keeping the relationship a secret for a twist and big reveal later on?

If so and Nan doesn't know her relationship to the kid at the door then yep, just give her a nice first name and let it ride till the right moment.

[whistlelock]

I had a writing teacher that said there are two methods of naming your characters; the first one involved understanding their character and needs on a deep level, then choosing a name that expressed them as a person. The second method, the one he prefered, was opening the phone book to a random page and pointing to a random name, and going with that one.


I have found option 2 to be very handy.

[Rainy Night]

[quote=whistlelock;1301243]I had a writing teacher that said there are two methods of naming your characters; the first one involved understanding their character and needs on a deep level, then choosing a name that expressed them as a person. [quote]

Like Bjorn Turoque from the movie Air Guitar Nation. Brilliant!

[RainbowDragon]

You can start her out as OLD WOMAN then capitalize her REAL NAME when it's revealed that she's related. Or you can just go with her real name from the beginning. . .

[WarrenP]

I had a writing teacher that said there are two methods of naming your characters; the first one involved understanding their character and needs on a deep level, then choosing a name that expressed them as a person. The second method, the one he prefered, was opening the phone book to a random page and pointing to a random name, and going with that one.


I have found option 2 to be very handy.

I almost always go with option 1. For most people, names become part of their personality, I find the same is true for characters. If I have a secondary character, then I might go with a common simple name, or the guess from the book, but (for me) never for a main character.

[Joe270]

Call her Edna.

[scripter1]

was MY Grandmother's name.
It's taken. Can't use it.


Says me.

[Rainy Night]

How about Edith, or Agnes...

[Joe270]

Edna was MY Grandmother's name.
It's taken. Can't use it.

Sorry, I took it from the song "Whip Me, Beat Me, Call Me Edna".

[scripter1]

I am just shocked!
Shocked I tell ya.

[Stylo]

Backstory: She's a drug-dealing pensioner, and her son's a professional (but crap) Elvis impersonator. She lives on a council estate in Blackpool, NW England, and she's called..?

[Rainy Night]

Edna Presley...

[Joe Calabrese]

Mary Jane Arone

(A name for marijuana and for the last name a variation of Elvis' middle name)

[Rainy Night]

Mary Jane Arone

(A name for marijuana and for the last name a variation of Elvis' middle name)
I vote for that... good one Joe.

[Joe Calabrese]

I been a thinking.

If Arone sounds too Italian, you can go for Garon, which was Elvis' dead twin brother's name, to whom Elvis was named Aron.

Now. Mary Jane brings to mind mid western farm girl and the age is younger, so anything that reminds you of a drug would work, but not too obvious and age appropriate. If she's in her 50's to 60's...

How about Ethyl? Sounds like "Meth"

Ethyl Garon!

There, I like that better.

[Anya Smith]

Call her Anya, it's my grandmother's name.

[Hazelnut]

What about Hazel? It's my name so its the best *jokes* x hope i helped