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When to change names in the narrative

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Thorberta

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Hi! Sorry if something like this has been asked before, but everything I could find pertains to changes in the MC name.

So I have this issue I’ve been waffling on regarding how to refer to a character in the narrative where his name changes. My WIP is written in third person limited, with only one POV character.

Here’s the basics (this is Fantasy, but I’m going to use ‘generic’ names for clarity’s sake):

-MC knows a character named John
-At one point, John approaches the MC in secret and reveals he is a spy, he wears a disguise and his real name is George
- George continues to live as John both in name and appearance for a period of time
- George leaves the situation and permanently discards the John persona

Obviously at the beginning because his real name is not known to the MC the narrative will refer to him as ‘John’ and obviously once he leaves the situation he will be called ‘George’. But I’m really conflicted as to which name he should be called by the narrative in that period where he has revealed himself to the MC, but still continues as a spy.

On the one hand it seems like it would be simple for the narrative and the MC to immediately switch to George, on the other hand he is still appearance-wise John and I think realistically people don’t switch easily (e.g. one would be more likely to think ‘It’s strange John’s real name is George’ vs. immediately ‘Oh, there’s George’).

Any opinions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 
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Marlys

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As soon as the real name is revealed, your MC should think of him as George--or try to. But yeah, give the MC a few stumbles, both for the sake of realism and to remind the reader that John and George are the same. Like:

What the hell was John--George--up to now? "George George George," he chanted under his breath. He would get it right on the first try one of these days.​
 

mdhight

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It is really hard to all of a sudden change someone's name. I have a friend who decided he didn't like who he was. He wanted to change. So he moved away changed his name, and became a who new person. The problem is J keep forgetting to call him by his new name. So while I think your mc needs to start calling himm George I would,definitely have moments where the mc messed up. As the story progresses I would slowly stop the name confusion and always call him George.
 

MythMonger

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Is he referred to as John in other ways, like through dialogue? Consistency is going to be key. Going back and forth between John and George will be confusing.

Does the name change have to happen? When George 'leaves the situation,' does he leave the story altogether?

I'm thinking he should just be called John the entire time, and if you can get away with it don't even mention his real name.
 

Thorberta

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I think what I'm struggling with here is that in the post-George 'reveal' period, the character remains John in appearance and name to everyone else but the MC. My natural instinct is to switch to George but it doesn't seem to fit when he's at that point when he's, at least in appearance, John.

As soon as the real name is revealed, your MC should think of him as George--or try to. But yeah, give the MC a few stumbles, both for the sake of realism and to remind the reader that John and George are the same. Like:
What the hell was John--George--up to now? "George George George," he chanted under his breath. He would get it right on the first try one of these days.

I think the idea of a few stumbles is a good one - if I can pull it off without creating a confusing mess.

Is he referred to as John in other ways, like through dialogue? Consistency is going to be key. Going back and forth between John and George will be confusing.

Does the name change have to happen? When George 'leaves the situation,' does he leave the story altogether?

I'm thinking he should just be called John the entire time, and if you can get away with it don't even mention his real name.

I'm definitely worried about creating confusion through inconsistency. However, the reveal that 'John' is actually George the spy is integral to the plot. I probably wasn't very clear, but when I say 'he leaves the situation', I mean the situation in which he is acting as a spy, therefore eliminating the need to live as John. At this point he will only be George, but will continue as a primary character in the story.
 

Buffysquirrel

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You could have the MC decide to think of him as Jorge, thereby combining the two names. Thereafter he could always be Jorge to the MC, and therefore, as we're in their pov, for the rest of the book.
 

brmerry

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I've seen similar situations in books, when a character will go by one name but changes names (at least from the MC's POV) mid-way through the story. I think in this case, the MC should refer to John in the way that he perceives him in his head. Does the person still feel like "John" to him? Perhaps as John's character evolves into George in the MC's head, the name can evolve as well. Maybe he can switch back and forth on what the MC calls him for a while before finally settling on George.
 

blacbird

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It's a little tricky, but doable. You'll have to run the key passages past a reader or two, and see if they are confusing.

But, as a minor digression, I sure would consider using less generic names than "John" and "George" to address this one single character. Even with different characters, very common names can become functionally synonymous to a reader, and the last thing you want readers to be doing is to hunt back to understand which character is being referred to.

caw
 

Thorberta

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I've seen similar situations in books, when a character will go by one name but changes names (at least from the MC's POV) mid-way through the story. I think in this case, the MC should refer to John in the way that he perceives him in his head. Does the person still feel like "John" to him? Perhaps as John's character evolves into George in the MC's head, the name can evolve as well. Maybe he can switch back and forth on what the MC calls him for a while before finally settling on George.

A slow evolution is definitely the best, IF I can pull it off without creating too much confusion.

It's a little tricky, but doable. You'll have to run the key passages past a reader or two, and see if they are confusing.

But, as a minor digression, I sure would consider using less generic names than "John" and "George" to address this one single character. Even with different characters, very common names can become functionally synonymous to a reader, and the last thing you want readers to be doing is to hunt back to understand which character is being referred to.

caw

I think my problem is I want there to be an easy solution where I can pick one or the other and there's just not. The best thing I can probably do is just go what feels natural for each instance and, as you said, when it's time for readers they can give me an idea of whether it comes across clearly or not.

And no, ha ha, I am definitely NOT using John and George in the actual text, as I said these are just for the question here so there was no getting bogged down with Fantasy names! ;)
 

magicalwhatever

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This might be completely out there in the wrong field for a suggestion, but maybe once his true identity is revealed to your MC, your MC could create a nickname for him instead? So your MC just decides to call him "Bond" or whatever so there's no accidental slip of John's true name.

Alternatively, you could also have a different character refer to his fake name (post-reveal), which would throw your MC off until he remembers, "Oh, right right. John. Psh, I don't know any Georges!"
 
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