Character Names - anyone ever hated what you chose?

unthoughtknown · Oct 13, 2005

I have come up with a name that is original. People that I have revealed the name to have immediately opposed it - which I can understand - it's quite unusual. I have said that I will change it because I'm not only writing this book for myself of course.

But...

I don't want to.

I like it. It's a strange name and I have grown to like it.

Anyone else had this/having this happen to them?

ted_curtis · Oct 13, 2005

jsando said:
I have come up with a name that is original. People that I have revealed the name to have immediately opposed it - which I can understand - it's quite unusual. I have said that I will change it because I'm not only writing this book for myself of course.

But...

I don't want to.

I like it. It's a strange name and I have grown to like it.

Anyone else had this/having this happen to them?

I usually have the opposite problem of too many common names. I guess some people get tired of Tony, Sarah, and Allyson.

What exactly is it that turns people off from your character's name? I'd be careful of any name that's difficult or impossible to pronounce or has funny punctuation, but most other problems are fixable.

Ted

Ted

Jamesaritchie · Oct 13, 2005

jsando said:
I have come up with a name that is original. People that I have revealed the name to have immediately opposed it - which I can understand - it's quite unusual. I have said that I will change it because I'm not only writing this book for myself of course.

But...

I don't want to.

I like it. It's a strange name and I have grown to like it.

Anyone else had this/having this happen to them?

I think it's your story and your decision, but if enough people dislike it, there may be good reason.

My own choice is to use common names, or at least no name that isn't in the typical character naming book. In fact, most of my characters bear the names of people I know, and the rest usually come from a phone book. But there can be times when an unusual name works well. It depends, I guess, on how unusual it is, and on how it sounds to the average reader.

mdin · Oct 13, 2005

What's your character's name?

I try to use unique but not bizarre names. You do it too much, people are going to start to notice and make comments about it.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when books and TV shows overuse names that are currently trendy for characters that're in their twenties and thirties.

paprikapink · Oct 13, 2005

When I'm reading, I have trouble keeping track of characters who have a lot of the same letters in their names. Especially those first letters. Especially if it's a name I don't already have "stored." My eyes do not want to waste their energy parsing each letter. They just grap the most pertinent bits and rush on. Eyes aren't really that smart about what's pertinent.

unthoughtknown · Oct 13, 2005

I shall reveal his first name, and prepare myself for the "um, lose it now!" response hehe.

Rusky.
(nickname for Rusk. He's Argentinean. Apparently it's an Argentinean name).

paprikapink · Oct 13, 2005

Works for me.

unthoughtknown · Oct 13, 2005

Thanks Paprika! Everyone else out there - please be honest! I can take it...

Sarita · Oct 13, 2005

I think it's fine. You might be getting a negative response though, if the name doesn't fit the character. Is he playful? Young? Those are the images I'm getting with the name Rusky. But I like it.

unthoughtknown · Oct 13, 2005

Jamesaritchie said:
My own choice is to use common names, or at least no name that isn't in the typical character naming book. In fact, most of my characters bear the names of people I know, and the rest usually come from a phone book. But there can be times when an unusual name works well. It depends, I guess, on how unusual it is, and on how it sounds to the average reader.

Do you prefer to use common names because readers may find they can relate to them more? (Based on first impressions that is...)

unthoughtknown · Oct 13, 2005

Saritams8 said:
I think it's fine. You might be getting a negative response though, if the name doesn't fit the character. Is he playful? Young? Those are the images I'm getting with the name Rusky. But I like it.

That's the thing! They're opposing it based on the sound of it; no-one's read anything yet. He's youngish; 22-23.

jackie106 · Oct 13, 2005

Did your friends read the manuscript or did you just tell them the name? Sometimes an unusual, but appropriate name sounds silly when it's out of context.

If they have read the story, ask your friends why they hate the name. Listen to their comments, but only change them if you agree with their reasons.

If you still believe in the name, keep it.

Jackie

PS--If the name is a pun, ignore everything I said in the post and change the name. There should be a federal law against punny character names. (Diana Mott Davidson named her heroine Goldie Baer. Yuck!)

jackie106 · Oct 13, 2005

jsando said:
Rusky.
(nickname for Rusk. He's Argentinian. Apparently it's an Argentinian name).

As long as his last name isn't Gates, keep it.

Jackie

unthoughtknown · Oct 13, 2005

Um?

Is that because you thought I wrote Rusty? Or does Bill Gates have an evil relation by the name of Rusky that has scarred the face of America?

mdin · Oct 13, 2005

I think it's a fine name. It makes me think of the Russian slur, (Russky) but I wouldn't let that stop you.

unthoughtknown · Oct 13, 2005

I think it's the surname that is causing the grief actually. I won't bother posting it here though. I shall invent a new surname and keep the first name.

sunandshadow · Oct 14, 2005

People often hate my names, lol. Some people just hate made-up names, names that don't immediately tell them what gender the person is, meaningful names with rather blunt symbolism, names with apostrophes, names which are too normal, names which aren't normal enough... people have such a huge and ridiculous range of prejudices toward names that you can't please everyone, so I don't bother trying. If I like the name, it's good enough unless and until a publisher says "Change the name or we won't publish your book."

scarletpeaches · Oct 14, 2005

Does that mean it's a mistake to call my latest heroine Paige Turner?

KTC · Oct 14, 2005

Paige turner! That's a good one!

Name your character whatever you want to name him. I had a character in a novel I wrote last year...and quickly filed...named Trig. My wife complained for a month that the name was stupid. I knew it was a nickname, but hadn't decided where I would reveal how it was a nickname. Couldn't even decide the story behind the nick. I just kept writing the story with Trig as one of the main characters. My wife practically begged me to change it. I workshopped the novel in a critique group and the first time I received critiques everyone said they liked the name. Go figure. So, go with your gut...it's your character. Do you ask your friends to name your child?

Tippy · Oct 14, 2005

That has happened to me before. Sometimes, by the end of the story - I am sick and tired of the original name I gave a character in the begining. Usually because I chose the name with a specific kind of person in mind but throughout the course of the writing - my character warped into something totally different. The name no longer is representative (in my opinion) of the character.

That's what I like about Microsoft Word. I can pull up the find/replace function - and little "Annie" becomes "Mercedes" everywhere the name is found. Presto - chango.

Jamesaritchie · Oct 14, 2005

jsando said:
I shall reveal his first name, and prepare myself for the "um, lose it now!" response hehe.

Rusky.
(nickname for Rusk. He's Argentinian. Apparently it's an Argentinian name).

My problem with "Rusky" is that it's also what we call Russians. "Rusky" or Russky" both spellings, means "Russian." As in "Are you a Rusky?" Or, "Hey you, Rusky." Same as you'd say, "Are you an American?" Or, "Hey you, American. Not as nice a word as American, it's actually offensive, but used often.

They say "A Russian/Rusky at home is named Vladimir, and a Russian/Rusky away from home is named Rusky."

But I'm not really sure they're the same word. "Russky is offensive, but "Rusky" is used by a great many Russians on their websites.

BUt the sound is the sound is the same, and I couldn;t separate the two.

If you Google the word "Rusky," you'll get almost three million hits, nearly all of them about Russia or Russians. I'm afraid I couldn't separate this from the character's name.

I didn't know "Rusk" was Argentinian. It's a pretty common last name in the United States, and I have a sister in law that lives next door to Rusk County, Texas. "Rusk" is also a twice-baked bread, but I don;t think that's a problem.

And I haven't slept all night, so I'm not at all sure I'm making sense here. But Google the word "Rusky."

Jamesaritchie · Oct 14, 2005

jsando said:
Do you prefer to use common names because readers may find they can relate to them more? (Based on first impressions that is...)

I prefer common names primarily because I find stories extremely unrealistic that don't have a bunch of common names. Common names are common because darned near everyone we know has one of them.

Maryn · Oct 14, 2005

I have to agree with the people who think the first name Rusky may be a mistake. Any name that makes a reader think of a slur against Russians, or of Russians in general, or of the Cold War, is a name that distracts. Why stack the deck against yourself?

Maryn, who intends to take every advantage

Mike Martyn · Oct 14, 2005

KTC said:
Paige turner! That's a good one!

Name your character whatever you want to name him. I had a character in a novel I wrote last year...and quickly filed...named Trig. My wife complained for a month that the name was stupid. I knew it was a nickname, but hadn't decided where I would reveal how it was a nickname. Couldn't even decide the story behind the nick. I just kept writing the story with Trig as one of the main characters. My wife practically begged me to change it. I workshopped the novel in a critique group and the first time I received critiques everyone said they liked the name. Go figure. So, go with your gut...it's your character. Do you ask your friends to name your child?

I don't mind Rusky but I hate Trig! When I was 13 this older kid named Trig beat the crap out of me! On the plus side, thanks to Trig's less than gentle ministrations, I can now write school yard fight scenes in vivid detail icluding the snuffling of blood up one's nose.

henriette · Oct 14, 2005

hm...in my opinion, rusky could work if it was a running gag that he's NOT russian; kind of like the whole "dr. frankenSTINE/dr. frankenSTEEN" thing.

but i have a weird sense of humour

Character Names - anyone ever hated what you chose?

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