BLOG — WHAT’S IN A NAME

Who is older—Ethel or Ashley? Who comes from old family money—Cynthia Pickney Winslet or Blanche Dipple? Names tell a lot about characters. They create powerful images. Fagan (Oliver Twist) immediately makes you think “bad guy.” Since a name is often the reader’s first introduction to a character, it can be instrumental in creating a first impression. Another reason names are important is to enable the reader to recall characters that may have appeared in earlier chapters. In reading a mystery, this is essential if you are an armchair detective who wants to figure out “whodunit.” For this reason, names need to be memorable. One technique that can be used, sparingly, to help the reader remember is to have a name that relates to the character’s profession. This actually happens in real life. Years ago, there was a veterinarian in my community named Dr. Fish and a Water Commissioner whose last name was Flood. In my mystery series, my amateur sleuth deals with two police detectives—Detective Wolfe and Detective Fox. My sleuth is a writer for a wildlife magazine, so since my series deals with animals, there is a connection. The detectives are introduced in my first mystery, Monkey Business, which involves murder at a zoo. My sleuth makes the following comment upon meeting them.
“Wolfe? Fox? At a zoo? Really?”
There are lots of other ways to make names memorable. If a character mentions how he got his name that can make it easier to remember. For example, a character named Cody might state that his parents had a fascination with Buffalo Bill whose real name was William Cody. In the series by G.A. MeKevett, her main character is named Savannah Reid. Savannah was born in Georgia. Her brothers and sisters are also named after cities in that state, such as Marietta, and Macon. First and last names that begin with the same letter can sometimes be easier to remember too. In my new mystery, Playing Possum, I have a character named George Grogin. In mysteries, names can sometimes provide clues to the murderer. Example: A necklace with the initial “E” is found at a crime scene. There are three suspects—Emma, Beth, and Mary. It must be Emma, right? Wrong. Beth is actually a common nickname for Elizabeth. Although this suspect may be called Beth throughout the book, an armchair detective might figure it out along with the amateur sleuth. Choosing character names is fun, and I use lots of methods. The most obvious is the white pages of the phone book. (Yes, I have an old copy.) Thanks to the Internet, I also can research the most popular names for the year, and I can go back many years to check (Example: The most popular names of 1970.) I also pay attention to names in the newspaper, on television, and of people I meet. While I would never knowingly use someone’s real name, I might combine one person’s first name with someone else’s last name if I thought the two names worked together. I have two ways to help me overcome writer’s block, and I use these to help me with names too. I think about a character right before I go to bed and often wake up with a name. I also take a walk every day, weather permitting. I like to walk in a nature preserve near my home. I’ll think of a character while I’m walking and sometimes a name will pop up. Names are important as they are part of a character’s identity and help enrich the story.

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