"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
Or so says Shakespeare, but I've never quite agreed.
I believe names have power, and therefore I take great care when selecting them for my characters.
Being a fantasy writer, I'm granted a greater freedom than most when it comes to name creation. And thank goodness! In fantasy, you're not restrained by rules. You can invent names, change the traditional, make things more magickal.
I like my names to mean something, and to have special relevance to my characters. I've been known to frequent name websites (20000-NAMES.COM is a good one) and flick through books, searching for something with magickal connotations, or simply something that sounds unusual.
Many of my characters are witches, and their names all pertain to their individual magick. Yarrow (meaning: a medicinal herb) is a healer witch. Sera (meaning: fire) can conjure flames.
The guards in my book all have names that relate to weaponry: Archer, Hunter, Lance. Or they have names that mean something strong: Art (meaning: bear man), Killian (meaning: little warrior).
The Blood Dragon's human name (which I will skirt around unapologetically because...spoilers), literally means red dragon.
My main character (who, despite the title of my book, is not the Blood Dragon), possesses a name of my own creation - which will remain a secret...because again...spoilers...
Since I invented her name, I also got the privilege of inventing its meaning. And so, my heroine's name means Saviour.
Of course, for the most part, I'm the only one aware of the meaning behind any of their names, but for me as an author, I feel that knowing this detail subtly - and sometimes tremendously - impacts my writing, and the way my characters develop and come to influence the story.
I know my main character wouldn't be the same if she had a different name. She wouldn't have the sense of mystery that surrounds her, or the strength that sustains her, or the compassion that compels every decision she makes throughout the story.
There's a Joni Mitchell song called "Little Green" that makes this point about names shaping a person so very well. The lyrics say:"Call her Green, so the winters cannot fade her.
Call her Green, for the children who made her.
Little Green - be a gypsy dancer."
Names are so significant to writing.
I bet there's not a single author in history that has selected a name for their character with a "that will do" attitude.
Think of some of your favourite characters from books, or even films. Who are they? Would the story you know them from feel the same if they were named something else?
Charles Dickens is a good example. The Artful Dodger, Fagin, or even Oliver Twist. I'd speculate that the book wouldn't have had quite the same reception if he were named Oliver Brown.
As a writer, I don't think it matters how you get to that name, as long as it feels right! And who knows when or where inspiration may strike!
Jacqueline Wilson gave an interview about how she came up with Tracy Beaker's name: "I was lying back in my bath one day, thinking about this brand new story that I wanted to write about a little girl in a children's home, desperate to be fostered. And I was trying to think what her name would be. I knew I wanted to call her Tracy. It's a lovely modern, bouncy sort of name, but I couldn't think of an appropriate surname for her. So I was looking all round my bathroom for inspiration, and thinking rather madly, should I call her Tracy Soap, Tracy Flannel, Tracy Tap, Tracy Toothbrush, Tracy Toilet. The ideas got sillier and sillier, and I decided, well, I am never gonna find the right sort of inspiration here and now. So I got on with washing myself. I wash my hair, and to rinse off the soap suds I don't have any elaborate shower attachment, I just keep an old beaker on the end of the bath, pull it under the hot tap and then just rinse my hair. So I picked up my beaker, and then looked at it, and said: Tracy Beaker. And there was something about the name that made a little tingle go down my back." (click HERE to watch this interview)
Evidence that inspiration truly is everywhere!
~Zuzu
find me on Facebook @zuzuspages
Wow, this is so interesting and something that I always think about when reading books - 'how did the author choose a character name'. I think the stories behind this are fascinating. I'm really intrigued about the characters in your own book ��
ReplyDeleteAh, thank you! Names are something that perhaps I place too much weight on, and often I'll go back and forth with a single name for weeks on end, until I find something that feels right. I'm planning some more content about my characters actually, so thank you for your interest. Watch this space, more to be revealed x
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