I know I’m not the only writer who spends a great deal of time thinking about the names of my characters. Names tell you a lot about the person you are about. There are two aspects to names. First are the names we choose and second is the characters we choose to name. I want to talk about this second set this week.
Last week while working on my current manuscript, I had two characters. Originally, one was referred to simply as “the stable boy” When I was doing some rewriting I decided to name the stable boy Finn. And suddenly… he wanted to TALK! He wanted to participate in the story. Doing the only thing I felt I could do at the time I said, “Sure,” and there he was babbling away as only a seven year old can do. He was rushing into rooms, interrupting the hero and heroine and now he is well on his way to being part of the climax scene.
The other character was “an older female servant” who became Ida, and once she was Ida, she, too, needed to be a more active part of the story. She’s turned into a surrogate mom for my heroine (who’s based on Cinderella) and is helping her to grow into her new role and to accept her love for the prince.
I adore both characters and there is no doubt that the book is better for them being in it. It was a wonderful surprise seeing them both come to life on the page and a memorable experience for me as a writer. Now I know – be careful who you name, because the story they change, may be your own!
May you have wonderful surprises in your world this week,
Rowan
WHAT'S IN A NAME - Part 1
