I need advice from those of you who are writers (maybe from those of you who are readers too). I’m five thousand words into a story that’s been dwelling in my mind for months if not years. I very carefully chose names for the main characters: Frank, Laura, and Charlie. Yet as I’m pausing to think of the next line before I type it, I frequently think of Frank as Larry, and I frequently think of Laura as Carol. Should I stay with the names I chose, or should I change Frank to Larry, change Laura to Carol, and maybe change Charlie to Wally or something like that?
Your opinion matters. J.
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IF you reread your story, whatever the names feel like they are usually fit the story better. Countless times I hear names in movies and they are a horrible match for the character which makes me not really connect with the character. Go with how the characters feel like….not what you named them at first. Stories are connected to feeling. If you feel like they are those names….that is the story needing to be told. Cheers 🙂
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Thank you for the comment. I did go back and change the names, and then I ended up using the original names for a “story within the story.” The draft is now 18,000 words, approaching novella length, but I think I’ve finally found a way to end it. Now for editing… J.
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You’re more than welcome 🙂 you got this!
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Well, my characters always kind of name themselves, after which it is impossible for me to change their names into something different. Maybe sleep on it for a night and choose whatever your mind thinks of first in the morning?
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As I keep writing, I’ll see where it goes. I even found one place where Frank/Larry called Charlie “Larry.” J.
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I don’t have an opinion on fiction writing, as I don’t do that. But, Wally is a pretty good name LOL. Of course, so is Charlie
🙂
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Wally, I’m tempted to rename Charlie just for you. But, sad to say, he is not a godly man like you. J.
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Ha..yeah leave him Charlie as I don’t want to be running with a bad crowd!
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You got it–Charlie he stays! J.
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I would go with what’s in your head, rather than what you feel you have arrived to logically. The names are not that different in relation to time period, culture, or other matters that might influence a person’s name.
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It’s a mystery to me that the names are changing in my head. I’m used to characters creating their own dialogue as I write, but not to them choosing new names. Next thing, probably, is that Laura/Carol is going to demand long black hair instead of short auburn hair. J.
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Don’t worry about it too much. Once the first draft is done you can go back and see which name has been used the most or even find that you want to change them again.
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You’re probably right. I’ll try to stick with Frank and Laura, but I have a feeling they are going to end up Larry and Carol. J.
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I think your characters are telling you who they are.:0)
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I think so too. Now if they will only help me discover how the story ends. I started writing without a firm ending in mind. J.
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Even if you had that ending in mind, your characters might lead you to a different conclusion.:0)
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They are well on their way to accomplishing that very thing. J.
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