So, here’s the thing. I was originally going to use this title to talk about pen names, and I will come back to that later. What I’d like to talk about here, though, is names in general and why I get so hung up on them.
I’ve stated for a long time during various stories I’ve written that names give me pause. In fact, I’ve had to shelve entire novels because I couldn’t figure out the characters names. They either come to me or they don’t. But why does that matter?
Many discussions have been had over the years with writer friends about trying to figure out names for things and I envy those of you who can just pull something out of the air and go with it. I would kill (not literally) to be able to do that. And in fact, I have had many a heated discussion over names and why some trigger me where other’s don’t (I could write an entire thing on this alone, by the way).
Here’s the problem, as I see it through a clarity in my brain space.
As much as I hate to disagree with Mr. Shakespeare on this one, names have power. His famous line begs to differ but, I for one, can’t see any way around it. The entire theme of that story was that you shouldn’t be defined by your name and they hold no power over the ‘thing’ with which they are given, when in fact, its the very names and what they meant to the characters that saw our tragic hero’s untimely deaths. Their names meant everything.
And don’t go off on me just yet. This isn’t a new concept. Mythology is rampant with references to holding power over things by knowing their names and origins. Egyptian and Celtic mythology, especially, use this in so many of their stories, its practically a requirement of the God/Goddess represented. Taking the Lord’s name in vain is, if I’m being generous, frowned upon if you are a follower of Christianity because of what it means to do so (I’m hugely summarizing here, don’t @ me). Even practitioners of ‘newer’ faiths like Crowley (again, I’m touching vagaries here, don’t get me started), recognized the importance and power of names and incorporated their power as a fundamental aspects of his work.
There are many examples of this in story and written tales (Rumpelstiltskin, anyone?). While a ton of those are in reference to or borrow from mythology, writers like Ursula K. Le Guin come to everyone’s mind, as her Earthsea stories stressed names and the power they hold as an important theme in her works. I’ve not read a ton of others, but she always comes to my mind.
So why would the names of my characters be any different?
When I write a story, I’m telling someone’s tale. Yes, most of the time those are imaginary people, ripped from the depths of my subconscious and thrown into whatever devious situations I’ve imagined for them. Does that mean their names hold any less power? If I’m to write their story, don’t I first need to know them? To know their secrets and live in their world so that I may tell their journey in all its shining glory?
I think so.
For some of my characters, that comes easy. When I wrote Eve’s Exploration, the characters were named in the dream that series is based on, so that was easy. Seduced by Moonlight’s characters were named before the entire plot of the story even came to me. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Selene needed to be that because of what she represented. The parallels to the moon were a subplot of the story, so it was her name. Her angel counterpart needed to be Lucian. That was his name. There was no question in my mind that their power, their story, was tied to their names. I also realized later that this story paralleled Underworld in a lot of ways, so it also made sense to me that I borrowed their names, though that didn't even occur to me until a beta reader pointed the connection out to me.
But what about when it doesn’t just click?
It’s easy for people to say, ‘just put a placeholder in and come back to it.’ I’ve tried that, and it doesn’t work. I need to taste their name in my mouth, let it swirl around, and know for absolute certainty that this is who they are. Their name gives me power and lets me forge their story. If I can’t make it connect and hold the power of their secrets, then I can’t write it. I’ve stared at mostly blank pages because I couldn’t figure out the character’s name. I could have the entire plot written down, and even sections of dialogue parsed out, but I can’t write the damn story because I don’t know what their name is.
But Viv, you might say, does that apply to other ‘names’?
Dear reader, you get me.
Titles, by comparison, are big names. They represent the entire thing, not just a single element. These are the most important names of all. While I’ve been known to add a click-baity title--especially in short-form stories I used to write on Medium--so that I don’t get yelled at for not appropriately advertising the story (yes, that has happened), I hate doing that. HATE IT! My favorite titles for my works come from either a line in the story, a theme summary, or a hidden meaning in the works. Most often, they are one of the hardest parts of the book for me (we won’t talk about blurbs; they are the fucking WORST).
The title, like the characters within it, gives the story power. They allow it to grow and flourish and become what it was meant to be. Without a good title, no one is even looking at the book, let alone reading it. It should be important because it is. I’ve also been known to bounce around a title at someone’s head until something sticks. Once it’s in my brain, there’s no changing it. I’ve tried that too, trust me.
Say all that to say this. Words, names... they have meaning. Not just meaning, but importance. They define the thing they are naming because it's a representation of that person or that thing. It’s what they are as a being, who they will become in their story, and the means with which I can share them with you. If I don’t have that, then they are never going to be set free into the world.
Do I wish my brain was different? Sometimes I do. But at the end of the day, I don’t really. If names ceased to have meaning, and their power becomes as monotonous as an editorial essay, then why am I writing their story at all?
Food for thought.
