Monday, August 15, 2016

Amy Reade, Guest Author



My guest this week is Amy Reade. She has an interesting take on naming characters in books, and it made me stop and think about the process. I generally use names that are fairly common and proper for the time period of the story. Maybe I’d better rethink that. A name really could make a difference.

Welcome, Amy!


 The Subtlety of Names

Of all the fascinating steps that go into writing a book, I always tell people my favorite is research. And a big part of research, at least for me, is naming characters. I know there are some authors who don’t agonize over names, but I’m not one of them. I pore over name books and websites. I scour newspaper articles, immigration lists, and census findings. I keep a running list of names I hear when I’m out and about and I find interesting. I put as much care into naming my characters as I do into researching the climate, culture, and physical attributes of my book’s settings.
            I do this for three reasons: first, I want to make sure the names I choose are appropriate to the time and place of my story (this is a no-brainer). Second, I like to choose names that have a particular meaning to me or to the story. I like to choose names that every Tom, Dick, or Harry (or every Jennifer, Jessica, or Ann) doesn’t have, and looking for interesting names is a fun exercise for me. And third, I like names that are uncommon and, therefore, memorable.
            When a character has a meaningful name, it can add a whole different level of interest and even intrigue to a novel. 
  
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            Here’s an example: in my third novel, House of the Hanging Jade, the main character is named Kailani Kanaka. The story is set in Hawaii and Kailani is from the Island of Hawaii (or, as it’s often called, the Big Island).
            If you type the name “Kailani” into a search engine, you’re likely to find that it means sea and sky in Hawaiian. My Kailani is a nature lover. One of her favorite activities is kayaking, and there’s an important scene in the book that takes place in a kayak. I needed to find a name that fit her personality and interests.
            Here’s another example from the same book: one of the main characters is the head of a surf clothing company called Kaimana. It took me a long time to come up with that name. I wanted a word that reflected the surfing lifestyle and the spiritual connection between surfers and their world. “Kai” is the Hawaiian word for ocean. And “mana” is a Hawaiian word meaning power or spiritual energy. A company with the name Kaimana would be one that respects the earth, is a positive force for good, and is in harmony within itself and with others.
            In my story, the owner of Kaimana is a man who tries to embody many of these characteristics.
            I’ve also been known to give readers a tiny clue about the whodunit questions that swirl around in my books, and names are a highly subtle way for me to do that. Take, for example, a character in my work-in-progress. His name, which I’m not going to share and which is of Norwegian origin, means darkness. Is he the killer? I don’t know yet. But he will play a troubling role in the story.
            My fascination with names comes directly from reading Phyllis Whitney’s books. She never failed to come up with character names that were out, but not too far out, of the ordinary. I remember one character named Ysobel. Never mind that I couldn’t pronounce it correctly when I read the book- the point is that I never forgot it. There was another character in a different Phyllis Whitney book named Hollis. It’s an uncommon name (and a very pretty one, in my opinion) that jogs my memory of the whole story every time I think about it.
            That’s an important point. A really good character name, one that is thoughtful, meaningful, and perhaps a little uncommon, is memorable. And don’t we all want our characters to be memorable? Remember the Nancy Drew books? Nancy had two good friends named Bess and George. I recall thinking, “George? That’s a girl’s name? How cool!” I think George’s name is the reason I remember so many of the scenes with her in them.
            Next time you read a book with an interesting character name, look up its meaning. You just might find that the author is trying to tell you something about that character and his or her role in the story. And if it’s a name you find interesting or intriguing, you might just remember that story long after you reach “the end.” 

Thank you so much for stopping in, Amy. I really enjoy your books, and it’s interesting to learn the process you use, plus a little extra.








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23 comments:

  1. Great interview!
    Choosing names for my characters is very important to me too, Amy. I have a "Name your baby" book, which lists the meanings of various names. For example, "Marnie" means "of the sea." A coincidence that Marnie Malone loves the ocean? I think not.
    I do prefer to keep the names simple though. Yes, the main character in the first four Malone mysteries is named "Ann." LOL

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    1. No offense to the name Ann, of course. I have a character in an upcoming book named Elizabeth. Classic and perfect for the character, just like Ann. I love the baby name books I have and I keep them handy when I'm starting a novel. I also go to baby-naming websites. They're great when I need a name from a culture that is different from ours. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. The right name for a character is definitely important. And you must be careful you don't give other characters similar names. Don't want to confuse the reader.
    I use a combination of means to come up with names. I keep a record of any unusual ones I hear. I'll combine names from the phone book. I'll search for names in old newspapers and journals. Sometimes (if appropriate) I'll give a character a name that fits his profession. For instance, Becker in German means baker. Try not to overdue that one, but sometimes it provides a bonus if I haven't been able to name the character via the other methods.

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    1. John, I know exactly what you're talking about with similarly-named characters. I realized at the end of the first draft of my most recent release that three of my male characters all had names that started with L. I ended up changing just one and leaving the other two, mostly because they were very dissimilar, having come from different cultures. I like when a character has a name that fits his personality or profession. I am often reminded of Charles Dickens' names, which often reflect the character's psyche.

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  3. Thanks for having me here today, Marja! Names fascinate me- I could read baby name books for hours.

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    1. I'm happy to have you, Amy! Sometimes I meet people with unusual names and I write them down later so I won't forget them. They can really "make" a character.

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  4. Aha! Names! One of my favorite things to add humor to my latest book, Mrs. Odboddy - Hometown Patriot. Starting with Agnes Agatha Odboddy, and her best friend Mildred Higgenbottom, we move right along to Bernard Whistlemeyer and Godfrey Baumgarten... and many more.You get the idea. Set during WWII, I choose the first name from popular names in the late 1800's (their general years of birth) and then add the most ridiculous last name I can think of or heard on television. They become memorable to the reader and add another level of humor to the story.

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    1. That's perfect! Funny or unusual names are memorable! Think Voldemort or Ebeneezer Scrooge. I could talk about names all day, but I won't... Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Great post! I often wonder where the authors get the names from! And I have from time to time looked them up to see what they mean! Like Kailani!!!

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    1. Hi Sharon, thanks for dropping by! I could literally spend days just researching names! "Sharon," as I'm sure you know, means "the plain" (as in topography) or the flowering shrub. In the urban dictionary, it means someone who is amazingly beautiful, funny, kind, and outstanding (I looked it up!). Love it- that's my mom's name, too.

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  6. Love choosing just the right name! Great post.

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  7. I agree that names are important because they set the tone of the book. I always look up my antagonists' names in the people finder so that I won't libel anyone. : )

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    1. Good point! It's funny- that's the one thing I don't do with my names. Glad you stopped by and pointed that out!! :)

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  8. For most of my books, I have a list of unused names and one of used names. However, for my favorite series (Vv Tiger series), I created six sisters when I was a teenager and named them after movie stars of that period. I finally started writing the series when I was in my 40s! The names: Debbie (Reynolds), Marilyn(Monroe), Virginia (Mayo), Patricia (Neal), Elizabeth (Taylor) and Tarji (that was the name of a character in a movie). All of the sisters, except Tarji, have nicknames. Very interesting blog and I love the titles of your books.

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    1. I love that idea! And I'm glad you started that series- isn't it funny how some books are rooted way in a writer's past? Thanks for stopping by- I'm glad you like the names of my books!

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  9. Character names can be simple or complex, depending on the character. Great post.

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    1. Hi Evelyn, I had such fun naming the Hawaiian characters in my last book- Kailani and Liko were the two main Hawaiian characters. Liko means "bud" in Hawaiian. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. I just finished a book that used names as clues. I think names are immensely important, but never thought about weaving them into the story. I must do that!

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    1. That's pretty cool- using names as clues. Again, that brings me back to the whole cast of Charles Dickens characters- he used the best awful-sounding names for the most awful characters. I loved it!

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  11. Great blog on naming characters. I also research many names before I use them, especially foreign names. What I think is Polish might actually be German, and what I think is Spanish could actually be Italian. I think it's fun putting the names together.

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    1. Thank you for stopping in, Eileen. You and Amy do it the right way, with research.

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  12. Names always fascinate me in real life or stories. Giving clues via names sounds like a fun activity. Will be off to purchase your book and see if I can get any extra clues. Thanks Marja for introducing me to another writer.

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