Okay, I have to put this out there. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, or if I'm a loner freak. Maybe you can help me.
Do you ever read a book and absolutely hate the character's name?
It doesn't happen a lot, but sometimes I'll read a book where I cannot stand one of the character's name. As in, every time I read it I a) roll my eyes b) pretend to gag c) literally gag (extreme cases only). Example: The hero of a book I read recently was named "Taggert". Now, I knew this going in, but assumed that he would heretofore be referred to as "Tagg." Um, no. His acceptable nickname was rarely used.
When I find myself in this situation I attempt to change the character's name in my mind, either to the nickname or to something similar to the name. I try to read the name as what I want it to be instead of what it is. Am I the only one who does this?
And, second part of this:
Do you consider the popularity/ease of pronunciation/likability of the names you choose for your characters?
2 comments:
LOL! When I hate the name, it becomes a collection-of-letters / symbol for the character, who no longer has a name. I guarantee I won't remember that character very long.
I do try to make all of my characters' names easy to pronounce and remember, except when I want to show how alien they are to the MC. Then I might pick something Russian-sounding. ;-)
LOL, yeah, names are important. But for some reason, I have a really hard time remembering them. What gives?!
Nice post!
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