11/08/2010

The Angst Over Names


I’ve been angsting over changing my main character’s name. I’d chosen one I liked. One that fit my spunky but kind of offbeat girl. An old-fashioned name (of course), with an unusual spelling. I knew it the moment I saw it. I wrote the synopsis. I wrote the first draft. Then I got my CBD catalog in the mail and read my main characters name—the exact spelling, too!—in a blurb for book releasing next month.

Ack!

Now you may be like my husband and think what’s the big deal? Change it. Don’t change it. He actually said to me, “It’s a character, not a real person.”

That’s what you think! To me, this is a friend. And changing her name is harder than it was to change my own. And yet, like a mother with a new baby, you don’t want to copycat the unusual name of another baby within your circle of friends. You want yours to be unique.

So I’ve pondered. And searched. And talked. And pondered. And prayed. I think I’ve come up with a new name, one that I hope fits my girl just as well as the other. Maybe when the story is edited and polished I’ll discover that should have been her name all along. At least I hope so!

3 comments:

Wendy Paine Miller said...

I so get this--the importance placed on selecting a name. And your husband sounds a lot like mine. "Just change it." They're funny, aren't they? ;)

~ Wendy

Anne Mateer said...

They are funny! So it's nice to know that other people understand! Thanks Wendy!

Patti Lacy said...

But what IS THE NAME? You've got me wanting to know!!!

I would probably use my original name since I don't read many lists:)

That might or MIGHT NOT be good.
Blessings,
Patti