Lifestyle
The message landed in my inbox like a bolt from the blue, brimming with anger. My young adult novel about teenage cyberbullying had just hit the shelves, and my close friend was clearly upset.
“How could you?” the email began, sending my heart racing as I braced myself for the revelation of my supposed transgression. The crux of her fury? I had dared to name a character in my book the same nickname as her seven-year-old daughter.
Stunned, I rifled through the pages, trying to recall whether I had unknowingly borrowed her child’s name for one of my “mean girl” trio. I found no evidence of that. After several readings, I finally uncovered an obscure mention of a stunning Abercrombie model who was involved with the story’s heartthrob pop star. This character, a minor player, only appears twice in reference and is described as shallow—only because my teenage protagonist is envious of her.
The idea that my character and her daughter could be confused hadn’t occurred to me, yet perhaps I had overstepped the unwritten boundaries of naming.
What’s in a name, anyway? As writers, we grapple with which names are permissible when crafting our characters. The backlash made me wish I were an author of historical fiction, free to use names like Gertrude or Hortense, or a sci-fi writer inventing unique names like Katniss and Peeta. But as a contemporary novelist, eliminating names from my past would leave me with few choices—friends, relatives, classmates, and neighbors all factor into the mix.
Honestly, I often don’t remember where I find names for my characters. Writers gather possible names like kids collect toys, always ready to use them when needed. Some names come from beloved stories, while others are those we cherished for our own children but couldn’t convince our partners to adopt. And yes, some names even harken back to the bullies of our youth.
This unexpected drama brought back memories of the “baby-naming skirmishes” I had faced over a decade prior, where unspoken rules dictated the ownership of names for our future children. I had nearly forgotten the protectiveness we expectant mothers exhibit—the frustration I felt when a relative claimed a name I’d cherished since childhood. Didn’t she realize I’d called dibs back in the ‘80s as a tribute to my favorite Cabbage Patch Kid?
So, are there similar etiquette rules for mothers who are authors when it comes to naming characters after the kids we’ve come to know? Interestingly, many fellow kid-lit authors believe that common names should be fair game, although some tread carefully. One author confided she avoids using names of people she knows, while another incorporates her children’s friends’ names, but only when they are portrayed positively.
In the midst of all this, I came across a well-known YA author who announced on social media that she’d be browsing for character names. Many people jumped at the chance to have their names immortalized in fiction, with one enthusiastically stating, “I’d be honored to be a character! Even an evil one or one that dies.”
Regrettably, my superficial model character didn’t meet a tragic end; instead, it was my friendship with the furious mom that ultimately took the fatal hit.
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In summary, navigating the world of character naming can be fraught with challenges, especially when the names evoke personal connections. Balancing the creative process with sensitivity towards those around us is crucial in maintaining relationships.