Naming main character after yourself?

Discussion in 'Character Development' started by LA Bailey, Aug 27, 2016.

  1. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    My placeholder name is "Jane." Using my own name would just feel weird.
     
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  2. anasfalis

    anasfalis Member

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    I'm scandinavian, so using my real name would feel like a reach to me. Maybe I will some day, but I don't see it happening unless I find a natural way to incorporate it or force it in. Who knows, maybe I will in the future.
     
  3. Spencer1990

    Spencer1990 Contributor Contributor

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    One could always do like Paul Auster and make two or three different iterations of a character named Paul Auster in a single novel.
     
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  4. Per Panahi

    Per Panahi Banned

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    Is this common, or is it just "corny" or something. I've written a few films with characters named after me. This a bad idea? For example, one I wrote was a short zombie script loosely based on a dream, so obviously I named the main character Sean because in the dream that was me.
     
  5. JLT

    JLT Contributor Contributor

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    And then there's Charlie Kaufman, who wrote a screenplay about a screenplay writer called Charlie Kaufman. He even invented a twin brother who shared the screenwriting credits, making the brother the only fictitious person to be nominated for an Acadamy Award. (I'm talking, of course, about the brilliant movie Adaptation.)
     
  6. Zadocfish

    Zadocfish Member

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    Eh. Depends on the tone of the work. In a fanfiction, it's a good sign of a mary sue. In regular fiction, it can be an attempt to get closer and be more honest with your MC. It kinda depends on context here.
     
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  7. cockneyjay

    cockneyjay New Member

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    Naming a character after yourself is a mistake. When I was in my teens I gave a main character the same initials as me and everyone that read it thought it was lame. Another draw back of naming a character after yourself is that you'll only be able to imagine the character as you. You'll have to give the character your flaws and unless you're a rare breed, you're probably not fully aware of your own flaws. It'll become a challenge not to create a character that is a little too perfect and therefore boring.
     
  8. cockneyjay

    cockneyjay New Member

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    Yes! Mary Sue is the exact term that I was looking for. I know the meaning of the term but where does that originate from?
     
  9. cockneyjay

    cockneyjay New Member

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    Now that is a fascinating little bit of trivia!
     
  10. Samunderthelights

    Samunderthelights Active Member

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    I don't think there's anything wrong with using your own name for a character. It's just a name, and more people have that name, not just you. But yes, people who know you will probably think you have written yourself into the story. Even if the character is nothing like you. The name will still make them think it's you. But strangers probably won't even give it a second thought.

    I once wrote a story and named the main character Sam. Didn't even realise it until I was twenty pages in. The character just felt like a Sam to me so much, that I didn't even feel like I was using my own name. Like I said, it's just a name.
     
  11. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    A bigger issue is what the reader will think, given your name will be on the front cover
     
  12. Samunderthelights

    Samunderthelights Active Member

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    When I read a book, I don't think about the writer, or their name. So unless the writer is for example Stephen King, I probably wouldn't even notice. Unless it's a very special or uncommon name.
     
  13. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    Yeah, I would pay a fee of 300-500 pennies for a Fan-Fic
    that used my name. (Though I doubt it)

    I searched it once on amazon, and there are some Gay Rom or
    Erotica that use it. :p

    You should give it a go sometime, see what pops up in the search. :D
     

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