Just curious about how often the full names of the main characters should be mentioned through the story. I have been reiterating full names about every chapter or two, sometimes having a reason to do so (a formal greeting, for example), and sometimes not, just starting the chapter using it. Would some think this unnecessary or overkill? Love to hear your thoughts on this, thanks!
I've been using full names and titles mixed with just the last name, nicknames, etc. to show how another character feels about the protagonist. The troops think of him as Admiral Redstone, his 'chosen few' insiders think of him as the Admiral, his friends think of him as Max, his staff think of him as the Boss. Otherwise, I just call him Redstone. He will apply those names to himself depending upon the situation.
Which allows for the full name not to be forgotten, I would think. That is one of the concerns I consider. It just seems that the full name must be remembered throughout, but I don't want to overdo it to the point it becomes mechanical. I am also using nicknames and titles. The nicknames are part of the fun, lol.
I usually use the full name (when I say full usually just first and surname) of a major character in the opening line of the first bit they're in. If you have a first-person chapter in their perspective or a third-person chapter tinted with their perspective then it makes sense to start off with their full name and then use mainly one or the other as you go. You might reiterate it at the start of their next perspective chapter perhaps? But I think once it's mentioned you don't need to reiterate it that often.And you might have other characters mention their surname one way or another. But I don't think you need to throw their surname into the narration that often. Or at least I don't usually. If I did, it would probably be for a particularly effect. Actually, I think I would mention a less-central character's surname more often in the narration, because they're more distant from the perspective usually, and we tend to know strangers more by their full name than we do our friends and family, who we primarily think of by first-names or something like "mum". Mentioning the main character's name a bunch might make the narration feel slightly more distant? But it's certainly not a bad idea to mention here or there because you do want to mention it enough to be remembered, albeit I thin there is a point there where you should trust your audience to remember it without repeating too often. What you describe sounds like it might be about right?
If the last name isn't important, it doesn't really matter if the reader remembers it or not. In a story like Game of Thrones, where all of the houses are fighting for the crown, yeah, last names matter. But if you're writing a story where the character's name doesn't have significance, I wouldn't worry about it. If you are in a character's POV and use their full name, it creates distance from the POV. That can be jarring if done at the wrong time. In any event, you shouldn't need to repeat it every chapter or two for the reader to remember it. Readers don't need that many reminders.
