1. socialleper

    socialleper Member

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    A character with multiple names

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by socialleper, May 21, 2017.

    I have a main character in something that I'm working on that has a birth name she doesn't like. Her full name is important because it designates her as being part of an ethnicity that people in my fictional world are wary of. To keep a low profile, she goes by a simple, gender neutral name that no one would think twice about.
    The other characters will call her by the simple name, because she insists on it. How should I have the narration handle this? Should I introduce the name and only use it when it is necessary? Should I have the narration always use the name she doesn't like while the characters call her by her nickname?
     
  2. Simpson17866

    Simpson17866 Contributor Contributor

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    If she thinks of herself by the simple name, then a third-person close POV would show her using the simple name, and a third-person omniscient POV that uses the longer name would be sending the message that she's wrong to call herself something else. What POV are you using?
     
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  3. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    I agree - it's going to come down to POV.
     
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  4. socialleper

    socialleper Member

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    @Simpson17866 @BayView
    I would be using third person limited POV as there are things that are revealed to the reader through the characters as the reader follows them. If that's the case, then it sounds like using the name the character prefers would be used during normal narration. Does that mean I should give the character's full name at the moment of introduction, or a couple of paragraphs later as she is described? The fact that she is different and works to hide her identity is part of her character, and a detail the reader needs to know. If I introduce it too early and don't mention it again, the reader might forget; then again, if I only bring it up when it becomes pertinent to the plot then it feels tacked on.
    Thoughts?
     
  5. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    I'd try to work it in at a time that she'd be naturally thinking about it, even if I had to manufacture the reason for her to be thinking about it. Does that make sense?

    (And I'm not sure how you're going to work in a description of her if you're writing in third limited...)
     

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