Twyla, Wyla, or Twy, Part Two of Naming Your Characters.

By Janet Fogg

Last week I commented on the "confusing because of similarity," or tongue-twisting names sometimes encountered in science fiction and fantasy novels, including Footfall’s Chintithpit-mang and Harry Potter’s Gregorovitch versus Grindelwald.

I also mentioned Connie Willis’ method to minimize character-name confusion. She makes a list of the alphabet and when she names a character the first letter of that name is crossed off the list and not used again. You won't find Violet and Viola in one of her books unless similar names are important for moving the story forward.

This week I hope you’ll share your tricks in naming characters. Do you use “working” names until your world-building is complete and you're saturated with the personalities of your characters? Or do you change a name mid-way when it just seems obvious that Deborah should be Twyla?

Speaking of Twyla, one approach when seeking an unusual name is to drop a letter from a “more common” name. Not that Twyla is terribly common, but I’ve always been fond of it.

Twyla might become Twy, Wyla, or possibly Yla.

Or replace one letter or juggle the syllables.

Twyla could then be Twyle. Maybe. Twela? Nah. Tweela? Perhaps. Latwy? Hmm… Keep trying.

In Footfall, the “mang” in Chintithpit-mang represents a family within the alien culture, which assists in identifying relationships. Very helpful.

Another idea, regardless of the genre you write, is to search through the baby name lists of various cultures. If you’re using Connie’s trick then that’s even easier. Just scan through the “Cs” until you find a name that tickles your naming fancy.

I’ve occasionally changed the name of a character after completing a manuscript draft, but usually know early on what their name is. How about you? How do you select or craft names for your characters?

Chintithpit-mang, or, Naming Your Characters.

By Janet Fogg

Recently my husband shook his head and laughed when he saw me re-reading Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Dick liked Footfall but he also jokes about books in which a character’s name or title is overly long or not easily pronounced, as they often are in science fiction or fantasy novels. Footfall is one of those. Chintithpit-mang. Fathisteh-tulk. Raztupisp-minz. Sure, an alien named Ralph might not be particularly frightening or set the right tone, but if a reader pauses while reading isn’t that also a problem?

I encountered that while racing through one of the Harry Potter books. Yes, I was reading far too fast as I couldn’t wait to get to the end, but the first time Gregorovitch was mentioned I stopped cold. Huh? Oh wait, not Grindelwald, but Gregorovitch! Or was it the other way around? Anyway, I do remember a sense of frustration at the time, even though I was only pulled out of Harry’s world for a moment.

Then there’s the "Kwisatz Haderach" in Dune. Not terrible to pronounce but perhaps not euphonious, either. In fact, my husband calls Maud’Dib the “Itzak Kwaggle.” We were both entranced by the book but the phrase "Kwisatz Haderach" made Dick pause and he's always made light of it, though I didn't stumble while reading those words.

At the conference last year Connie Willis explained how she minimizes character-name confusion in her books. She makes a list of the alphabet and when she names one of her characters the first letter of that name is crossed off the list. No fair using the same letter twice, so you won't find Violet and Viola in the same book unless similar names are imperative for moving the story forward. I like that. No, it doesn’t address the science fiction/fantasy challenge of creating names that are appropriate for the culture AND easy to read without crossing your eyes, but then again, now I’m thinking about a story where the main character is a really scary alien named Ralph... Be afraid.