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Working on a SF story whose characters have been with me for a while, and was wondering about your opinions on character naming. Namely giving a character an unusual name (or nickname) that might be more readily identified with the opposite gender in the real world if it serves a purpose in the story.
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I don't care what a character is named provided 1) It's not some weird unpronounceable name, and 2) the gender of the character is made clear to me up front so I don't build a mental visual image of the character that gets trashed several pages later.
Posts: 2026 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I agree that you want to be pretty upfront about the gender, even if you give them an ambiguous name. I had a reader get mad once because 10 pages into a novel I wrote, she still couldn't understand that the main character was female even though the character had a woman's name. You may lose readers interest/support if you're not clear on gender and they get an idea of a character being something they're not.
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Well, in your world the name might have little meaning, but it'll be read (God willing) in the real world, where it might. If it doesn't have any gender-bending role in the story you're telling, it might seem like a bad joke.
On the other hand...it is a way to add some character to the character. I remember, I think, Marion Zimmer Bradley explaing her choice of names in a non-Darkover novel. She gave a really macho kind of man's man the name "Race Cargill" (I think, but definitely "Race"), liking the guttural sound of it---then subsequently realizing "Race" was probably short for "Horace" and the guy could be overcompensating for having a so-called "sissy" name.
The explanation stuck with me, for one...and everytime I see any character with the name "Race" I think it might apply. Certainly I think it does with "Race Banyon" in the "Jonny Quest" cartoon series...
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Sidebar thought...there are any number of commonplace names, once thought male, that are now considered female. (And, I think, vice versa, though I can't think of any.) Changing tastes...do your research on whatever you choose.
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Robert; The "Race" in JONNY QUEST was Race Bannon, and his real name was Roger. I think that was brought out in the very first episode of the series. I was a very avid fan of that show back when I was a kid and it first came out .
Man, there I go unveiling my age, again !
I, too, agree that the gender of characters ought to be crystal clear from the onset of the story. I can still remember one story I read where I had the gender confused from the beginning and had a terrible time trying to think of that character any other way throughout the rest of the book. Sure made it difficult to read .
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One of the things I liked about Firefly is that there was actually very little reference to the fact that the most archetypally male character was named "Jayne".
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posted
Viewers of Firefly can discern Jayne's gender immediately, and I think that's vital when you use an unusual name. A writer using a name in an unusual manner, or a name that is currently gender-neutral, must provide a clear picture of the character to avoid frustrating readers.
As long as you're clear, Lyrajean, I don't see a problem with using an unusual name. The possible advantages are (1)readers may remember the character better because you provided more description when you introduced the name (in order to clarify the name), and (2)you give yourself more options when naming characters. For example, if you want a name to meet certain requirements--a Gaelic name starting with "D" or a name meaning "fighter", perhaps--then you can choose between male and female names meeting your requirements.
[This message has been edited by aspirit (edited September 25, 2008).]
posted
these days so many names are used for both genders - taylor and avery and that sort. I say go for it.
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quote:Robert; The "Race" in JONNY QUEST was Race Bannon, and his real name was Roger
Can't recall if I saw the first episode of "Jonny Quest", though I saw it quite frequently in the sixties / seventies when I was much younger (and smaller) than I am now. This was a "first episode" from that era, and not some later reworking of the material, right?
(A quick check in my copy of The Complete Guide to Prime Time TV does say "Roger 'Race' Banyon." Probably I never glanced at that entry before.)
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A big, hulking, muscular man with murder in his eyes entered the conference room. Everyone turned and looked at him with fear, knowing his volitile temper.
"Hay, Susanne, Glad you finally got here." the commander said. "We have a mission for you."
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