By Any Other Name

Written & Posted by L. R. Styles

Figuring out the names of ones character or ones book

makes most writers feelat one point or anothermore than a little stalled out for lack of a better phrase. Dont worry about the name of your character, one of my English teachers would say, whilst striding down an aisle of desks, hands clasped behind her back. all him !ohn "mith or #uffo $eilsen but %ust get the story written. & rose by any other name would smell as sweet ' spent the rest of the allotted brainstorming time that day wondering how sweet a rose would smell if its name was cactus or dunghill. 't %ust didnt sound right, ' thought. "hortly thereafter ' reali(ed the inherent importance of hitting upon the right name the sound. )ost folks agree that sounds at least *help with defining who we are. )usic mo+es the human soul, eases the inward desire to speak, hear and be heard. ,oets sometimes agoni(e o+er a single syllable in their prose, illustrating another aspect of sound- its ability to instantly e.press the differences between one human and the ne.t. /hus, a hearing0speaking fiction writer feels at a loss if said figure in their head has no name bestowed upon them their +ery own audible, spoken, readable identifier. ertainly one canconcei+ablywrite about 1111111 2heroine of the book3 day after day with a measure of success. 't is possible. 4owe+er, many writers feel as ' do, that a persons name helps shape their character and often can e+en influence ones decisions. & character named ecile, for instance, may turn out +ery different than an identical5looking one called 6riselda, or worse. )ost kindergarten5age children are well aware that ones name can be a source of endless amusement for their fellow schoolyard inhabitants and can alter their e.perience of education altogether. & pretty girl named "not7for e.amplewould likely find +ery little solace in her looks8 shed be railed upon7 unfairlyby her peers, ne+er allowed to be at ease, and probably grow to either hate her fellow human7 including the strange people that named heror grow more mired in misery and depression until she reached the legal age to change it to something less gross. /he snickers would in+ariably ensue each time poor "not appeared55perhaps e+en keeping her from focusing on her studies7which might lead to

an incorrect diagnosis of &DD or dysle.ic, pro+oking to e+en more ridicule. /he names of your book characters notwithstanding, coming up with the pieces title has caused many a writer grief and elation, often within the same minute. ertainly the piece can written without it, but you are not alone if you+e agoni(ed o+er the title of your book much the same way as a poet has walked in circlesgripping their leaking pensearching for that e.act word that pinpoints the emotion they feel, barking at anyone that dares interrupt with such petty matters as food or water. 'f the title is not rightif it fits not the piece for which it is intendedmany writers feel they cannot continue until it is figured out, to the utter amusement of their non5writing compatriots. ome on its %ust a title, a relati+e0friend0co5worker might say. 9hats the big deal: /he in;uirer ismore often than not7mystified by the cold glare directed their way upon uttering the the abo+e sentence, or something like it, which is the milder of the possible replies in a writers arsenal 2%ust behind the sharp retort of &sking that ;uestion merely pro+es your inability to comprehend the answer.3 <writer stalks off stage left= 9ould you want to smell a dunghill: $o. #ut a rose why, yes, you probably would. )aybe you wouldnt read a book called /he >ertically5 hallenged 'nitially )ediocre ?ictional #eing but you might %ust read /he 4obbit. $ames and titles do matter8 perhaps not as much as plot, nor the proper use and placement of ad%ecti+esand their +erb counterpartsbut labels are pi+otal to a writers human characters, as well as the title of the piece they ha+e worked so +ery hard on. "o, bear in mind these rather biased notions from a fiction writer before gi+ing the prose5creator you know a hard time as they stand out on the roof of their apartment building in the rain, grimacing at the parapet wallmumbling to themsel+es7inwardly weighing Drakyr +erses 6nylor as the label by which the epic +illain in his mind is known and feared. @elling out %ust pick one already may not depri+e the literary realm of a proper foe, but it %ust might induce the rather damp and irritated writer to turn around and consider your namenot as the strong heronor the feared +illain, but for the deformed and hated minion e+eryone kicks to make themsel+es feel better A. B. "tyles is a writer for #elator #ooks