May 28, 2006
What’s in a name?
Written by Shirley Karr in Writers and WritingChoosing a name, whether for a person, place, or thing, is not a decision to be made lightly. You have to take into account the sound, the way it appears on the page, and the preconceptions readers bring with them. The name Reno Raines connotes an entirely different kind of hero than does Fitzwilliam Darcy, though both characters (and the actors portraying them) have certainly fueled their share of fantasies. Even with the same proper name, you expect something different from a Chuck then you do from a Charles.
For the hero of my first book, I chose the name Sinclair because it has soft sounds at the beginning and toward the middle — I wanted him to be approachable, someone with whom the heroine could be friends. I also wanted him to have an edge, a hint that his alpha side would emerge when necessary, and the hard “c” and “r” sounds fit that.
Sometimes the name is a plotting device as well. For my December book, I envisioned the heroine as a female Scarlet Pimpernel. To help me keep that in mind as I wrote, I named her Charlotte Parnell.
Sometimes we choose something that’s just a placeholder while we agonize over the perfect name, because you can only deal with so many characters and places with names like XX and XY. While plotting my fourth book, about the girl next door getting the man she’s loved since childhood, we had to come up with something since we kept mixing up the order of the letters in TGND, and saying “the girl next door” was just too many syllables. After a conversational tangent about couples in the tabloids, we dubbed her Katie. She may end up keeping this name, though it’s far too early to tell.
I’m working on the copyedits for my December book, and there’s a placeholder name that I think has to go. In my version of 1816 London, there’s a tavern down near the docks with a gaming hell in the back. A thoroughly disreputable place, the proprietor also acts as a fence, and of course the games are as crooked as a swizzle stick. Its clientele ranges from common sailors to members of the aristocracy who are slumming. In a moment of “oh, for crying out loud, give it a name and move on,” I dubbed it Lost Wages. (One of my favorite names — Down the Hatch — had already been used in someone else’s novel.) Through the first draft and several rounds of revisions, it has remained Lost Wages. However, I worry it will remind too many readers of a certain American city with that nickname. I’ve tried coming up with various translations in other languages, but nothing seems to fit.
So here’s your chance to have an effect on a published novel. I’m entertaining alternative suggestions for the name of this disreputable establishment. What would you name it?
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Jennifer Y. Says:
Hmmm…tough question….
How about:
The Slippery Slope (not sure why, but this popped in my head)
Devil’s Inn
Devil’s Den
The Purple Peacock (LOL…don’t know why)
Saint’s Abode
Saint’s Sanctuary
Hellion’s Haven
Sorry! I am really bad at this…LOL. Guess it is a good thing I am not a writer.
Manuelita Says:
Lost Wages - I kinda like that. But you’re right, you will get a bit of eye rolling from your readers. Not that I can come up with anything much better …
Shirley, you didn’t say what the proprietor’s name was. Maybe you could name the place after him/her.
lois remaly Says:
How about “The Sea Hag”? Since it’s near the docks, the name fits.
Shirley Karr Says:
Ooh, excellent suggestions, ladies! I’m mulling them over.
Irene M. Says:
Hi Shirley,
Is it too late to play? I saw this last night and I love title and name games. I looked up some old nautical terms and thought one might work as a name for a tavern or pub by the docks. Btw, I recently read WHAT AN EARL WANTS and I really enjoyed Jo and Sinclair’s story.
Wages O’ Sin Pub
Risky Ventures Tavern
Three Sheets In The Wind
Just Rewards Pub
Cast Adrift Inn
Loose Cannons Pub
Walk The Plank
Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
Hell-Fire Pub
Weather The Storm Pub
Port In A Storm
Batten Down The Hatches
Davy Jones Locker
Devil’s Brew Inn
Gone Astray Inn
The Devil To Pay
Intoxicating Lady
Clear The Deck Inn
Dog In The Manger
Settle The Score Inn
Wet Yor’ Whistle
Cat-o’- Nine-Tales Inn
Dead In The Water
Dogging The Watch Pub
Desperate Measures Tavern
Old Salty Dog
Manuelita Says:
Shirley - So did you decide on a name? Will it be LAST WAGER? I like that one!
Shirley Karr Says:
And the verdict is … I left it Lost Wages. Partly because critique partners like it, I kinda like it, and because, well, I ran out of time. Had to be at UPS by 4:15, and I didn’t finish double checking all the important changes until 4.
I’m going to keep the suggested names on file, though. I just sent in the proposal for Nick’s story, and he could end up visiting a lot of dockside taverns in his quest for … well, during the course of his story.
So glad you liked Earl, Irene. Have you met his younger brother Tony yet?
Irene M. Says:
Shirley said: So glad you liked Earl, Irene. Have you met his younger brother Tony yet?
Shirley, as a matter of fact, Tony and Sylvia’s story A KISS FROM A ROGUE is on my TBR pile and since I like books with smugglers, I hope to get to it soon. I’m trying to read something from all of the Jaunty Quills but, unfortunately, I don’t read contemporary romance, just historicals and some paranormal romance. Although, I did just finish my first Shana Galen historical book, PRIDE AND PETTICOATS and wrote about it for Julia Quinn’s Avon board contest. It was a very enjoyable story.
Btw~ I really like the Jaunty Quills blog and have been reading it for a while, but yesterday was my first post here.