Naming Characters

Have you ever wanted to name a pet a certain name, but after a few days you realize that name didn't fit who that critter was personality-wise?

It happened with Mr. Kato Kitty.

Yep, I learned this first lesson over twenty-one years ago.

It all started when I wanted to name him Tyrone, after Tyrone Power, the movie actor.

I'm not that old, people! My mom used to love watching these old black and white films with Tyrone Power as the swashbuckling hero.

You've seen Mr. Kato Kitty.

When he was a kitten he was a mess--pretty much like every kitten out there. He would hide behind my speakers or chairs and plan a stealth attack. He'd leap out, whap you a few times on the legs and then take off.

It wasn't the smooth, suave, debonair attitude of a swashbuckling hero.

It was more like one of the Peter Seller's versions of the Pink Panther movies, where Cato leaps out to attack Inspector Clouseau.

Yeah, like that.

When we named my daughter, I wanted a name that would roll off my lips when I yelled the whole thing.

Hey, I was just planning ahead! Trust me. Every kid gets yelled out. And every mom will yell the child's name in its entirety. It's a given.

So when you name your characters, you want a name that fits the character.

Sometimes we hit the right name the first time around, sometimes we have to try different names until we find one that works.

When I decided to take an adult character from THE LEPRECHAUN CONNECTION and write about her as a ten-year-old, I knew her old name wouldn't work. 

It was Puck--an acronym for Pillywiggin Unicornia Ciara Kelpie.  Yes, I know I was trying too hard, plus it didn't help that MTV just had a reality show on with an obnoxious dude by the name of Puck, and don't even go into Shakespeare's Puck.

She became a few other names before I settled on Rhee. Then I started having flashbacks to high school and the Rhea brothers (don't ask), while Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, was hitting her stride. I had to change the name.

In gallops my old horseback buddy, Jody, to the rescue. Jody allowed me to use her old Dungeons and Dragons name, Kyte.

It was a perfect fit. You want to know the weirdest thing about this?

Jody was one of my first readers for TO GNOME ME IS TO LOVE ME, before I cut 1/4 of the story and rewrote the beginning, and she told me that my character was eerily similar to her old D&D character.

When you get it right, it's sweet!

Later, Peeps!