All About Your Name

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HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Do you still write letters? I mean, letter-letters? It’s difficult for me, because my handwriting is so illegible, I honestly get emails from people saying “Thank you for your thank you note. What did it say?”

But the other day I participated in an astonishing event. Sponsored by Women of Letters, it’s an international program that asks women to write a letter on the topic of WOL’s choice, then read it out loud to an audience. 

I was thrilled to be invited. Until I heard their topic. We had to write “A Letter to My Secret.” My secret? It took a lot of thinking. And at some point, I was dismayed (?) to realize I have no real juicy secrets. I guess that’s a good thing—no, like, criminal record, or almost criminal record, no horrible encounters or crushing humiliating miseries. Any secret I thought of was—embarrassing. Or boring. Or embarrassing AND boring.

And then I got it. I would reveal—that I do not like my name.

Here’s a photo of us all on stage.

My letter began like this:

To: Whom it may concern:

Yes, I understand where you're coming from, completely. Because let me tell you, Whom, I never liked my name either. "Whom it may concern" works really well for you, and I wish I had thought of it. But I have had to make other arrangements

And then it went on:

It was 1963, remember. And it was bad enough being considered a farm girl when I wasn't, but what made it worse that was that my name was Harriet Ann.  Harriet Ann! 

When all the cool girls are Debbie and Linda, and you are nerdy bookie and unpopular, and named Harriet, it does not make for a pleasant junior high experience. In fact, when all I wanted to be was most popular, they voted me most individual. Harriet the individual. And they put my picture in the school paper upside down. They would not have done that to Debbie or Linda.

I could not understand why my obviously sadistic parents named me this. They tried to explain it, that it was a family thing, that my father, my biological father, was the music critic for the Chicago Daily News, and my great uncle Harry, or something like that, had introduced him to the music of Mozart. So they had, in gratitude, named me after him. Uncle Harry, not Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Which would have been equally horrible.

I did my best, as geeky little Harriet, to overcome this name thing. Oh, you're saying, how about Harriet the Spy? She was cool. Yes she was, and had Harriet the Spy existed at this time, I would've been fine. And writing you about something else.  But there was no other Harriet except for Ozzie and Harriet. Ricky Nelson's mother? Are you kidding me?

It went on—we each read for about 8 minutes. (And I mentioned Harriet Vane, of course.) But wow, it was a memorable evening. 

I ended by revealing how I kinda like Harriet now.

Here’s another photo—this is me backstage with host Sofija Stephanovic, then Abeer Hoque and Callie Crossley,  then me, then Marianne Leone, Rose Styron and Claire Messud. 

And if you EVER get a chance to attend a Women of Letters event—we had a packed house at Oberon in Cambridge—please do. 

We’re not allowed to talk about what anyone else told—what happens at WOL stays at WOL. 

But people were laughing, and crying, and it was truly unforgettable. 

So Reds and readers—I won’t ask you to tell your secret. Not today at least. But—do you like your name? Have you always felt that way? What do you wish you were named?

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What We're Writing: Deborah Crombie #AmWriting #Mystery

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Confession: Book tours wreak havoc on a writing schedule.

I was on the road promoting Kincaid/James #16, TO DWELL IN DARKNESS, from September 20th until November 1st, with just a couple of sporadic and very frantic 24 hour stops at home.  It was a fabulous experience. I met so many wonderful readers and booksellers, saw friends and new cities, and got very good at packing. But did I get much writing done?  Um... There were days I had trouble remembering what city I was in, much less the plot of my book...

But now that I've had a few days to catch up, I've put on my writing hat and I'm digging in. (This really is my hat, dog hair and all. My niece bought it for me at Universal Studios! I feel just like Castle!)  However, I'm still not quite set on the title of Kincaid/James #17, and I'm struggling with character names.

Sometimes names are easy--I just instantly know what a character should be called, and it sticks. And sometimes I try combination after combination after combination trying to find the right one. Very frustrating, as I have trouble writing a character until I know his or her name.

There are so many parameters to consider. After sixteen books, it's hard not to repeat character names. (Assuming I remember what I've named all the characters in previous books... And yes, I know I've used "Jasmine" twice, but I had complicated reasons for repeating that one.) 

It helps me to write down the names of sets of continuing characters along with the proposed names of new characters for a book. Here's the page for THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS from my novel journal.  If you've read the book you'll see that

some of these names didn't make the cut. 

I've never been comfortable using the names of close friends and family. That takes out a good few, and so is a tradition I won't swear to keep up. 

Then there's the fact that Britain, and London in particular, are very multi-cultural and multi-racial, so some of the characters' names need to reflect that.

And THEN there's the rule about not having characters whose names start with the same letter, or characters whose name have the same sound. For instance, you don't want all your female characters to have names that in "y" or "ie." I've obviously broken the "same letter" rule--I have Duncan, Denis, and Doug as continuing characters, for starters. Oops.

Oh, and you don't want to give a character a name that is inappropriate to their age. You wouldn't want to name a woman born in the fifties "Tiffany" or "Brittney"-- it just doesn't feel right. Baby naming web sites are a great resource for this challenge. Here's one I pulled up, as I'm trying to decide on names for two ten-year-old boys.

Add to this the fact that my books tend to have a fairly large cast, and it gets mind-boggling. I keep a notebook handy when I'm reading or watching TV to scribble down names that I think might fit. Here's a page from my jottings for the book in progress. It will be interesting to see how

many of these actual make it into the finished book.

So, fellow REDS, how do you go about naming your characters? Do you have system? Do you change names in the course of a book if they don't seem to be working?

And readers, how much attention do you pay to names?

A Rose is a Ross is a Rosa is a Rhys?

Not-Alexandra, but Harriet? Really?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  It should be such an easy question. When I check into a hotel, the clerk asks: What's your name, please?  Yeah....I have think--who am I here?  The perils of having a legal name that's different from my usual name. Anyway.

My mother told me she had planned to name me Alexandra (which is funny, when you read  this blog) but decided when I was born that I didn't look like an Alexandra. How that makes sense she could never explain.

But I bet it's kind of the same when authors name a character. We know what works, but we may not be able to explain exactly why.

Sandra Parshall (Sandy to some...) explains it all--and, fabulously, has special info about the Reds. 

Names by the Numbers

    by Sandra Parshall

Naming a character in a novel can take longer than finding the perfect moniker for newborn offspring. A kid is a blank slate. You can pick out a name just because you like it, or you’re expected to pass it down in the family, and hope your son or daughter grows into it. Not many parents seem to consider whether their precious little Daisy will one day be six feet tall and big-boned.

Characters, on the other hand, are already fully formed (or should be). Unless you’re going for a funny contrast, you have to fit the name to the person — the character’s age, social status, region of birth as well as personality and values. I can’t write about a character until I’ve named him or her, and if I make the wrong choice initially, I will have trouble with that character until I change the ill-fitting name.

So I plow through baby-naming books. I look up the meanings of names. I consult the Social Security database of popular baby names in the US (http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/), which goes back to 1879, to get an idea of how many people my character’s age would have the same name. More than anything else, the sound of the name is important.

I tried several names before I settled on Rachel Goddard, and the writing on the first book in my series, The Heat of the Moon, didn’t proceed smoothly until I knew exactly what to call her. This Biblical name, which is used in different forms in many languages, appeals to me because it’s simple and strong. It was in the top 20 baby names in the US during the 1980s, when Rachel was born. Deciding what to call Rachel’s younger sister was easy: Michelle has a light, pretty sound that suits the character. Their mother, Judith — well, let’s just say nobody ever called this woman Judy.

Sandra Who? you know this.

For naming secondary or minor characters, those who pop up briefly in a book and aren’t seen again, the Social Security database is invaluable if I’m going to describe the person mainly by age.

Naturally, I’ve kept track of my own name’s popularity. Sandra started life as a nickname for Cassandra or Alexandra but has assumed an independent identity over the last century. Throughout the decade I was born, it was one of the five or six most popular names for baby girls in the US, and it stayed in the top 20 until 1968. Every Sandra I’ve ever met has been my age or a bit younger,

 but I know younger ones are out there, like Sandra Bullock, age 49, who was born in 1964. Alas, in 2012, the last year for which figures are available, our name had fallen to number 679. The reigning five were Sophia, Emma, Isabella, Olivia, and Ava.

And how have the Jungle Red Writers’ names scored down through the years?

Julia is the one with the most staying power. This Biblical name is found, in different forms, in many cultures, and it has been consistently popular in the US since the SS database was established, falling out of the top 100 in only a few years. It was number 26 in 1880 and 27 in 2001. In 2012, it was down to number 65, but if its past pattern repeats, it will rise again.

Hank doesn’t show up as a girl’s name, although it’s made the top 1,000 boys’ names list for the past three years. Harriet (Hank’s real name), however, was in the top 1,000 until 1970, and the top 200 through 1946. 

Lucy, comfortably within the top 100 baby names from 1880 to 1924, has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity recently, rising from number 203 in 2004 to 66 in 2012.

Hallie was popular in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, fell out of favor for a long stretch, but has been back in the top 1,000 since 1983. In 2012, it was number 525.

Rhys — sorry, but it’s never been among the top 1,000 girls’ names in the US, but in 2012 it was number 476 on the boys’ list.

Deborah and Susan are classic names that have usually been in the most popular 100. Deborah was in the top 10 from 1950 to 1962, rising to number two in 1955. Susan had an even longer ride in the top 10, from 1945 to 1968. Both have dropped in the last few years, though, and in 2012 Deborah was down to 797 and Susan was number 839. Perhaps a little campaigning among enceinte fans and family could bring them back up in the rankings?

Have you looked up your own name on the Social Security site?  http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ How has it fared in popularity over the years? 

Do you think it suits you, or have you always wished your parents had chosen something else?

HANK: I used to tell people my name was Hyacinth, but that was in grade school. If I had to pick a name for myself, for years, it would have been Charlotte.  :-)  But now, strangely, I am very happy with Harriet. Weird, huh? How about you? 

And a copy of Sandy's new POISONED GROUND  to one lucky commenter! (Isn't this a gorgeous cover?) 

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Bio:

Sandra Parshall’s new novel, Poisoned Ground, is the sixth mystery featuring Rachel Goddard, a young Virginia veterinarian. Sandra lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, a veteran Washington journalist, and their cats Emma and Gabriel. Visit her website at http://www.sandraparshall.com.

POISONED GROUND

When a powerful development company sets its sights on Mason Country, Virginia, as the location for a sprawling resort for the rich, the locals begin taking sides. Many residents see the resort as economic salvation for the small Blue Ridge Mountains community, while others fear the county will become financially dependent on a predatory company. Few oppose the development more vocally than veterinarian Rachel Goddard. She sides with locals reluctant to sell their land and, in the process, complicates the life of her new husband, Sheriff Tom Bridger. When a beloved couple are gunned down on the farm they refused to sell, it seems supporters will stop at nothing to ensure the success of the resort. As the violence escalates, Rachel discovers the attacks are more sinister than they appear. Can she bring the truth to light before her community tears itself apart?