Do all your characters have common names like Jim, James, Sam, Diane.. you get the gist of what I'm trying to say just so it makes it easier to pronounce. No character names with significant meanings or that can't serve as a plot twist in fear that you readers can't pronounce them or is that I as a writer overthinking things and I should just write it and hope readers will figure it out or pronounce it in their own way as they continue to read. If it's a good story they'll stick around and make do with it?
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Log inI get what you're saying and who knew what Belle's name meant. Guess you learn something new every day. I guess I'll give it a go and see if I can make it work. Thank you so much for the insight, its helped so much in more ways than one,
I think in most stories if the name doesn't have any significant plot purpose or has a special meaning that ties into the theme of the book, then they're picked on what a character "looks" like. You know how some people just look like their name, but you can't explain why? I think it's something like that. If a character is royalty, the name needs to sound sophisticated, but a average person living an average life can have an average name. For example, my book "Artist's", the main character is Saige because there is a heavy flower theme with secret meanings, with her name indicating she is wise and/or intuitive. On the other hand, my book "SIRE" has a collection of names I thought fit the characters best and they stuck. 7:10 times I will make the names have a story related meaning or tie into a deeper theme, but having chracters with casual names just because they fit is perfectly fine. But there should always be a reason for characters to have their names, whatever they are, even if it's that simple.
I say it can go both ways. Names that have a deeper meaning that only the author knows about becomes a fun little easter egg to the reader if they figure it out. If you make it too obvious, it can be obnoxious sometimes. I think a good example of this is Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Her name literally means “beauty/beautiful,” but it doesn’t distract from the character while still giving the name meaning. A bad example would be Jupiter from Jupiter Ascending. The name is on the nose and adds nothing, but it’s also too weird in the context of the movie entirely. Peeta from Hunger Games works, as he works in a bakery thus his name makes sense. Nerissa from Wolf Among Us is another great example. One of my own characters, Carina, who is the main character of my Treasure Island (thus pirates) adaptation, is named after the star inside a boat shaped constellation. In short, do it for yourself, but leave room for readers to have an “ah-ha” moment
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