Name Changes

A friend of mine said I come up with the most interesting and uncommon names. Even if she has trouble pronouncing them, she says. Honestly? Commonly known and used names aren’t a fave of mine. Actually, I detest using common names for any of my characters. Which for Joy and Jay is insane, because here are to so commonly used names it’s funny, and those are the names of my two characters.

The story behind Jay and Joy’s names…when I started Twin Flames: Soul Bound earlier this year it was to be a short 7000 word entry for a contest. I just wanted to write it that was all. And the main characters were fashioned after two real life people. So I took the first two letters of their names -birth names- and went with it. A lot of times I’ll rewrite a story twice -to as many as ten times- because the names aren’t right. Whether it’s the heroine’s name or the hero’s, names will stop my story telling ability in its tracks. When that happens I dig out the baby name books -yes, I have like six different ones as well as list from the internet and jotted down names that I’ve heard somewhere but they aren’t in the books or on line- and start my search. Once a name catches my eye I add it in to the space left behind by its previous owner and start reading. If it works I’m off and running. If not *sigh* back to the books and lists to find another one. More often than not my problem only runs into either the male or female characters, not both. Only once has it been both main characters -which killed the manuscript halfway through- as of this posting. *grin*

Recently I had to change ‘Jay’s’ name to his birth name. Because -I guess- readers aren’t fans of names being so close…aka Jay and Joy…confusing…only one letter different. Funny thing about that? The only time I’ve done names that close are when dealing with twins and even then it’s not when they are together in a story. *laugh* I won’t name names but it was my content editor that brought it to my attention. Now, not too long ago I was told -by other writers- not to pick names that were hard to pronounce. I have to laugh at it, because I chose ‘Jay’s’ name for the strict purpose of avoiding having to change it. *snicker*And I ended up having to change it anyway. I am SO glad I give each of my character’s two names. *laugh* To me it makes them more real life. I don’t go by my birth name and most of my friend don’t either. Hell, I bet some -again I won’t name names- hate the ones they were given at birth so prefer nicknames. *grin* I know many who aren’t a fan of the name their parents bestowed upon them.

I am so glad I give my characters a birth name as well as a nickname.