Yet another Character naming Thread, but not what you think.

[shadowbox]

How do you feel about having to main characters with names that begin with the same letter.

My example

Brenadine and Brahm.

Too much?

[mirinda]

Honestly I probably wouldn't even notice their names started with the same letter unless someone pointed it out. Shouldn't matter one way or the other shadowbox if that's what you want to do. If you don't make a big thing out of it no one else will.

[Grimward]

Tad Williams' latest series (we'll call it Shadowmarch, though that's really the name of one of the books), features two main characters, a brother and sister, named Barrick and Briony, who are the youngest children of the ruling Eddon family....

And, like Mir, I don't mind it at all.

[Saeltari]

start the same just don't sound the same or be the same, that tends to lead me to confusion

yours would be fine because they can be differentiated.

[Lith]

I get very confused when two main characters have similar names. I don't know how it happens, but often you'll have two characters with the same first and last initials, and then it's REALLY confusing.

[Aes]

Just two isn't bad, but try to be careful not to let it get out of hand. What do I mean? Well at least 5 of my characters had names starting with A, so uh, yeah, I had to change them. My WoW account is probably 80% A names, too.

[mygoditsraining]

Two characters with the same first letter of their names is not only acceptable, but can be a powerful device for linking their fates and making them memorable to the reader. To take a historical example, lots of people remember the names Romulus and Remus, even if they do end up concluding that one is a bad guy from Star Trek and the other is the Inspector out of Ian Rankin's novels!

I second Aes' motion, though. A whole book full of B's would be really confusing, although excellent material for potential Eddie Izzard references at the review stage.

Brahm is a great name, by the way. It's really rich with connections that, although you may not refer to them specifically, the reader's mind will call up unbidden.

[HareBrain]

Originally Posted by mygoditsraining

Brahm is a great name, by the way. It's really rich with connections that, although you may not refer to them specifically, the reader's mind will call up unbidden.

A high-caste Hindu composer who's drunk all the time?

[shadowbox]

Originally Posted by mygoditsraining

Brahm is a great name, by the way. It's really rich with connections that, although you may not refer to them specifically, the reader's mind will call up unbidden.

Thank you! I just switched his name to Brahm. He has had SEVERAL names, none of which I have loved as much as Brahm, some I have put on back stock for other characters. He was Howel, which was sort of appropriate but not really, and I couldn't find a surname I loved to fit.

[goldhawk]

Well, I'm going to take the wimpy way out and not give an opinion. Instead, I point you to a more famous case and let you decide: Sauron and Saruman.

In the book, they are easy to tell apart. In the movie, some people complained that they were confused by the names. So, if you plan to sell the movie rights, perhaps you want to reconsider (like we all should have this problem ).

[shadowbox]

Well I will state now that Brenadine and Brahm are of the opposite sex. Unlike Sauron and Saruman. But I wasn't confused by them.

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by Lith

I get very confused when two main characters have similar names. I don't know how it happens, but often you'll have two characters with the same first and last initials, and then it's REALLY confusing.

This is should be avoided at all costs (and, with the names, Brenadine and Brahm, shadowbox has done so; having three syllables against one is more than enough differentiation).

When a book has two important characters with similar names it is not only confusing and irritating, but can, where the story itself is complex, make reading a chore not a joy.

I read an example of this sort of thing a few years back (it may have been Vitals by Greg Bear, but I'm not sure); fortunately, I think** the confusion was confined to one (out of five?) sections, so it was just about worth ploughing on.

Originally Posted by HareBrain

A high-caste Hindu composer who's drunk all the time?

Luckily he (or she) would be on a list of one.




** - This is, again, subject to my memory being correct.

[Dozmonic]

You can have two characters with very different names, Merry and Pippin, and be unable to tell them apart. Whereas two with similar names, Saruman and Sauron, are more easy to differentiate ;-)

[shadowbox]

Originally Posted by Dozmonic

You can have two characters with very different names, Merry and Pippin, and be unable to tell them apart.

.....that is an excellent point.

[pyan]

Tolkien's early elves are the ones that always give me problems: Fingon, Finrod, Feanor, Fingolfin, Finarfin, Felagund, Finwe....