Changing Jane Doe to Jane Eyre
I am writing a non-fiction book about my adventures as a Real Estate Broker. Each chapter is a series of humorous stores about buyers and sellers that I have worked with over the last 14 years. When I sit down to write a story, I write exactly the way I remember it. The trouble is that I use the real names of my clients on my first draft. This keeps me on track and makes the writing flow.
But, I know that if I ever attempt to publish the book, I would not use the real names of the men and women I have worked with. Many of the stories describe stressful situations that my clients find themselves in and I know that they would not be happy if I revealed their names. So, when I edit my book I will have to change the names of all the characters.
How do authors pick fictional names to use in their work? Should they be any name that comes to mind - Betty Granville becomes Susie Grant; Ron Wood becomes Henry Smith. Or should I sprinkle ethnic names throughout? Carol Brown becomes Rosa Lopez; Sam Hubbard becomes Ivan Turkoff? Both fiction and non-fiction writing require the author to name the people who populate the book. Is there a good way to do this? Is there an easy way to think up appropriate names?
I'd love to hear from other authors on this subject. How do you name the characters in your stories?
Real Estate Hint #3
When interviewing real estate brokers to market your home, remember that your relationship with your broker will span a number of months and weather many stressful moments. Therefore, you should hire a broker not on the basis of the price they recommend for your home, but rather on the relationship you feel you can build with them. Do you think the broker is trustworthy? Will they work hard for you? Do you like them? Can you confide in them? Do they understand your motives? Do they have a grasp of the market? A good broker will work with you to get the best price for your home that the market will bear; a good broker for you is one that you can work with over time.
But, I know that if I ever attempt to publish the book, I would not use the real names of the men and women I have worked with. Many of the stories describe stressful situations that my clients find themselves in and I know that they would not be happy if I revealed their names. So, when I edit my book I will have to change the names of all the characters.
How do authors pick fictional names to use in their work? Should they be any name that comes to mind - Betty Granville becomes Susie Grant; Ron Wood becomes Henry Smith. Or should I sprinkle ethnic names throughout? Carol Brown becomes Rosa Lopez; Sam Hubbard becomes Ivan Turkoff? Both fiction and non-fiction writing require the author to name the people who populate the book. Is there a good way to do this? Is there an easy way to think up appropriate names?
I'd love to hear from other authors on this subject. How do you name the characters in your stories?
Real Estate Hint #3
When interviewing real estate brokers to market your home, remember that your relationship with your broker will span a number of months and weather many stressful moments. Therefore, you should hire a broker not on the basis of the price they recommend for your home, but rather on the relationship you feel you can build with them. Do you think the broker is trustworthy? Will they work hard for you? Do you like them? Can you confide in them? Do they understand your motives? Do they have a grasp of the market? A good broker will work with you to get the best price for your home that the market will bear; a good broker for you is one that you can work with over time.
If I'm writing nonfiction but need to change the names, as in your book, I tend to try and replace with names that have a similar sense as the original, whether to denote ethnicity or personality or both, because I think that adds texture, and sometimes important information, to the story. For fiction, I "feel" the name because I want the character and the name to be seamless, again to reflect ethnicity or background and/or personality. So first I'll see what names come to mind when I think of that character. And if I'm can't get anywhere that way, there's always the old standby of baby name books and phone books, both of which I keep nearby!
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