Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

It began, as it often does, with Sam and Janet.

Sam and Janet, the couple of the oft-mocked enchanted evening, are a regular starting point when I’m trying to pick character names. I begin with these two because, frankly, I’d never use them.

Setting the names of my main characters is a crucial early step in my writing process. I have two main reasons for this.

The first reason is practical: I’ve read too many books where main character Greg is suddenly named Craig for a single paragraph where the editor/proofreader didn’t catch the last-minute name change, so settling on a name before I start avoids that problem.

The second reason is personal: I want names that are evocative of the characters I intend to build. Surnames are different; they represent family history and have been passed down fairly intact for centuries. They have an effect, sure, but an indirect one.

A given name, though … a given name shapes you directly. It affects how you think about yourself. I am the individual I am partly because I grew up with the name “Kurt” rather than the name “Chris” or “Dario.” Our names affect us all our lives, which is the reason, I guess, why some of us change our names later in life: to jettison that old baggage.

So I begin with Sam and Janet, two plain but maligned names that I’d probably never use singly, and would definitely never use together, and last week, when I started going through my notes, there they were: Sam & Janet.

My notes for this novel have been accreting for years as I’ve repeatedly started and stalled. Research notes. Language notes. Maps and sketches. Character outlines. Plot outlines. Family histories.

And names. Many names.

Reviewing my notes, I realized that I didn’t like the names I settled on last time I put the project down. That meant I had to go through the process again to pick new ones. It might seem trivial to you, but it’s important to me as it helps establish the who of my main characters.

This book has two sets of main characters, two couples.

One couple was easy, as I had a strong feeling about their personal histories. I’d also written a short story about them. One of the names was Solomon and had been Solomon from the start — I was sure on that one — but his counterpart began as Juliet, became Victoria, then Katherine, and ended as Eleanor. The interim names (and their nicknames, Vicky, Kate, Katy) fit the setting, but really didn’t speak of the character’s personality. Eleanor is (to me) more evocative of what I want from her: a longer view, a queenly aspect, strength, confidence, patience.

The other couple, though … oy. They literally began as Sam and Janet.

(Try an experiment with me, if you would. As I rattle off the names I flirted with on the way to my final choice, observe your own “first impression” of the each one. Do the names evoke different feelings, ideas, expectations?)

In my notes, I started with Sam and Janet, but quickly moved on to Christopher and Deborah. Then:

• Deborah became Rebecca, then Elaine, and then Barbara.
• Christopher (“Chris”) became Clifford (“Cliff”), then Philip (“Phil”), and then Daniel (but never “Dan”).
• Lastly Barbara was swapped out for Rachel.
• This left me with Daniel and Rachel.

Those are good names with some built-in backstory, but mostly they were just … meh. And both ended in -el, and I didn’t like that. Too cutesy.

I began anew.

For Rachel, I tried Kayla, Natalie, Veronica, and Melanie, but none of those had a personality on their own that matched the woman I wanted to write about.

For Daniel, I tried Vincent, Jacob, and Nathaniel — names ill-suited to the character — but all were quickly discarded when I hit upon Zachary. That’s the name I wanted. Zachary. Nickname … not “Zack” and definitely not “Zak.” How about “Zee?” I liked that. Zachary or “Zee” to his intimates.

But for his counterpart? I was stuck. I went through lists of baby names from the year she was born. I reverse-engineered names from characteristics. Nothing. Then I remembered an old name from my own family, one of strength, one that was distinct, and one that spoke of history: Petra.

Zachary and Petra. Eleanor and Solomon.

This is not to say that they’ll never change. They might. I might get halfway through the book and switch them all. Nothing is locked in until the presses start to run, but if I start out happy with my characters’ names, I’m less likely to want to change them.

Solomon and Eleanor. Petra and Zachary.

(So, how did your impressions of the characters change as their names were swapped out? Did your impressions change?)

Onward.

k