I am a few big scenes away from the end of my current WIP, and I've decided to change my MC's name.
It's only my rough draft, but it's crazy because she's always been "Bonnie." It seemed like the right name at the time, albeit a little old fashioned. But now, I know it's not right. I think I got a new name for her, but I'm going to have to retrain my thinking as I finish drafting and then edit.
I've never changed a name like this before. Once my MC is coined, she is always...her. How about you? Ever done a big name change??
Yes! It wasn't my MC, but it was the love interest, which was just as important, since she was always in my mc's thoughts. I changed it because 3 out of the 5 ms's I was critiquing at the time had a character by the same name!!! Yikes! So, I switched it up, and I actually like it a lot better!
ReplyDeleteI've never changed a BIG name but I did change the name of one supporting character after I met someone with the same name and worried they would think I named this lovable character after them. I couldn't allow that to happen!
ReplyDeleteCassie-Good to know it was successful for you! And you're right...I had an MC in my last WIP that I saw repeatedly in others' WIP's too. However, I couldn't change it. She had been 'Tess' too long.
ReplyDeleteLisa-That's funny. I think about that too sometimes when I name characters..."but will SHE think I named her after HER?"
I once changed the last name of my MC right before I submitted the manuscript.
ReplyDeleteAnd once I asked my editor to change the last name of a minor character when we were in the editing stage--long story that I won't bore you with, but the name I'd chosen was a little awkward.
I just changed one of my MC's names last night (right before I typed "The End"!). He goes by a nickname the whole book, so it's not that big a deal to change his "real" name--he's still called by his nickname most of the time.
ReplyDeleteBut I realized his real name was even worse than what he was being teased about with his nickname. Sigh. I did so love his name. I'll have to save it for someone else!
I renamed a villain when I realized "Christopher" was, you know, my cousin Chris's name. Aaand there's a Christopher in my last WIP. Nice.
In my junior year of college, I changed the name of the love interest in one novel. I chose to use my roommate's brother's name. I would never have anything to do with him in the future, right? I married him three years later. :)
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