What Should We Call Them?

Photo by Joyce McCown on Unsplash

Naming Characters

About nine months ago, I started my new job and found myself surrounded by new faces. I couldn't wait to get to know them. However, there was one problem that sticks with me no matter where I go or how much I grow as a person. I can’t remember names. And it took me months to connect all the faces with that one word people use to call them. The thing is, my brain rots only in discerning names of real people.

When it comes to fictional characters, my brain elevates to the level of an eight-terabyte thumb drive (note the implication of small size and zero processing capability). So when it was my time to shape up my own characters and bestow names upon them, I thought I would breeze through it.

Oh boy! I couldn’t be more wrong.

Obsession for Meaning

In my university days, I am convinced that there might be some hidden meaning in the names of all fictional characters. This idea came from the class where we studied a short story called Roman Fever by Edith Wharton (I mean, just look at the author's name, there’s ‘edit’ in there). Not the best example for the matter, but still a great trick of name articulation.

From that point on, I dug deep into the characters’ names. Even in a common name like John (no offense), I still tried my best to find a hidden meaning behind it. And when I began writing, I was bent on giving my characters a meaningful name. For example, I dubbed my main character Riley—means valiant—to contrast with his meek personality and parallel with his growth.

The catch is it was difficult to use only meaningful names without making it sound weird. It makes sense to name a character “Zinnia” when your story is set in Europe or a fantasy world. But if the setting was contemporary Bangkok, such a name would raise some eyebrows, both from the readers and other characters in the story.

Back to Reality

At one point, I asked myself why I had to torture myself with these naming shenanigans. It sure adds some depth into my writing, but also makes it shallow at the same time. My works sound desperate. I look like a wannabe. That was when I turned back to reality and asked the question, “Do our names say anything about us?”

In Thai, the word ‘Pitch’ means philosopher. Needless to say, I found no Plato, Confucius, or Nietzche within me. There are a handful of people who say that I sometimes see things differently from others, but that still doesn’t justify my being a philosopher. So if I am to make a connection between myself and my name, that connection would be somewhat contrastive.

On the other hand, the word ‘Pitch’ in English means lots of things. A field. Quality of sound. To throw. Etc. For the field part, I can’t see any connection since I rarely do sports, so this one is out. I play guitar and enjoy listening to music, so I guess there are some connections with the sound part. For throwing, I’m not sure. But I do like throwing stuff on my bed when I arrive home from work. The stuff includes my key, my phone, my wallet, and also myself. So I guess that counts.

The thing is, my parents may have an idea of what kind of person they want me to be. That’s why they name me accordingly. However, in the end, I’m the one who decides what to do. Whether to live up to the name or to go the other way, I’m the one calling the shot. It doesn’t matter if my name is Pitch or Tom or Isabel. I’m still me. It would be cool for the word ‘pitch’ to describe who I am. But personally, it would be even cooler if my characteristics would turn into a definition for the word ‘pitch’ (like Orwellian, Kafkaesque, and Camusian).

With that in mind, I refocused my writing on the actual characterization rather than my naming shenanigans. It lifted great weight out of my chest. But not that I’m done with naming, though.

What About Now?

Now, I have a new problem concerning the characters’ names. It has something to do with you guys, actually. I want my story to be easy to read for both Thai and English speakers, yet my setting is usually in Thailand. Despite writing in English, I can’t use a western name because it would break the immersion. And I don’t want to go straight for a difficult Thai name like Amarawadee or Anukulkit and such. As a result, I’m left with using Thai nicknames. However, Thai nicknames can be really goofy in English. For example, Kay, Name, Bam, Top, Bank, Palm, Best, etc. I mean, it’s not really a big deal, but just something to think about.

Wrapping Up

I think it is safe to say that naming characters could be difficult at times, especially when you need something from it. But hopefully, you guys will come out on top. What do you think of my approach? Let me know in the comments. You might learn something new about your name during the discussion.