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What to call a main character who changes names?
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I'd like to write a story, in the third-person perspective, centering on a character who changes her name several times in the course of the story.
She uses her birth name for the first couple of chapters, then perform an "identity switcheroo" with another character, with the intention of using that new identity for the rest of her life. The two of them only meet twice afterwards. That new name would be used for about 2/3 of the story.
The switch would then be discovered and her old name used by some of the other characters and toward the end she would decide to create a new name for herself, with no intention of going back to the old ones.
There are also parts of the story where she uses aliases, but they are short-lived and won't be used by the narrator.
At first, I wanted to add a paragraph describing her getting mentally used to her new name when it changes, then use it in the narrative until it changes again.
On one hand, she absolutely intends to become a new person each time, and sees herself as a "Jane" then a "Dolores", etc, at different points of the story, but I don't know if it would be clear enough for the reader
Note : there are other closely related questions but I'm not sure if their answers apply to this case.
1) Revealing MC's name midway through a story
2) Character lying about her name
3) Character changes name but other call him by the old one
Question :
Would it be better for the narrator to use the MC's birth name for the whole story (especially since it makes a surprise comeback in the end) ?
Or should the narrator adapt to the changes ?
Is there a better option, like giving her a nickname early on and using it through the story ?
fiction characters naming narrator third-person
asked 3 hours ago
Cerise St Hilaire
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up vote
2
down vote
favorite
I'd like to write a story, in the third-person perspective, centering on a character who changes her name several times in the course of the story.
She uses her birth name for the first couple of chapters, then perform an "identity switcheroo" with another character, with the intention of using that new identity for the rest of her life. The two of them only meet twice afterwards. That new name would be used for about 2/3 of the story.
The switch would then be discovered and her old name used by some of the other characters and toward the end she would decide to create a new name for herself, with no intention of going back to the old ones.
There are also parts of the story where she uses aliases, but they are short-lived and won't be used by the narrator.
At first, I wanted to add a paragraph describing her getting mentally used to her new name when it changes, then use it in the narrative until it changes again.
On one hand, she absolutely intends to become a new person each time, and sees herself as a "Jane" then a "Dolores", etc, at different points of the story, but I don't know if it would be clear enough for the reader
Note : there are other closely related questions but I'm not sure if their answers apply to this case.
1) Revealing MC's name midway through a story
2) Character lying about her name
3) Character changes name but other call him by the old one
Question :
Would it be better for the narrator to use the MC's birth name for the whole story (especially since it makes a surprise comeback in the end) ?
Or should the narrator adapt to the changes ?
Is there a better option, like giving her a nickname early on and using it through the story ?
fiction characters naming narrator third-person
asked 3 hours ago
Cerise St Hilaire
111
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Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
I'd like to write a story, in the third-person perspective, centering on a character who changes her name several times in the course of the story.
She uses her birth name for the first couple of chapters, then perform an "identity switcheroo" with another character, with the intention of using that new identity for the rest of her life. The two of them only meet twice afterwards. That new name would be used for about 2/3 of the story.
The switch would then be discovered and her old name used by some of the other characters and toward the end she would decide to create a new name for herself, with no intention of going back to the old ones.
There are also parts of the story where she uses aliases, but they are short-lived and won't be used by the narrator.
At first, I wanted to add a paragraph describing her getting mentally used to her new name when it changes, then use it in the narrative until it changes again.
On one hand, she absolutely intends to become a new person each time, and sees herself as a "Jane" then a "Dolores", etc, at different points of the story, but I don't know if it would be clear enough for the reader
Note : there are other closely related questions but I'm not sure if their answers apply to this case.
1) Revealing MC's name midway through a story
2) Character lying about her name
3) Character changes name but other call him by the old one
Question :
Would it be better for the narrator to use the MC's birth name for the whole story (especially since it makes a surprise comeback in the end) ?
Or should the narrator adapt to the changes ?
Is there a better option, like giving her a nickname early on and using it through the story ?
fiction characters naming narrator third-person
asked 3 hours ago
Cerise St Hilaire
111
New contributor
Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I'd like to write a story, in the third-person perspective, centering on a character who changes her name several times in the course of the story.
She uses her birth name for the first couple of chapters, then perform an "identity switcheroo" with another character, with the intention of using that new identity for the rest of her life. The two of them only meet twice afterwards. That new name would be used for about 2/3 of the story.
The switch would then be discovered and her old name used by some of the other characters and toward the end she would decide to create a new name for herself, with no intention of going back to the old ones.
There are also parts of the story where she uses aliases, but they are short-lived and won't be used by the narrator.
At first, I wanted to add a paragraph describing her getting mentally used to her new name when it changes, then use it in the narrative until it changes again.
On one hand, she absolutely intends to become a new person each time, and sees herself as a "Jane" then a "Dolores", etc, at different points of the story, but I don't know if it would be clear enough for the reader
Note : there are other closely related questions but I'm not sure if their answers apply to this case.
1) Revealing MC's name midway through a story
2) Character lying about her name
3) Character changes name but other call him by the old one
Question :
Would it be better for the narrator to use the MC's birth name for the whole story (especially since it makes a surprise comeback in the end) ?
Or should the narrator adapt to the changes ?
Is there a better option, like giving her a nickname early on and using it through the story ?
fiction characters naming narrator third-person
fiction characters naming narrator third-person
asked 3 hours ago
Cerise St Hilaire
111
New contributor
Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
Cerise St Hilaire
111
New contributor
Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
Cerise St Hilaire
111
New contributor
Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
Cerise St Hilaire
111
asked 3 hours ago
Cerise St Hilaire
111
111
New contributor
Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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3 Answers
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It all depends on your narrative voice, and how sympathetic the narrator is to the character.
she absolutely intends to become a new person each time, and sees herself as a "Jane" then a "Dolores", etc, at different points of the story, but I don't know if it would be clear enough for the reader.
The narrative voice should confirm the new identity, not undermine it, if the reader is going to have any sympathy for this character.
Read Jane Austen who is still considered the master of playing with POV, using a technique called Free Indirect Speech in which the 3rd-person narrator is temporarily replaced with the internal thoughts of various characters. Austen also does a more subtle technique where the vocabulary and tone of the narrative voice will shift to the vocabulary and emotional tone of a character in the scene.
Each new "identity" will have shifts in their tone and vocabulary which become more confident over time. The narrative voice should echo this transition, not fight against it – depending on how the reader is meant to relate with (or alienate) the character.
answered 2 hours ago
wetcircuit
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up vote
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There are many ways you can tackle this question. Some considerations would be how close your narration is to the MC, how the MC thinks of themselves, and how you want the reader to think of her. Let me give you some examples of how different authors treated the question, and you can see which approach fits your story best.
One famous example of the MC changing names and identities is Les Misérables. The narration leaves Jean Valjean in Digne. Some time later, we are introduced to Monsieur Madeleine, the mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. I don't know if readers in Hugo's time knew in advance that Monsieur Madeleine was Jean Valjean, or if they had to figure it out. Modern readers certainly do know in advance. Hugo keeps on calling Valjean 'Madeleine', and leave it to the audience to figure it out, right until Valjean's identity is officially revealed. The effect produced is quite interesting: even knowing who Madeleine is, we are allowed to see him from outside, as it were - experience how he is seen at this point of the story by the people around him. It is through this tool that we learn how much he has changed. Even to himself, he is no longer Jean Valjean - it is the name of his past self, of himself-the-criminal; he is no longer that man. But of course his past identity catches up with him, and he must carry it.
In Diana Wynne Jones's book Dogsbody, Sirius (the star) is transformed into a dog, and his new human owners call him Leo. The narration alternates between 'Sirius' and 'Leo', depending on the focus of each scene.
"Oh, I hope not!" Kathleen said, knowing how much Leo ate already. Sirius realised she was worries and wagged his tail consolingly outside his basket. (D.W. Jones, Dogsbody, chapter 2)
Sirius, of course, thinks of himself as 'Sirius', and the girl, of course, thinks of him as 'Leo'. So you get both names in the narration.
In David Eddings's Belgariad, the main character Garion earns the prefix 'Bel-', signifying he is a sorcerer. Other characters start calling him 'Belgarion', but he calls himself 'Garion', and so does the narration. The narration is close to the MC, so it follows the way he thinks of himself, and he thinks of himself humbly - he's not used to the whole 'sorcerer' thing yet.
In Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man, Death gets fired, and for a while finds a new identity as Bill Door. The narration switches to calling him Bill Door the moment he gets the new name:
I AM TIRED AND IT WON'T STOP.
Bill Door clutched at his skull.
ALSO SPIGOT GAVE ME A HUMOROUS APPLE JUICE FERMENTED DRINK BECAUSE OF THE HEAT AND NOW I FEEL ILL.But of course we can never forget who Bill Door is: he talks in ALL CAPS.
Personally, I feel that changing the MC's name in the narration many times might be a bit confusing to the reader. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, if you think this is what suits your story best. It does mean you should maybe give some extra thought to how to keep the reader not confused.
answered 59 mins ago
Galastel
20.4k352116
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My first instinct is that a third person narrator should always refer to the character in a consistent fashion, probably using her birth name, or a variant of it. But the narrator should also take note of who the character thinks they are and the reader should be reminded regularly, but not incessantly, of the identity she is currently using. That should be done primarily through her interactions with other characters but the narrator should mention her new identity at least a couple of times, especially early on, as well.
answered 27 mins ago
Ash
4,391428
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
3
down vote
It all depends on your narrative voice, and how sympathetic the narrator is to the character.
she absolutely intends to become a new person each time, and sees herself as a "Jane" then a "Dolores", etc, at different points of the story, but I don't know if it would be clear enough for the reader.
The narrative voice should confirm the new identity, not undermine it, if the reader is going to have any sympathy for this character.
Read Jane Austen who is still considered the master of playing with POV, using a technique called Free Indirect Speech in which the 3rd-person narrator is temporarily replaced with the internal thoughts of various characters. Austen also does a more subtle technique where the vocabulary and tone of the narrative voice will shift to the vocabulary and emotional tone of a character in the scene.
Each new "identity" will have shifts in their tone and vocabulary which become more confident over time. The narrative voice should echo this transition, not fight against it – depending on how the reader is meant to relate with (or alienate) the character.
answered 2 hours ago
wetcircuit
4,840730
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
It all depends on your narrative voice, and how sympathetic the narrator is to the character.
she absolutely intends to become a new person each time, and sees herself as a "Jane" then a "Dolores", etc, at different points of the story, but I don't know if it would be clear enough for the reader.
The narrative voice should confirm the new identity, not undermine it, if the reader is going to have any sympathy for this character.
Read Jane Austen who is still considered the master of playing with POV, using a technique called Free Indirect Speech in which the 3rd-person narrator is temporarily replaced with the internal thoughts of various characters. Austen also does a more subtle technique where the vocabulary and tone of the narrative voice will shift to the vocabulary and emotional tone of a character in the scene.
Each new "identity" will have shifts in their tone and vocabulary which become more confident over time. The narrative voice should echo this transition, not fight against it – depending on how the reader is meant to relate with (or alienate) the character.
answered 2 hours ago
wetcircuit
4,840730
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
It all depends on your narrative voice, and how sympathetic the narrator is to the character.
she absolutely intends to become a new person each time, and sees herself as a "Jane" then a "Dolores", etc, at different points of the story, but I don't know if it would be clear enough for the reader.
The narrative voice should confirm the new identity, not undermine it, if the reader is going to have any sympathy for this character.
Read Jane Austen who is still considered the master of playing with POV, using a technique called Free Indirect Speech in which the 3rd-person narrator is temporarily replaced with the internal thoughts of various characters. Austen also does a more subtle technique where the vocabulary and tone of the narrative voice will shift to the vocabulary and emotional tone of a character in the scene.
Each new "identity" will have shifts in their tone and vocabulary which become more confident over time. The narrative voice should echo this transition, not fight against it – depending on how the reader is meant to relate with (or alienate) the character.
answered 2 hours ago
wetcircuit
4,840730
It all depends on your narrative voice, and how sympathetic the narrator is to the character.
she absolutely intends to become a new person each time, and sees herself as a "Jane" then a "Dolores", etc, at different points of the story, but I don't know if it would be clear enough for the reader.
The narrative voice should confirm the new identity, not undermine it, if the reader is going to have any sympathy for this character.
Read Jane Austen who is still considered the master of playing with POV, using a technique called Free Indirect Speech in which the 3rd-person narrator is temporarily replaced with the internal thoughts of various characters. Austen also does a more subtle technique where the vocabulary and tone of the narrative voice will shift to the vocabulary and emotional tone of a character in the scene.
Each new "identity" will have shifts in their tone and vocabulary which become more confident over time. The narrative voice should echo this transition, not fight against it – depending on how the reader is meant to relate with (or alienate) the character.
answered 2 hours ago
wetcircuit
4,840730
answered 2 hours ago
wetcircuit
4,840730
answered 2 hours ago
wetcircuit
4,840730
answered 2 hours ago
wetcircuit
4,840730
4,840730
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
There are many ways you can tackle this question. Some considerations would be how close your narration is to the MC, how the MC thinks of themselves, and how you want the reader to think of her. Let me give you some examples of how different authors treated the question, and you can see which approach fits your story best.
One famous example of the MC changing names and identities is Les Misérables. The narration leaves Jean Valjean in Digne. Some time later, we are introduced to Monsieur Madeleine, the mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. I don't know if readers in Hugo's time knew in advance that Monsieur Madeleine was Jean Valjean, or if they had to figure it out. Modern readers certainly do know in advance. Hugo keeps on calling Valjean 'Madeleine', and leave it to the audience to figure it out, right until Valjean's identity is officially revealed. The effect produced is quite interesting: even knowing who Madeleine is, we are allowed to see him from outside, as it were - experience how he is seen at this point of the story by the people around him. It is through this tool that we learn how much he has changed. Even to himself, he is no longer Jean Valjean - it is the name of his past self, of himself-the-criminal; he is no longer that man. But of course his past identity catches up with him, and he must carry it.
In Diana Wynne Jones's book Dogsbody, Sirius (the star) is transformed into a dog, and his new human owners call him Leo. The narration alternates between 'Sirius' and 'Leo', depending on the focus of each scene.
"Oh, I hope not!" Kathleen said, knowing how much Leo ate already. Sirius realised she was worries and wagged his tail consolingly outside his basket. (D.W. Jones, Dogsbody, chapter 2)
Sirius, of course, thinks of himself as 'Sirius', and the girl, of course, thinks of him as 'Leo'. So you get both names in the narration.
In David Eddings's Belgariad, the main character Garion earns the prefix 'Bel-', signifying he is a sorcerer. Other characters start calling him 'Belgarion', but he calls himself 'Garion', and so does the narration. The narration is close to the MC, so it follows the way he thinks of himself, and he thinks of himself humbly - he's not used to the whole 'sorcerer' thing yet.
In Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man, Death gets fired, and for a while finds a new identity as Bill Door. The narration switches to calling him Bill Door the moment he gets the new name:
I AM TIRED AND IT WON'T STOP.
Bill Door clutched at his skull.
ALSO SPIGOT GAVE ME A HUMOROUS APPLE JUICE FERMENTED DRINK BECAUSE OF THE HEAT AND NOW I FEEL ILL.But of course we can never forget who Bill Door is: he talks in ALL CAPS.
Personally, I feel that changing the MC's name in the narration many times might be a bit confusing to the reader. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, if you think this is what suits your story best. It does mean you should maybe give some extra thought to how to keep the reader not confused.
answered 59 mins ago
Galastel
20.4k352116
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
There are many ways you can tackle this question. Some considerations would be how close your narration is to the MC, how the MC thinks of themselves, and how you want the reader to think of her. Let me give you some examples of how different authors treated the question, and you can see which approach fits your story best.
One famous example of the MC changing names and identities is Les Misérables. The narration leaves Jean Valjean in Digne. Some time later, we are introduced to Monsieur Madeleine, the mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. I don't know if readers in Hugo's time knew in advance that Monsieur Madeleine was Jean Valjean, or if they had to figure it out. Modern readers certainly do know in advance. Hugo keeps on calling Valjean 'Madeleine', and leave it to the audience to figure it out, right until Valjean's identity is officially revealed. The effect produced is quite interesting: even knowing who Madeleine is, we are allowed to see him from outside, as it were - experience how he is seen at this point of the story by the people around him. It is through this tool that we learn how much he has changed. Even to himself, he is no longer Jean Valjean - it is the name of his past self, of himself-the-criminal; he is no longer that man. But of course his past identity catches up with him, and he must carry it.
In Diana Wynne Jones's book Dogsbody, Sirius (the star) is transformed into a dog, and his new human owners call him Leo. The narration alternates between 'Sirius' and 'Leo', depending on the focus of each scene.
"Oh, I hope not!" Kathleen said, knowing how much Leo ate already. Sirius realised she was worries and wagged his tail consolingly outside his basket. (D.W. Jones, Dogsbody, chapter 2)
Sirius, of course, thinks of himself as 'Sirius', and the girl, of course, thinks of him as 'Leo'. So you get both names in the narration.
In David Eddings's Belgariad, the main character Garion earns the prefix 'Bel-', signifying he is a sorcerer. Other characters start calling him 'Belgarion', but he calls himself 'Garion', and so does the narration. The narration is close to the MC, so it follows the way he thinks of himself, and he thinks of himself humbly - he's not used to the whole 'sorcerer' thing yet.
In Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man, Death gets fired, and for a while finds a new identity as Bill Door. The narration switches to calling him Bill Door the moment he gets the new name:
I AM TIRED AND IT WON'T STOP.
Bill Door clutched at his skull.
ALSO SPIGOT GAVE ME A HUMOROUS APPLE JUICE FERMENTED DRINK BECAUSE OF THE HEAT AND NOW I FEEL ILL.But of course we can never forget who Bill Door is: he talks in ALL CAPS.
Personally, I feel that changing the MC's name in the narration many times might be a bit confusing to the reader. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, if you think this is what suits your story best. It does mean you should maybe give some extra thought to how to keep the reader not confused.
answered 59 mins ago
Galastel
20.4k352116
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
There are many ways you can tackle this question. Some considerations would be how close your narration is to the MC, how the MC thinks of themselves, and how you want the reader to think of her. Let me give you some examples of how different authors treated the question, and you can see which approach fits your story best.
One famous example of the MC changing names and identities is Les Misérables. The narration leaves Jean Valjean in Digne. Some time later, we are introduced to Monsieur Madeleine, the mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. I don't know if readers in Hugo's time knew in advance that Monsieur Madeleine was Jean Valjean, or if they had to figure it out. Modern readers certainly do know in advance. Hugo keeps on calling Valjean 'Madeleine', and leave it to the audience to figure it out, right until Valjean's identity is officially revealed. The effect produced is quite interesting: even knowing who Madeleine is, we are allowed to see him from outside, as it were - experience how he is seen at this point of the story by the people around him. It is through this tool that we learn how much he has changed. Even to himself, he is no longer Jean Valjean - it is the name of his past self, of himself-the-criminal; he is no longer that man. But of course his past identity catches up with him, and he must carry it.
In Diana Wynne Jones's book Dogsbody, Sirius (the star) is transformed into a dog, and his new human owners call him Leo. The narration alternates between 'Sirius' and 'Leo', depending on the focus of each scene.
"Oh, I hope not!" Kathleen said, knowing how much Leo ate already. Sirius realised she was worries and wagged his tail consolingly outside his basket. (D.W. Jones, Dogsbody, chapter 2)
Sirius, of course, thinks of himself as 'Sirius', and the girl, of course, thinks of him as 'Leo'. So you get both names in the narration.
In David Eddings's Belgariad, the main character Garion earns the prefix 'Bel-', signifying he is a sorcerer. Other characters start calling him 'Belgarion', but he calls himself 'Garion', and so does the narration. The narration is close to the MC, so it follows the way he thinks of himself, and he thinks of himself humbly - he's not used to the whole 'sorcerer' thing yet.
In Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man, Death gets fired, and for a while finds a new identity as Bill Door. The narration switches to calling him Bill Door the moment he gets the new name:
I AM TIRED AND IT WON'T STOP.
Bill Door clutched at his skull.
ALSO SPIGOT GAVE ME A HUMOROUS APPLE JUICE FERMENTED DRINK BECAUSE OF THE HEAT AND NOW I FEEL ILL.But of course we can never forget who Bill Door is: he talks in ALL CAPS.
Personally, I feel that changing the MC's name in the narration many times might be a bit confusing to the reader. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, if you think this is what suits your story best. It does mean you should maybe give some extra thought to how to keep the reader not confused.
answered 59 mins ago
Galastel
20.4k352116
There are many ways you can tackle this question. Some considerations would be how close your narration is to the MC, how the MC thinks of themselves, and how you want the reader to think of her. Let me give you some examples of how different authors treated the question, and you can see which approach fits your story best.
One famous example of the MC changing names and identities is Les Misérables. The narration leaves Jean Valjean in Digne. Some time later, we are introduced to Monsieur Madeleine, the mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. I don't know if readers in Hugo's time knew in advance that Monsieur Madeleine was Jean Valjean, or if they had to figure it out. Modern readers certainly do know in advance. Hugo keeps on calling Valjean 'Madeleine', and leave it to the audience to figure it out, right until Valjean's identity is officially revealed. The effect produced is quite interesting: even knowing who Madeleine is, we are allowed to see him from outside, as it were - experience how he is seen at this point of the story by the people around him. It is through this tool that we learn how much he has changed. Even to himself, he is no longer Jean Valjean - it is the name of his past self, of himself-the-criminal; he is no longer that man. But of course his past identity catches up with him, and he must carry it.
In Diana Wynne Jones's book Dogsbody, Sirius (the star) is transformed into a dog, and his new human owners call him Leo. The narration alternates between 'Sirius' and 'Leo', depending on the focus of each scene.
"Oh, I hope not!" Kathleen said, knowing how much Leo ate already. Sirius realised she was worries and wagged his tail consolingly outside his basket. (D.W. Jones, Dogsbody, chapter 2)
Sirius, of course, thinks of himself as 'Sirius', and the girl, of course, thinks of him as 'Leo'. So you get both names in the narration.
In David Eddings's Belgariad, the main character Garion earns the prefix 'Bel-', signifying he is a sorcerer. Other characters start calling him 'Belgarion', but he calls himself 'Garion', and so does the narration. The narration is close to the MC, so it follows the way he thinks of himself, and he thinks of himself humbly - he's not used to the whole 'sorcerer' thing yet.
In Terry Pratchett's Reaper Man, Death gets fired, and for a while finds a new identity as Bill Door. The narration switches to calling him Bill Door the moment he gets the new name:
I AM TIRED AND IT WON'T STOP.
Bill Door clutched at his skull.
ALSO SPIGOT GAVE ME A HUMOROUS APPLE JUICE FERMENTED DRINK BECAUSE OF THE HEAT AND NOW I FEEL ILL.But of course we can never forget who Bill Door is: he talks in ALL CAPS.
Personally, I feel that changing the MC's name in the narration many times might be a bit confusing to the reader. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, if you think this is what suits your story best. It does mean you should maybe give some extra thought to how to keep the reader not confused.
answered 59 mins ago
Galastel
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edited 8 mins ago
answered 59 mins ago
Galastel
20.4k352116
answered 59 mins ago
Galastel
20.4k352116
answered 59 mins ago
Galastel
20.4k352116
20.4k352116
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My first instinct is that a third person narrator should always refer to the character in a consistent fashion, probably using her birth name, or a variant of it. But the narrator should also take note of who the character thinks they are and the reader should be reminded regularly, but not incessantly, of the identity she is currently using. That should be done primarily through her interactions with other characters but the narrator should mention her new identity at least a couple of times, especially early on, as well.
answered 27 mins ago
Ash
4,391428
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up vote
0
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My first instinct is that a third person narrator should always refer to the character in a consistent fashion, probably using her birth name, or a variant of it. But the narrator should also take note of who the character thinks they are and the reader should be reminded regularly, but not incessantly, of the identity she is currently using. That should be done primarily through her interactions with other characters but the narrator should mention her new identity at least a couple of times, especially early on, as well.
answered 27 mins ago
Ash
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My first instinct is that a third person narrator should always refer to the character in a consistent fashion, probably using her birth name, or a variant of it. But the narrator should also take note of who the character thinks they are and the reader should be reminded regularly, but not incessantly, of the identity she is currently using. That should be done primarily through her interactions with other characters but the narrator should mention her new identity at least a couple of times, especially early on, as well.
answered 27 mins ago
Ash
4,391428
My first instinct is that a third person narrator should always refer to the character in a consistent fashion, probably using her birth name, or a variant of it. But the narrator should also take note of who the character thinks they are and the reader should be reminded regularly, but not incessantly, of the identity she is currently using. That should be done primarily through her interactions with other characters but the narrator should mention her new identity at least a couple of times, especially early on, as well.
answered 27 mins ago
Ash
4,391428
answered 27 mins ago
Ash
4,391428
answered 27 mins ago
Ash
4,391428
answered 27 mins ago
Ash
4,391428
4,391428
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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Cerise St Hilaire is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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