Naming a Character
I have a pleasant chore ahead of me: naming the main character in my new novel, the third in the trilogy that started with A FALSE DAWN. She’s a young Native American woman living among wealthy French-American whites who have adopted her in St. Louis in the early 1800s.
I want a first name for my character that has nicknames, some that she likes and some that she doesn’t like. That way, readers can tell which characters like my heroine and which ones don’t.
Want to hear my favorite choices so far? They are the following: Nayla, Shenoah,, Kaydee, Chantesuta, Kansas, Kimeya, Yancey, Roenasa, Aurora, and my favorite (believe it or not) Kitkun, which can be shortened to “Kit” (which my character likes) and “Kitty” (which she does not.)
In a novel, a character’s name carries a lot of weight. It should tell you something about the person. A “Kit” is a baby skunk, ferret or weasel, which doesn’t sound very nice, does it? But my character loves these associations because she likes to rub other people’s noses in things; she likes being different and at times, contrary. That’s why Kitkun is at the top of my list, for now. She’s a wild child.
What’s in a name? We’ll see.
About The Author
Jeff Heller
I'm a historical novelist who focuses on Colonial America, particularly the French-Canadians who settled North America in the 1600s and 1700s. My first novel, A FALSE DAWN, features Louise, a young wife and mother who must search for her son and her husband when the English invade their home in French-held Montreal and torch the city.