Earlier this year I wrote about my rules for writing fiction. Little did I know that a few months down the line I would be breaking Rule #4: Characters without the right name have no life.
That’s right, I was convinced to change the names of major characters in The Secret of Fezar. Thus, “Kinnel” and “Tasil” took a tumble along with some key concepts and other names of people and places.
The siblings are now called Yavi and Fahe. It wasn’t as easy as doing a search and replace. These were well-know, well-fleshed characters, and changing the names was almost like saying goodbye to them and reincarnating them as new people.
Yes, Tasil and Kinnel will be missed, but I feel the change is for the better. I am liking the new names, but more significantly they fit better with my world. Also, “Tasil” was not an original name, since a Tasil exists in the Shadow in Eternity series, albeit in the background (Wahid’s wife, if anyone remembers Wahid).
All these changes were the direct result of some astute feedback from my editor. It also spurred me to work on a date and time system for the world the story is based in. More on that later.
Goodbye, Kinnel and Tasil. 🙁
~PD
I’ve done big name changes like that too! And gender switches, to make things more equal when needed. But I don’t think it matters much one way or the other.
Although, it is disappointing that they don’t have a single N between them now 🙁
You’re right — it hasn’t been as difficult as I thought. I still think of Fahe as “Tasil”, but it’s getting better!
As for N’s, Mizrah is now Nizrah. Does that help? 🙂
I am less shallow than Nik! I won’t even complain about the lack of a “k” anywhere. 👿
It must be jarring to change the character’s names after you’ve written so much. Did you find that you wanted to change things about their personalities, or things you’d written about them at all?
Surprisingly, I didn’t have to make major changes. But I’m sort of looking at them differently now. If that makes any sense.
*sighs* I’ll miss Kinnel and Tasil. Especially Tasil – it suited her. And yes, I know what you mean when you say you’re looking at them differently now – they already seem different people to me!