I remember reading a long time ago, when I first started writing, that you should use names for your characters that are either very, very common or made up because if you use an ususual name, and the reader is named that, it takes them out of the book, but if the reader has a common name then they are used to seeing their name everywhere and it doesn’t bother them.
I have always sort of held on to that thought because I have an uncommon name and it made sense to me. In the last year and a half, I have run across my name in three YAs. In the thirty years or so that I’ve been reading, these are the only times this has happened.
I have to say that I totally agree with the above theory, even more than I did before. Here’s the deal, in HONEY, BABY, SWEETHEART, the character Joelle was very, very minor – someone’s aunt, but in SUMMER SCHOOL, WHAT GENIUS THOUGHT THAT UP? and SISTER SPIDER KNOWS ALL, the character of Joelle is a snobby, popular, pretty, bitchy girl. And I have to say, every time she’s in a scene, I think “Why is Joelle the name for a bitchy girl?” I know…I know, Ashleys, Brittanys, Lisas, Debbies and Julies, and other popular names have had to deal with this, but there are likeable characters with their names too.
It’s funny, but I think it’s more that I’m just really possessive of my name, more than anything. I love having an unusual name. I’m afraid if it starts showing up in books, there will be little baby Joelles everywhere. I know there’s one YA writer named Joelle and an editor too. I think that’s a weird thing to know!
Okay…back to reading…no more ranting about my name…
I do like the idea of making up names if you’re not going to use a fairly common one though.
Read well…
Joelle
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