**My theme for this year’s
A to Z Challenge is THE NAME GAME. Everything you’d want to know about naming
characters.**
Today’s post isn’t
about coming up with a name for a character, but about how we actually use
names within the writing. Whether you write in first or third person, characters’
names will pop up all the time. It’s important that the reader knows which character
is speaking or doing the action. But what about within dialogue? How often
should you use your characters’ names? And how easy is it to overuse them?
When you use a
character’s name in the dialogue, it’s called direct address. This means that
the speaker is directly addressing the other character by name. This is mostly
used when you’re trying to get someone’s attention or starting a conversation.
It’s something that’s very easy to overdo. We may want to use our characters’
names over and over again in the dialogue, whether it’s to keep things clear
for the reader or just to provide emphasis.
So how do we know when
to actually use a character’s name? Think about all of the times you actually
say someone’s name throughout the day. Is it a casual part of conversation, or
is it just when you’re trying to get their attention? I know I hardly ever call
my fiancĂ© out by name—
usually when he’s doing
something like walking the wrong way or about to step off a sidewalk into
oncoming traffic (yeah, that actually happened once). I’m sure parents use
their children’s names a lot more often than anyone else, whether it’s to yell
at them or just call them downstairs for dinner. But really, when do you use a
person’s name? And more importantly, when should you use it in your writing?
FUN TIP: Pick a person you talk to regularly and make a mental note
of how many times you actually say their name in one day. It’s probably lower
than you think.
A character’s name
really shouldn’t come up all that much within the dialogue. Take this little
snippet of an argument, for example:
“John, you really screwed
up.”
“I know, Mary, but what
do you want me to say?”
“You could just
apologize, John.”
“All right. Fine. I’m
sorry, Mary.”
“Now, really, John, was
that so hard?”
Sounds silly, doesn’t
it? You most likely would never use direct address so much, but do any of these sentences really need it? If you cut out all of the names from that conversation, wouldn’t it
still get the same point across? If you already know who is speaking, using it within the dialogue probably isn't necessary. If you do need to point it out to the reader, it would probably be better to use it in a tag:
"You really screwed up," Mary said.
"I know," John replied, hanging his head.
From there on you wouldn't need to use the names again, unless someone else entered the conversation or if you insert some exposition between the lines of dialogue. This way, it's clear who is speaking, but the names aren't overused. The less you use your character's names, the more natural the dialogue will feel.
Do you try to avoid direct address in your own writing? When do you think names should be used in dialogue?
"You really screwed up," Mary said.
"I know," John replied, hanging his head.
From there on you wouldn't need to use the names again, unless someone else entered the conversation or if you insert some exposition between the lines of dialogue. This way, it's clear who is speaking, but the names aren't overused. The less you use your character's names, the more natural the dialogue will feel.