naming the backstory

[marycatelli]

There's a character who's absolutely central to the world in a few stories that have clustered in the same setting.

Who she was determined a great many things about politics, social structure, and many other things.  I don't think she's a main character; her influential actions were not a straightforward, story-forming conflict with an opposing force that resolved into a climax, but an endless array of straightening things out. . . .

And, she needs a name.

She's not a bit character whose name really doesn't matter, but she's not a main character to let me know firmly and completely what she is like and so what an appropriate name would be. . . .

sigh

Comments

[gothelittle.livejournal.com]

Maybe make it uninteresting, but alliterative?

[marycatelli]

She's got half a dozen names in full, so I could probably make it alliterate a lot!

[gothelittle.livejournal.com]

*grin* If you use some way of linguistically connecting them, your readers may start to guess (consciously or not) that she's involved when presented with a new name that fits the pattern.

[marycatelli]

Nah, giving the readers too many clues doesn't leave them wondering.