Monday, June 14, 2010

Google before you name your characters

I'm a Supernatural fan, and I'm greatly enjoying the tie-in novel The Unholy Cause, by Jon Schreiber. I agree with the chorus of reviews on Amazon that call it the best SPN novel so far. Only one thing keeps dragging me out of the story-- a fairly major character named Sheriff Jacqueline (called Jack) Daniels. Since I've been reading J.A. Konrath's Jack Daniels series, about another cop with this exact name, this is really bugging me. I realize Konrath is a midlist author, and not Stephen King or Stephenie Meyer, but come on, he's written six books plus some tie-ins with this character (so far). A quick Google search for "Jacqueline Daniels" brings up two references to Konrath's character in the first three searches. So this is really something the author of The Unholy Cause could have found out quite readily.

I have learned something from this: When you come up with a cute, clever name for a character, Google it before you use it. Someone was probably cute and clever before you were.

5 comments:

  1. I usually google my characters before I name them, but sometimes a character demands the name regardless. If it's a name by a hugely successful author, I'll try to change it.

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  2. I don't think it would be an issue if it were a minor character in Konrath's writing, Cindy. But he's written six books about a character (and a cop!) with this same name. I think I would have avoided using it under those circumstances.

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  3. I too am a spn fan. I bought Nevermore and Bone Key after reading reviews on Amazon. Nevermore was so disappointing, I am hesitating over reading the other one and buying any further tie-ins to the series (except perhaps the one by SPN writer/asst Rebecca Dessertine when it comes out later this summer). I will check out Unholy Cause! BTW, agree with your googling comment

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  4. I really haven't liked any of the other SPN books (though I haven't read "Heart of the Dragon" yet). I bought this one because people were raving about it over at TWOP. It really is good. It feels like it was written by someone who understands the characters, which is something that is too often missing in tie-in fiction, in my experience.

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