On Writing & Publishing by Robin D. Owens

Personal notes on writing techniques, writing a novel, my writing career and threading your way through publishing a book.

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Location: Denver, United States

RITA Award Winning Author -- that's like the Oscar, folks! Futuristic/Fantasy Romance and Fantasy with Romantic Subplots.

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Monday, November 14, 2005

Urg! Changing names

Ok, I just posted for today, but didn't check my character's name (Cratag Maytree) and called him Maythorn. Shoot! This is what happens when you change a character's name. It's terribly difficult to recall the right one down the line, especially if it's a minor, secondary character. Cratag was originally Cratag Whitethorn.

THEN I did a search of my computer file for Heart Duel, where Cratag appeared, and I have him down as Cratag Hawthorn, too! I'm pretty sure that got missed in the book, so I'll have to check.

I changed his name from Whitethorn to Maytree near the end of Heart Duel (Heart Book 3). At one point he was giving a sword to Straif Blackthorn (who's been mentioned since the first book, so I COULDN'T change his name). I thought Whitethorn-Blackthorn was just too precious, and even if I had done it inadvertantly, my readers wouldn't know that. So Whitethorn had to go. I remember Whitethorn. I don't remember Maytree.

Urg.

So, that's a problem. And since I'm an author with a cast of thousands, I'm the one who is supposed to remember. Not my overworked copy editor or editor.

My apologies, and may all your characters keep their own names.
Robin

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

It seems he is definitely a thorn !

1:01 PM  
Blogger moonhart said...

Oh you make me smile, Robin. I, too have a cast of thousands. My protagonists is Rourke or Roarke depending upon the chapter. Assorted Fae clan names, dragons galore and gods who carry one name as a first and the second as a last name like Aprhodite Venus...or is it Venus Aphrodite...damn, now I have to go check.

:)

terri (frustrated movie casting agent)

4:02 PM  
Blogger Michele said...

LOL
At least you didn't call him
'Maytag'!!!

8:30 PM  
Blogger FantasyAuthor RobinDOwens said...

Oh, reader, you are right. Terri, I sympathize...and Michele thanks for the laugh!

Robin

8:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I recently changed a bunch of my character's names and introduced new ones at the same time. Thank God for "find and replace" but as a recent episode of 'The Office' pointed out, that only covers when the names are spelled correctly!

1:45 AM  
Blogger FantasyAuthor RobinDOwens said...

Crystal, oh YEAH, that can be a pain. Straif came out Striaf, Bastien was sometimes Bastian...good thing the machine can do it so much faster than we.

Robin

6:07 AM  

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