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PurpleNightOwl
PurpleNightOwl asked in Arts & HumanitiesBooks & Authors · 3 years ago

Novel Writing: Characters' names changes halfway through story. Do I use old names or new names when referring to these characters?

I'm writing a novel in the third person, and halfway through the story, three of my characters, including the main character, changes their name (both their first names and surnames). The question I have is what name do I use after they've decided on their new names? I know the obvious answer is probably going to be to use the new names when referring to them, but I'm worried that it's going to confuse the reader when for the first half of the story these characters had different names, and now they have new ones. I'm not really sure what to do. I don't want to confuse the reader.

Note: Their names change because they've moved away to start a new life after being chased by kidnappers during the story, just to make it more clear.

Update:

Update: I read your comments and they were very useful. What I did in the end was I made a whole chapter about them choosing their new names and identities, and to begin with, when I wrote their names, I wrote them as, for example "old name/new name", to show that they were in the process of changing, and then eventually towards the end of the chapter I was just using their new names. Also, I wrote a part when their family members are adjusting to their new names and they have to be corrected.

2 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    3 years ago

    Well let ask me ask you this: What would be the point of anyone changing their name if others were simply going to continue to call them by their previous name anyway?

  • User
    Lv 7
    3 years ago

    Make it a "big deal" when their names are changed

    - helping the reader to remember

    Make the new names "fit" each of the characters

    - not foolishly, like a superhero name, but as far as the characters' background, nationality, etc. goes

    Then have one or more characters that knew them before the names were changed

    but did not know that the names were changed

    make the "mistake" of referring to them by their older names

    so that the characters can correct the person(s) and remind the reader of the new names.

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