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Subject:
character with two names
Category: Arts and Entertainment Asked by: niecy49-ga List Price: $4.00 |
Posted:
17 Sep 2004 16:09 PDT
Expires: 17 Oct 2004 16:09 PDT Question ID: 402713 |
i am writing a novel from the viewpoint of a thirteen year old girl and the narrator, but only as a fly on the wall in her presence. She lives with her grandma and daddy. My question is when to call them Irene and Harry as the narrator and when to call them Grandma and Daddy as Maddy. That sounds like I just answered my own question. But can I actually flip flop back and forth? Maddy of course would never refer to her grandma as Irene, I know that, and she would call her Grandma when speaking to her, but say she is talking to someone else or thinking about Irene. Would she think, my grandma or just grandma, and wouldn't it sound weird to go around saying my Grandma instead of just calling her grandma? Then in the next paragraph, the narrator says "Irene is frying bacon" by the narrator. It gets awfully confusing when you are calling the same person two different things in two paragraphs. |
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There is no answer at this time. |
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Subject:
Re: character with two names
From: crythias-ga on 17 Sep 2004 21:21 PDT |
Perhaps only use Adult names, except when Maddy is actually speaking and addressing her elder. "Daddy, why is grandma so weird?" Maddy asked Harry, referring to Irene. Respectfully, I believe the Reader will "get it" that Maddy speaks appropriately, in quotes, and the narrator speaks as an adult about adults and calls them by adult familiar names. The Reader probably will have picked this up by paragraph one, unless the intent is to have that relationship a mystery. Example: Maddy loved her Daddy very much. Harry would teach Maddy how to play ball, and together they would sit and listen to Irene's stories by the fireplace. The key is to not lose sight of the relationship of Maddy to Harry and Irene. It is a tough thing, but you probably already know and understand this. I hope this free comment helps in some small way. |
Subject:
Re: character with two names
From: crythias-ga on 17 Sep 2004 21:23 PDT |
PS: Does the Narrator actually speak or is the Narrator merely the story? |
Subject:
Re: character with two names
From: ebert-ga on 14 Oct 2004 19:23 PDT |
You must remember from who's point of view the story is coming from. If it is from the 13 year-old's point of view, then that's the way the reader should experience the story. You're right when you say it could get confusing switching from them having a name to not having one. I would suggest that you should not even give the grandparents a name. You can still narrate the story as a fly on the wall, but if she is the main character, then you must narrate things as they appear to her. Unless it is absolutely necessary, don't give them any names at all. I would even suggest using pet names like papa or nana, instead of grandma and grandpa. |
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