Tuesday, April 25, 2017

U is for the Unnamed Characters #AtoZChallenge


U is for all the Unnamed Characters

Am I cheating? Probably. But Uriah Heep isn't one of my characters, so I'm going to pay homage to the minor characters who don't always even get a name. You've seen them in the movie credits: "Cashier at the 7-Eleven" or "Old Man on Mobility Scooter." They aren't key players, but in books even more than in movies, they may matter.

In The Ninja Librarian, in the chapter, "The Ninja Librarian Takes on a Baby," an old woman appears to provide the key to the appearance of an unattached infant on the library steps. She gives a name to the baby's mother, but has no name herself. She has a personality--one that makes a notorious bully back up--but doesn't stick around to introduce herself.

In Halitor the Hero, Halitor's own parents have no names. Of course, they don't appear in person, but because he is the only character to speak of them, they are merely Ma and Da. On reflection, parents are always in danger of being left nameless. In the Ninja Librarian books, Big Al's father is named only in the final chapters of the final book, and her mother never gets a name. But all these unnamed parents, though not appearing directly in the books, have a key role to play in the formation of the central characters!

So here's a shout-out to the characters with no names. Stick around long enough, and you might get one.

And here's a question for my readers: do you think it's important that characters always get named?

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Following the suggestion of fellow blogger and amazing author Jemima Pett, I'm doing a very simple A to Z with characters from my writing and the books of my author friends! I'm just posting a brief profile, sometimes a quote, and the book cover with links. Though you may also see some of my typical reviews (when I feature other peoples’ books) and the usual Friday Flash Fiction.

10 comments:

  1. Hi Rebecca - Uriah Heep is a good one ... I guess if the character needs to be named she/he will be ... cheers Hilary

    http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/u-is-for-unicorn.html

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    1. Usually if they appear more than once, they end up with a name and a personality.

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  2. These unnamed characters are important. Their lack of names keeps us from getting distracted from their actions. Kudos for calling them out.

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    1. Right! Sometimes they are key, and even their anonymity is important to what they do in the story. This is giving me ideas...

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  3. I have plenty of unnamed characters in the Viridian series. I don't think there are so many in the Princelings world, and I'm just wondering whether that's because they turn up later or because I'm ignoring them. Now you've got me worrying....

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    1. I wouldn't worry too much. Characters show up when they are needed, and get names when it's right.

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  4. I would think if they keep turning up they will get a name or it would be confusing.
    Finding Eliza

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    1. Exactly! Or just cumbersome. How many times can you write "the clerk at the 7-11" before you decide that her name is Gladys?

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  5. I saw an interview with, IIRC, a TV screenwriter who said that he gave every character a name, at least mentally, because otherwise he couldn't give them any personality. Seems like an interesting take on it.

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    1. It's an idea that makes sense. I think that's part of what I mean when I say that a character gets a name when needed. If they are part of the furniture, they don't need a name or a personality. As soon as they do, up pops a name.

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