More on Names

[Peg Herring]

Okay, I know I'm being a little picky, but in the book I started yesterday, the author uses his protag's name at least twice in each paragraph. It makes me wonder how many people read for him, because somebody should have said, "Do a word search and eliminate about two-thirds of those instances. That's what pronouns are for."

I think this is a great example of what reading aloud does for an author. If he'd heard even a page or two, all those "Jill" repetitions would have become apparent. As a reader, it became irritating after about four pages. I can't say that I won't finish the book because of that, but it's an easy thing to fix if you're paying attention.

[Peg Herring]

No, you may not do that. It's a permanent solution for a temporary problem!

[Dana King]

That drives me crazy. Just as bad is when characters in a conversation keep using each other's names.

"Hello, Ben."
"Nice hat, Tom."
"Thanks, Ben. How's your wife, Sylvia?"
"She's fine, Tom. Thanks for asking."

Makes me want to scoop out my eyeballs with a spoon.

[J. F. Juzwik]

That's a good point. When I encounter something like that, it's hard to concentrate totally on the story. I start looking for instances of this error or that name or phrase that was overdone. When I finish anything, I do read it aloud for both my and my family's benefit. What I may miss, they certainly can zero in on. I want my stories to be interesting and entertaining, not irritating and annoying! Joyce