Timeline for How to avoid mentioning the name of a character?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
10 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Nov 16, 2018 at 18:34 | comment | added | Lightness Races in Orbit | @Don01001100 That works really well | |
| Nov 16, 2018 at 18:26 | comment | added | Becca | @LightnessRacesinOrbit, I gave that a try in a comment to a different answer below. I'm sure one could further diminish the prominence than I did there, but it's something. | |
| Nov 16, 2018 at 10:45 | comment | added | Lightness Races in Orbit | @Don01001100 Yes I think so though off-hand I can't think of an example | |
| Nov 16, 2018 at 1:13 | comment | added | Becca | I agree with you, @LightnessRacesinOrbit. It feels a little jarring to have the mention of the name be so on the nose. Do you think a grammatical trick to de-emphasize the use of the name in the sentence structure would make it more palatable? | |
| Nov 15, 2018 at 10:47 | comment | added | Lightness Races in Orbit | Maybe it's just me then! But I would expect to at least have a lantern hung on it. | |
| Nov 14, 2018 at 19:02 | comment | added | Kevin | @LightnessRacesinOrbit: Well, you're welcome to your opinion, but without any story-mechanical reasoning for why this is actually a problem, I think we have to agree to disagree. I would not be uncomfortable with reading this storytelling technique. | |
| Nov 14, 2018 at 18:58 | comment | added | Lightness Races in Orbit | @Kevin: IMO it would be like introducing a character without describing them, stating their appearance, what they say, it's just not a good way to tell a story! And I feel the reader will notice that and be uncomfortable. I would at least. | |
| Nov 14, 2018 at 18:42 | comment | added | Kevin | @LightnessRacesinOrbit: I wouldn't consider that a problem unless the name is significant to the plot. If the name is going to be a plot point later, then this is a Bad Idea. If the name is being omitted because it's not supposed to matter, then eliding it in this fashion is perfectly unobjectionable (just like eliding any other irrelevant detail). | |
| Nov 14, 2018 at 17:48 | comment | added | Lightness Races in Orbit | The problem with this is that your characters can hear something that your readers can't, which creates a disconnect between your readers and the story. I really would try to avoid the name being audible in-universe; you can have some characters hear it (e.g. as a targeted whisper, or as an anecdote of something that happened elsewhere), but from the perspective of the narrator or whoever's telling the story, it should be inaudible so as to maintain disbelief. | |
| Nov 13, 2018 at 16:54 | history | answered | Kale Slade | CC BY-SA 4.0 |