: Re: What kind of effect can the name of a place or character have on a reader? My question is rather simple. In fact, it's in the title and requires almost no explanation. We can see throughout

The short answer isâ€”any kind of effect.

You can to some point predict the reaction, based on the more or less common pop-culture references, but your choice can easily prove to be a miss, if you put a lot of thought into naming your character, but play it of a more obscure area of reader's expertiseâ€”it can be lost in comprehension, and the whole strata of your deep subtext will woosh over the heads of less competent consumers of your craft.

Even shorter answerâ€”if in doubt, don't.

If you have a strong story, it might benefit from adding some whimsical subtext, conveyed through the naming convention you choose to employ, but if the expected understanding of your story depends on the correct interpretation of the said convention, rest assured that there will be many lost souls who will not get it simply because they did not watch Thelma and Louise or have not gotten sick after eating too much of Ben & Jerry's.

What can you achieve by naming your character in a way that implies a deeper meaning?

A deeper meaning. Just be prepared that not everyone will get it. If it is all right with youâ€”no one can tell you what to do.

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: Where should I pitch a book of short stories in English accompanied by French translations? I have a collection of original short stories, all of which have been published in English in literary

: Re: What kind of effect can the name of a place or character have on a reader? My question is rather simple. In fact, it's in the title and requires almost no explanation. We can see throughout

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: Avoiding -ly Words "I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs," said Stephen King. He went on to explain that they should be used sparingly, not as a crutch to avoid writing a more

: How do you get a character to tell a short story? Writing noobie here. I'm at a point in my story where one of the characters recalls a memory from their past and talks about the impact

: It is a bit stereotypical, but for good reason. The two are opposing forces. I don't mean in the sense of physical frozen water and whatever the hell fire is, but in the sense of endothermic

: Where should I pitch a book of short stories in English accompanied by French translations? I have a collection of original short stories, all of which have been published in English in literary

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