: Re: Way to write an unnamed character? Someone I'm proofreading for has a protagonist that, for whatever reason, has a blanked out name. She writes it as '_____' which I feel disrupts the flow

@Karen856

Vote Up Vote Down

It's the "for whatever reason" I'm finding problematic. There may be reasons why the character's name is not included, but if the proofreader is frowning at this there's a good chance some readers will too. It could be that this is happening for a grand reveal later in the book, but if the reader loses patience before they get there they might never find the reason.

Even if there is a very good reason, blanked space will interrupt the flow. There are devices to get around this - the "Miss X" from legal transcripts where protection of a witness is important, a generic "Jane" while explaining this is not her real name, or picking a specific characteristic or trait (the "Smoking Man" from The X Files).

It's also possible that interrupting the flow is what the writer is intending - that this is part of the effect - but since you're not sure about this it may not have been done as well as it could have been.

(0)

Login to post a comment!