: First I would ask, Why are you creating two characters with the same name? It creates the problem that you are asking about: how do you distinguish them? Is there some reason why both characters

@Deb2945533

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First I would ask, Why are you creating two characters with the same name? It creates the problem that you are asking about: how do you distinguish them? Is there some reason why both characters must have the same name? Is the name significant in some way that the story wouldn't work if one of them had a different name?

If your answer is just, "I thought John was a good name for both characters" or "I like the name John", I'd say: Just don't. Give one of the characters a different name.

If the reason is because characters in the story are confused by them having the same name, then okay, it's necessary. Or let's assume there's some other reason why both characters just have to have the same name.

Then you have to introduce something to distinguish them.

I agree with Galastel that I'd discourage "Old John" and "New John" unless they are "old" and "new" within the story. Like, if the story is about people working at a particular company, and there's a guy named John who works there for years and years, and then on day another person named John is hired, maybe other employees would call them "Old John" and "New John". It doesn't seem all that likely but it's plausible. But if the characters wouldn't call them that, if they're not "old" and "new" to the characters in the story, such labels just call attention to your narrative problem and away from the story.

Think about what people do in real life when there are two people in their "group" with the same name. Often one of them gets a nickname. One of them is called "Red" or "Lefty" or whatever. Or one gets a variation on the name. He becomes "Johnny" or "John W" or some such. Maybe one goes by a middle name. Etc.

BTW, Jesus had this problem: Two of his disciples were both named "Simon". So he gave one of them the nickname "Peter". When it was necessary to be clear, the other was called "Simon the Zealot" because he was a member of a political group that called itself the Zealots.

You said you haven't given physical descriptions so you can't call them, say, "Tall John" and "Short John". Is there a reason why you can't give physical descriptions that will allow you to create such a nickname?

I haven't read your story. Maybe there are good reasons for all the decisions you've made. But it sounds like you're saying, "I've made a bunch of decisions that combine to create a problem. How can I fix the problem without changing any of my decisions?" Like, "I nailed my shores to the floor and I refuse to wear a different pair of shoes or go barefoot. How can I walk around with my shoes nailed to the floor?" :-) The simple answer to such a question is, "Either pull the nails out or wear a different pair of shoes."

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