On Naming Characters & Places in the Fleck Series

When reading the novels, did you notice that Fleck’s birth name is never mentioned? In chapter three (It’s Not a Real Name) of Magic in the Shadows, readers are told that ‘Fleck’ is a nickname given in response to the small blue flame ‘flecks’ above her pupils. When Hectare asked her name, she offered the name Hope, rather than her real name or nickname. Why? Because names can be used in curses to bind a person’s fate.

Books require a lot of names, not only for characters, but also place names. I confess that I find naming characters challenging, particularly when I’m in the flow of writing. When a new character walks onto the page—I find it annoying to have to pause to decide on an appropriate name (that isn’t too similar to anything else I’ve used). I’ve created a list of potential names of people and places that I can scroll through, pluck a name, and keep writing—before I lose my creative thread.

That said, occasionally, I find naming characters fun.
For example, Lucinda Moralis (married to King Moralis in Magic in the Shale) sounds like “loose in the morals”—which is both informative and amusing.

I also enjoyed naming the Sage in Magic in the Shadows (Book One of the Fleck Series). She’s known as the Oracle of Else. Why? Because she tells people their stories—and once people start hearing about themselves, they always want to know more. “What else? What else?” they ask.

I suspect my aversion to stopping mid-flow to decide on a name inadvertently expressed itself in Fleck’s personality. She’s clearly irritated when the magical creatures insist that she name them. I suspect my frustration leaked onto the page and expressed itself through Fleck.