Changing the Main Character's Name

[Griffin]

It's a minor problem I am facing. My MC has her name changed in the first couple of chapters. Let's say her birth name is ----. She is referred to as ---- for the first two chapters. She is then given a new alias and her name is now ~~~~. She is called ~~~~ for the rest of the book. What is a smooth way of changing her name with minimal confusion?

Examples I had were:

----, now known as ~~~~, grew to despise the woman over the course of three days.
~~~~, formally called ----, set the woman's house on fire.

These examples would only be used for a chapter or so. However, I am still feeling iffy.

Any suggestions?

 

[Steerpike]

Just say you're doing it. Readers won't be confused; they tend to be pretty bright. One of the books I am reading right now does this. The MC was a secret operative in the past and had a name she used in that life. When the book opens, she is retired and uses her real name. A few chapters in, after someone has tried to kill her, she goes back into operative mode and the author refers to her by her previous name from that point forward. It was as simple as the author noting that she was going back into secret operative mode and her old persona was surfacing. He didn't belabor the point, he just made it clear and then began using the new name.

Just make the point once, and move forward. Continuing to repeat that she was formerly known as X will not only get annoying it treats the reader like an idiot.

 

[Zero Angel]

Just say you're doing it. Readers won't be confused; they tend to be pretty bright. One of the books I am reading right now does this. The MC was a secret operative in the past and had a name she used in that life. When the book opens, she is retired and uses her real name. A few chapters in, after someone has tried to kill her, she goes back into operative mode and the author refers to her by her previous name from that point forward. It was as simple as the author noting that she was going back into secret operative mode and her old persona was surfacing. He didn't belabor the point, he just made it clear and then began using the new name.

Just make the point once, and move forward. Continuing to repeat that she was formerly known as X will not only get annoying it treats the reader like an idiot.

Steerpike's got it right. There's really no need for leeway here either.

Either your readers know that the characters are the same and are aware of the change of name and don't need reminded or they are unaware and the reveal is a crucial part of the plot.

I had a somewhat related issue brought up by a beta reader of my sequel where a character had his name changed and they were like, "Wait a second, who was that again?" So I had another character mention it briefly and left it at just the once-mentioned for the rest of the book and called the character by the new name without reference to the previous (unless it comes up for some reason).

 

[wordwalker]

Part of the problem is what it does to viewpoint; if you've got a fairly close "camera" on her, the problem is which way does she think of herself? Because the name you use ought to feed into the sense that you're describing things naturally.

If she's a chameleon spy type who does this a lot, she can shift over pretty smoothly, and you might also stick to "she" as often as possible to reflect that she considers herself less name-tied than most people.

If she's awkward with it, you could go the reverse: she's constantly the original --- in narrative (in her head), and well aware that everyone's calling her ~~~ instead. The reader won't need reminding of why this is, the mismatch is part of the plot.

Or, you could try playing up the change with something like what Brent Weeks's The Way of Shadows did: the hero's trying to get used to his alias, when something traumatic in his old life (which he really hates anyway) makes him "completely disavow the old name" in his head. It's not that authentic for how identity works, but it's fun.

 

[WyrdMystic]

Steerpike's got it right. There's really no need for leeway here either.

Either your readers know that the characters are the same and are aware of the change of name and don't need reminded or they are unaware and the reveal is a crucial part of the plot.

I had a somewhat related issue brought up by a beta reader of my sequel where a character had his name changed and they were like, "Wait a second, who was that again?" So I had another character mention it briefly and left it at just the once-mentioned for the rest of the book and called the character by the new name without reference to the previous (unless it comes up for some reason).

Lord of the Rings has several aliases for different people - but it's still obvious who they are. All you need is clarity.

 

[wordwalker]

(Or if you want to completely dodge the problem: go First Person.)

 

[Griffin]

Thanks, guys. I'll just keep it simple.

 

[Kit]

I had a somewhat related issue brought up by a beta reader of my sequel where a character had his name changed and they were like, "Wait a second, who was that again?" So I had another character mention it briefly and left it at just the once-mentioned for the rest of the book and called the character by the new name without reference to the previous (unless it comes up for some reason).

Agreed. I would say it twice- just in case anyone missed the first one- and call it good.