This Wednesday’s prompt is a great one for exploring character. It can be as big or as small as you want it to be.

It was inspired by a book I’m reading (Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames, if you must know) and it got me thinking about how many characters change or alter their names, and how the reasons for that name change say a lot about the character.

The Prompt

Create a character whose name changes as some point in the character’s life – just the old name and new name will do. (You can do this exercise with an existing character as well). The “new name” could be a nickname or title. Then answer the following questions.

• Old name:
• New name:
• Did your character choose their new name, or was it chosen for them? Who chose their old name?
• How did your character come upon their new name? What are the meanings of their old and new names? (Check https://www.babynames.com/ if you aren’t sure!)
• Did they have to do something legally binding to get this new name?
• Did their personality change upon taking a new name, or did their personality change before feeling that a new name was necessary? List three ways the character has changed because of this new name.
• Is their new name meaningful only to themselves, or does it have meaning to their family, friends, or a larger community?
• Does your character like their new name?
• Does the new name allow the character to be part of a group? Was that group previously closed to them?

You can do this for more than one character, if you’d like! It’s a great activity to dig a little deeper into what you’ve named your character.

Did you complete this writing prompt? Did it help you explore your character? If you’ve thought of other questions to add, please comment below!