Writing Magazine March 2020

TALK IT OVER

http://www.writers-online.co.uk MARCH 2020^29

If you

have a question

you would like Jane to

consider, email jane@

janewenham-jones.

com

I once wrote a short story for one of the women’s
magazines and unconsciously gave the couple
who lived over the road in the tale, the same first
names as some real neighbours in my own street. I
only noticed it when the story was published and I
pointed it out to ‘Fred and Madge’ (I won’t use their
real identity for fear of further ructions) imagining fondly
that they would laugh.
Instead, Madge became quite aerated about the whole matter and
despatched Fred to instruct me that such a violation must never
happen again. Their fictional counterparts only appeared in one
sentence – about feeding a cat – and didn’t even speak. None so
queer as folk!
But to come back to your novel, you are mostly correct about your
right to choose a name, but there are, as with most things, caveats.
If you want to call the serial killer in your crime novel Norbert,
because that’s who left you at the alter and ran off with your younger,
prettier cousin, then you can go right ahead and there’s nothing the rat
can do about it. (Such minor acts of revenge can be most satisfying.)
But if you were to use a real person’s full name and give them,
say, a shoplifting habit, you could be on dodgy ground. Especially
if they considered themselves a pillar of the community and there
was a chance that readers of your novel would now believe them
capable of criminality. The laws of libel and defamation centre
around whether anything written about an individual could cause
them loss in their trade or profession, or causes ‘a reasonable
person’ to think worse of him or her.
For that reason, it is always best to check out the names of any

particularly vile or murderous characters, to make sure it

is not a name shared by one of your children’s teachers

or a member of the local council. And if you are

intending to use a real person as the inspiration in any

setting at all, it is wise to change the fundamental details

• age, occupation, appearance, even gender, so that even if
  they suspect (they seldom do) that you are drawing on their
  special brand of bad behaviour, they cannot prove a thing.
  But generally, yes, you can choose what first names you like. There
  are millions of Sues and Janes and Marys and if one of them pops up
  in your book and we don’t like it, then that is tough.
  In your case, however, we are talking about your best friend. So
  whether you are within your rights or not, is not the point, if it is
  going to upset her. I know what you mean about getting attached
  to names in you work, so could you bring yourself to let her read
  the manuscript after all? It needn’t delay anything. If you are only
  just sending it to your agent, there will be time enough to make the
  alterations later, if she is still against it.
  I had to change the name of the dog in my second novel, at quite a
  late stage, because I was warned it was going to give one of my aunts
  flashbacks (long story). And who knows – when your friend sees how
  delightful her namesake is, she may be tickled pink after all.
  If she isn’t, then I should send up a short prayer of thanks that we
  have computers these days and you don’t have to go through 400 pages
  of manuscript with the Tippex. Then hit ‘find and replace’, and change
  your pal’s name with good grace rather than bad. Because life is short
  and friendships are precious.
  I hope you get this sorted. The very best of luck with your novel.

8

TH

SELF-PUBLISHING

CONFERENCE

2020

STAMFORD COURT CONFERENCE CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER

Saturday aPrIL 25th 2020Registration is open online at £75 per delegate

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Choosing a reputable self-publishing company

Soc of Authors; Writers’ Guild of Great Britain; W&A Yearbook

Experiences of publishing

Sophie Hannah, Paul A Mendelson, Bali Rai, Steve Moore

• How to boost the buzz around your book


• Subject trends in book publishing


• The importance of editing your work


• The storytelling aspects of marketing a book


• Writing for TV and radio


• Routes to getting reviews

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SOPHIE HANNAH

Bestselling novelist

KATE NASH

Literary Agent

MERYL HALLS

MD, Booksellers Association

ALYSOUN WEIR

W&A Yearbook

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[email protected]