Using different names for the same character in the narrative depending on the POV... writing in 3rd

[MemoryTale]

I think it's fine personally, I do it myself with a character who's a policeman. When he's on the job he's Inspector Lambert, or just Lambert. When he's off, he's just Derek and none of my beta-readers have complained.

GonkTheInsane also did it in his books, the main character is called Tol but another character decided he should be called Steven, and that's how he's always addressed in her viewpoint chapters. I never found it confusing for the reader.

Also, also it can be used for dramatic effect like in Neil Gaiman's Anansai boys. It's very subtle but the character known as Fat Charlie is always addressed as such in the text, until a specific point when he's just Charlie. And, no, it's not after joining Slimming World

 

[Mouse]

Surely only confusing to divs. People go by lots of different names. I can think of myself as Mouse, Em etc.

In Otherworld we had two POVs - Jim & Liam. In Jim's pov he was James. In Liam's pov he was Jimmy.

 

[Kay Dublin]

Worrying about this at the moment. I dislike having to repeat a character’s name too often but because I feel the urge to slam at least three characters of the same gender into any given scene I hate the ambiguity of pronouns. As such I sometimes create names to refer to them by to break up the repetition. For example, in my current WIP I have a character called George Faccey who holds political office. Usually I would call him George but sometimes switch to referring to him by the title of his office or by some variation of his popular nickname: “the moleskin man”. I think it all fits when context is considered but I’m an amateur so I really don’t know if what i’m suggesting works or not.

 

[The Big Peat]

Worrying about this at the moment. I dislike having to repeat a character’s name too often but because I feel the urge to slam at least three characters of the same gender into any given scene I hate the ambiguity of pronouns. As such I sometimes create names to refer to them by to break up the repetition. For example, in my current WIP I have a character called George Faccey who holds political office. Usually I would call him George but sometimes switch to referring to him by the title of his office or by some variation of his popular nickname: “the moleskin man”. I think it all fits when context is considered but I’m an amateur so I really don’t know if what i’m suggesting works or not.

Welcome to the board - the moleskin man sounds like a great nickname.

 

[Shorewalker]

Surely only confusing to divs. People go by lots of different names. I can think of myself as Mouse, Em etc.

In Otherworld we had two POVs - Jim & Liam. In Jim's pov he was James. In Liam's pov he was Jimmy.

I have absolutely nothing to add to the discussion at hand, but...

It's years since I've heard the word 'divs'...and used to such great effect.

It will now be going back into my daily dictionary...which should provide some confusion for my American wife, but hey-ho...

 

[awesomesauce]

Have you seen Greyhame recently?

Who?

You know, Stormcrow.

Who?

You know, Láthspell.

Who?

[...]

Who?

You know, Gandalf.

Oh Gandalf! No, I've not seen him for a few months.

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What's my point? Not sure really.

Or see pretty much any Russian novel.

I think names are most often a problem when the characters aren't especially memorable. If you have a Mark, a Mike, and a Mick, they all better be really distinctive so the reader can immediately recall who this person is and their place in the story. The flip side is, no matter how consistent and distinctive you are in naming, if the characters aren't memorable, the reader's still going to find themselves going "Sarah? Is this a typo? Who's Sarah?" (As happened to me recently in a book I was reading.)