Alternative Last Name For Character

Writers' Corner
1

I’ve been working on this story, not sure where it’s going quite yet. It’s set in 1960s Indiana and is about a family going through changes as the oldest brother moves out. It’s told from the perspective of a sister named Billie-Jean. Until now I’ve been using the last name Curtis. I saw this last name first when I read the Outsiders but have seen it other places too. I’ve fallen in love with it but am worried because it is in the Outsiders and not just a minor character from a random book, but the last name of three main characters from a well known book.

I’ve been looking for other names but can’t seem to find one I like as much and goes with the names of the characters. So, do you have any ideas for alternative last names? Or do you think leaving the last name as Curtis is fine?

2

I wouldn’t have remembered that the surname from the outsiders is [name_m]Curtis[/name_m]. authors don’t own the surnames of their characters! you’ll find plenty of characters with the last name [name_m]Potter[/name_m], [name_m]Holmes[/name_m], [name_m]Drew[/name_m], etc.

3

Yes, that’s part of the reason I was asking. I found the last name there and associate it with that book but wasn’t sure if other people did. Thank you :slight_smile:

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4

I think it’s okay, it’s not like you’re using Ponyboy lol!

5

[name_m]Cordell[/name_m]
[name_m]Mercer[/name_m]
[name_f]Collins[/name_f]
[name_m]Carver[/name_m]
[name_m]Garrett[/name_m]
[name_m]Miller[/name_m]
[name_m]Hayes[/name_m]
[name_m]Vance[/name_m]
[name_m]Dalton[/name_m]
[name_m]Bennett[/name_m]
[name_m]Finch[/name_m]
[name_m]Gable[/name_m]
[name_m]Wilder[/name_m]
[name_m]Marlo[/name_m]

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6

I’m not familiar with the Outsiders, my initial thought was [name_m]Tony[/name_m] Curtis/Jamie [name_m]Lee[/name_m] [name_m]Curtis[/name_m]. I think it’s a perfectly usable name and wouldn’t give it a second thought :blush:

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7

I think leaving it as [name_m]Curtis[/name_m] is absolutely fine, but you could always spell it [name_m]Kurtis[/name_m] if you want to distance it a bit.

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8

Thank you for the reassurance! I think I had a friend tell me “oh you shouldn’t use names from other books” and that put a weird idea in my head. Yeah, I also don’t think I’m using any of the other names from that book either, except for [name_m]Bob[/name_m], which is really generic, lol! Thanks again :slight_smile:

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