Hey Berries!
So, I’m about to start writing a new book soon, and the main character’s name I think will be [name_f]Jenna[/name_f], but I really love the name for an actual child. [name_m]Will[/name_m] it still be usable?
This is definitely a personal situation. I’m also a writer but I’m solid in believing that my characters’ names and kids’ names stay separate. I’ll often fall in love with a name after giving it to a character so I let myself keep it as a middle name or a GP, although I don’t know if I’ll be able to use it in real life when the time comes. I just don’t want to feel like I’m projecting the character onto my kid, and I also don’t want my kid to feel weird if it turns out their personality is nothing like the character. I also think it isn’t fair if one sibling is named after mom’s character and has a prominent role in a book, and another isn’t and doesn’t appear in a book. So to avoid any and all problems, I just don’t use names of characters as first names. But that’s just me.
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yes, as long as you make sure you don’t write the character in a way that would give you negative associations.
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This is a positive, good side character!
That makes sense. I’ve been feeling the same way lately so I wanted that’s why I wanted your opinions! It’s just that [name_f]Jenna[/name_f] seems to match the character so well!
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This is actually something I’ve been thinking about recently. I think for me personally it would feel strange to have a child with the same name as one of my characters. However, I don’t think it’s totally undoable, especially if the character in question is a side character. Lots of people name their kids after characters from books and movies, so I guess giving a kid the same name as a character in your own book isn’t too different.
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The only problem is that it is the main character!
Hmm… for me I feel like that would probably be too strong a connection then, but if you think you could still see the name separate from the character, it’s fine.
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I think it’s fine! I have a male character named [name_u]Emery[/name_u], and I still love the name for an actual child (it helps that the character is just the sweetest 
)
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Depends. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think of the character when you hear [name_f]Jenna[/name_f]? Would it bother you if your [name_f]Jenna[/name_f] has a completely different personality? [name_m]Will[/name_m] you publish the book?
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I personally would avoid naming a child after a character I have used as a character in a book I’m writing, especially if it is the main character.
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I personally wouldn’t. I mean, some of my combos in my UC are actually names of my characters, but I wouldn’t use them on a kid. I feel like it would be better if it was a minor, mentioned-a-few-times, side character. I just feel like, instead of naming your child [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], or [name_f]Katniss[/name_f], it’s weirder being a writer, because it feels like the characters are real people! And then there’s authors that name characters after people in their lives, but I feel like that’s a different story. It’s definitely a personal choice.
But I do have to say, [name_f]Jenna[/name_f] is a lovely name, no matter which way you go!
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Hmm, tricky one. When I name a main character, the name comes to be associated with them and I don’t think I’d be able to use it, so for me it would make it unuable as a first