No. 5: Renaming Agatha Metzger

Genre of [name_u]Story[/name_u]: Historical fiction

Time Period/Location: 1930’s [name_u]London[/name_u]

Brief Plot: A young pianist and dancer immigrates to the United Kingdom following the annexation of her home country. During her time as a housemaid in [name_f]England[/name_f], she meets a variety of interesting characters. She eventually marries a friend of her employer, and one of his close friends is [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] Metzger. [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] Metzger’s role is small at first, but as time marches on, she has a rather destructive role in my hero’s life.

Unchanged Characters: [name_u]Howard[/name_u] Metzger (her husband), [name_m]Basil[/name_m] [name_u]Howard[/name_u] (her son)

Character 1:
Current Name: [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] Metzger
[name_m]Reason[/name_m] for Change: I like her as an [name_f]Agatha[/name_f]- she’s been an [name_f]Agatha[/name_f] since I began writing in 2012. However, my hero has been renamed [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], and I feel that the two are too similar to work in the same novel (especially since the characters interact a lot).

Character Description:
•[name_m]Born[/name_m] in 1911 in [name_u]London[/name_u]
•Had an unusual look to her. Had a long, oval face with solemn features. Her nose was narrow but quite bulbous, and her mouth as thin and bland. She was rather colorless with the exception of her bright red hair. Her eyes were a dull grey, and her cheeks were withered and dull. As she grew older she chose to wear a ridiculous wig (as she was losing her hair). She was thin and tall with a larger bust.
•[name_f]Agatha[/name_f] was spoiled and wacky (one of those eccentric socialites known for their insane antics). She expected things to just fall into her lap. The only color she wore was black to show off her ivory skin, and she only listened to jazz music. She slept through the day and stayed up all night. At first glance she was very interesting, but beneath the surface was a shallow, spoiled, and obnoxious woman.

Who named the character: [name_f]Ekaterina[/name_f] Alexandrovna, a Russian aristocrat, and [name_m]Feodor[/name_m] Vladimirovitch, also Russian, though of Jewish origin.

Immediate Family (if relevant): [name_f]Ekaterina[/name_f] and [name_m]Feodor[/name_m], she has no siblings, and her other family members weren’t active in her parents lives.

Already Considered (if relevant): [name_f]Agatha[/name_f]

[name_m]Don[/name_m]’t Suggest These Names: [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f], [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f], any name starting with an A

Anything else?: Her parents immigrated to the United Kingdom after the Revolution of 1905. While they were proudly Russian, they also wanted to fit with their new English friends. If the name could work in both Russian and [name_f]England[/name_f], it would be great.

She seems like an [name_f]Inessa[/name_f] to me. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though the only [name_f]Inessa[/name_f] I’ve met has been incredibly down to earth, funny and humble, I can also imagine an [name_f]Inessa[/name_f] being a haughty, eccentric and glamourous socialite.

Suggestions: [name_f]Feodora[/name_f], [name_f]Theodora[/name_f], [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] / [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], [name_f]Mary[/name_f], [name_f]Maria[/name_f], [name_f]Ida[/name_f], [name_f]Tatiana[/name_f], [name_f]Ludmila[/name_f], [name_f]Daria[/name_f], [name_f]Natalia[/name_f], [name_f]Dasha[/name_f], [name_f]Doroteya[/name_f], [name_f]Fanya[/name_f], [name_f]Franka[/name_f], [name_f]Gala[/name_f], [name_f]Irina[/name_f], [name_f]Ivona[/name_f], [name_f]Edith[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], [name_f]Leonora[/name_f], Gwenllian, [name_f]Letitia[/name_f], [name_f]Myra[/name_f], [name_f]Susannah[/name_f], [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f], [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f], [name_f]Eudora[/name_f], [name_f]Katia[/name_f], [name_f]Helen[/name_f], [name_f]Helena[/name_f], [name_f]Lida[/name_f], [name_f]Cressida[/name_f], [name_f]Cosima[/name_f], [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], [name_f]Larissa[/name_f], [name_f]Octavia[/name_f], [name_f]Quintina[/name_f], [name_f]Madelina[/name_f], [name_f]Nadia[/name_f], [name_f]Olya[/name_f], [name_f]Olga[/name_f], [name_f]Oksana[/name_f], [name_f]Olenka[/name_f], [name_f]Orina[/name_f], [name_u]Panya[/name_u], [name_u]Petya[/name_u], [name_f]Polina[/name_f], [name_f]Roksana[/name_f], [name_f]Sabyne[/name_f], [name_f]Savina[/name_f], [name_f]Sharlotta[/name_f], [name_f]Svetlana[/name_f], [name_f]Theodosia[/name_f], [name_u]Tora[/name_u], [name_f]Verina[/name_f], [name_f]Vera[/name_f], [name_f]Yelena[/name_f], [name_f]Verena[/name_f].

Here’s what I came up with:

[name_f]Elena[/name_f]
[name_f]Eva[/name_f]
[name_f]Lana[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Martha[/name_f]
[name_f]Polina[/name_f]
[name_f]Roza[/name_f]
[name_f]Sabina[/name_f]
[name_f]Sofiya[/name_f]
[name_f]Valentina[/name_f]
[name_f]Victoria[/name_f]
[name_f]Violetta[/name_f]

I ended up going with [name_f]Sabina[/name_f] Metzger. Thanks for the suggestions!