Creating Characters (29 page)

Different from the Disregarder in that he lacks all curiosity regarding virtually everything. Yawns though life, for there is nothing that particularly interests him. Enthusiasm is so shallow as to be nonexistent. Dwells perpetually within indifference. Plods along like a horse pulling a milk wagon, not thinking about where he has been, where he is going, or what is taking place around him. Questions do not take shape within him.

Adjectives: blasé, bored, indifferent, uninquisitive, uninterested, unquestioning.

There are literally thousands of nickname possibilities, and it would be far beyond the scope of this book to even begin to list them all. Instead, the emphasis here is placed on the
kinds
of nicknames available, thus allowing a writer to use his or her own imagination in determining what best suits the character in question.

Giving a character a nickname sometimes allows the writer to specifically or implicitly explore another dimension of the story—namely, the attitude of the individual who first hung the nickname on the character, as well as the group that continues to employ it. It is unlikely, for example, that a fat person would call another fat person Fatso. Nor would one Mexican immigrant lay the nickname Mexie on one of his countrymen, even if he didn't like him. Thus, at the core of some nicknames, particularly those that pinpoint the physical appearance or nationality of another, there may exist a thinly veiled prejudice, or a lack of understanding, or perhaps a streak of cruelty. Possibly all three.

On still another plane, some nicknames give the writer a good opportunity to quickly delve into the character's self-assessment. For example, if a character likes being called Ace, why is that? Is he a fighter pilot? A card shark? Does the name enhance the image that he has of himself? But suppose the character hates being called Rooster or Bubbles. Does he accept the handle graciously and feel it's not worth fighting about, or do rivulets of anger run through him each time the name is spoken? In short, does the nickname create a glow inside the character because it fits the profile he has of himself, or does it crack against his ears like an ugly snake whip?

Thus, in selecting a nickname, the writer may find it to his advantage to weigh the motives of the nickname-giver against the reaction of the nickname-wearer.

Writers frequently use nicknames when they develop stories that take place in America's Wild West. Of course, there is no restriction against using a western-sounding name in a modern story. But in doing so, it is important for an author to keep in mind that readers and moviegoers have long since become conditioned to associate such names with a certain degree of recklessness and free-spiritedness—no matter who they belong to. For example:

Places
Abilene, Arizona, Cheyenne, Dakota, Durango, Yellowstone.

Animals
Bronco, Bucktail, Buffalo, Diamondback, Doggie, Grizzly.

Indian
Birdsong, Blue Fox, Crowfoot, Dark Wing, Eagle Wing, Lightfoot.

Other Banjo, Buckskin, Cactus, Colt, Giddyup, Saddlebags.

Nicknames that are taken from the names of animals can serve many descriptive purposes. Some examples:

Appearance:
Ape

Voice:
Frog

Size:
Chigger

Color:
Crow

Greed:
Buzzard

Grace:
Butterfly

Awkwardness:
Camel

Quickness:
Cobra

Slowness:
Snail

Silence:
Clam

Neck:
Goose

Agility:
Monkey

Gait:
Duck

Danger:
Fang

Tenacity:
Bulldog

Nicknames related to the automobile need not always appear in stories where people own, drive, or fix cars, but it certainly helps. For example, it would make little sense to use the nickname "Greasepit" in a story about landed gentry in antebellum South Carolina. That said, here are just a few nickname possibilities that fall in this category:

Type of Car
Chevy, Hatchback, Hot Rod, Jeep.

Noise
Beep, Blowout, Honk, Screech.

Parts
Bumper, Hub Cap, Lugnut, Wheels.

Other
Oil Can, Roadrunner, Cabby, Lube.

As with auto-related nicknames, those associated with the field of aviation need not always appear in stories where people fly airplanes. For instance, the nickname "Bomber" could be applied to a chief executive officer of a company who has a reputation for suddenly obliterating entire departments with the stroke of his pen. Here are just a few examples of nicknames that are related to the field of aviation:

Bomber
Cockpit
Glider
Sonic
Sky King
Runway
Solo
Tail Spin
May Day
Rocket
Wings
Chute

Common nicknames have been used so often over the years that they have since lost any special meaning they might have once held—if in fact they ever had any—and, in terms of impact, they are closely related to those that are simply derivative of first names. Thus, a writer can usually attach such a nickname to a character without worrying about whether it will add anything positive or negative. Among the names that fit comfortably in this group are
Babe, Buddy, Buster, Corky, Dixie,
and
Skip.

A "cute" nickname is often given to a character who seems to have a bubbly nature and who lacks any great depth of intellect. Of all the different kinds of nicknames that can be given a character, those in the "cute" category are perhaps the most stereotypical; moreover, they are almost always applied to females, owing perhaps to male chauvinism. They are syrupy and convey the idea that the character has little substance. Possibilities include the following:

Bambi
Binky
Bubbles
Buffy
Bunny
Buttercup
Chickie
Coo-Coo
Cookie
Cuddles
Dumplin'
Fluffy
Giggles
Googie
Goo-Goo
Gooky
Moofy
Mookie
Mooshy
Muffy
Poopsie
Precious
Puddles
Punkin'
Snooky
Snowflake
Snuffy
Snuggles
Sugarfoot
Sweet Pea
Tabby
Taffy
Tickles
Tittles
Topsy
Tuffy
Tweetie
Twinkie
Twinkle
Wiggles

Nicknames that are derived from first names are, of course, the most common. Charles becomes
Chuck,
for example, and Elizabeth becomes
Lizzy.
While such names impart an unmistakable informality and folksiness, they are incapable of adding anything special to a character. They are generic and can usually be adapted to fit hero and villain alike. Lizzy can be a wholesome, freckle-faced girl next door, or the mean-spirited daughter who uses an ax to chop up her parents.

A nickname can be used to provide a one-or two-word physical description of the character. It may also describe a particular habit or an item with which the character becomes associated.

Descriptive Feature
Fatso, Little Bit, Knuckleface, Bones.

Descriptive Habit
Smoke, Toothpick, Whiskey, Blackjack.

Descriptive Item
Cap, Rings, G-String, Suitcase.

When a character is given the nickname of a famous person, it always comes from the mouth of another character. More often than not, it will be used quite sparingly, or just once. Sometimes, though, the characters in a story will use the nickname often as a way of showing their respect for the admired traits of another. Here are three examples:

Affection:
"Whatcha readin' now,
Shakespeare?"

Respect:
"Let's ask
Socrates.
He knows everything."

Derision:
"Heard some talk that you're gonna lead us to the Promised Land. That right,
Moses?"

A food-related nickname provides a writer with considerable flexibility in relation to the image he wants to convey. Someone who eats a lot could be nicknamed
Burp,
someone who prefers junk food might be called
Snacks,
and so on. Just a few of the possibilities include the following:

Beans
Biscuit
Chili Dog
Chowder
Cornbread
Corncob
Crableg
Crackers
Crumbs
Cupcake
Gumdrop
Kiwi
Lollipop
Lunchbox
Meatball
Meatloaf
Munchy
Nibbles
Noodles
Pickles
Popcorn
Potluck
Pretzel
Puddin'
Rib Eye
Shortcake
Soupy
Sparerib
Spoons
Spud
Taco
T-Bone
Wishbone

However, the food-related nickname may have absolutely nothing to do with what a particular character likes to eat. For example, a character with red hair could be nicknamed
Carrots;
someone from the Far East might be nicknamed
Chopstick;
a so-called hillbilly could be nicknamed
Hambone.
If associated with water, the nickname might be
Crawfish.
An overweight person could be nicknamed
Lard.

While it's not a hard and fast rule, nicknames associated with games and sports are generally reserved for characters associated with those activities. There are certain terms in each game or sport that lend themselves well to nicknames, with baseball and football possibly leading the pack. (Nicknames pertaining to football often have a heavy connection to the military as well.) Here are some nicknames that could be used for fictional characters who are either interested in sports or participate in them.

Baseball:
Blooper, Dugout, Hummer, Lefty, LoBall, Pick-off, Pop-Up, Shutout, Slider, Slugger, Spitter, Fungo.

Football:
Blitz, Coach, Fumbles, Hut-Hut, Kicker, Touchdown.

Basketball:
Hoop, Swish.

Other: Ace, Bunker, Homestretch, Jock, Jumper, K.G., Knuckles, Legs, PingPong, Racer, Ring Side, Rink, Shot-Put, Sidepockets, Skater, Spokes, Surfboard, Tee-Shot, Ten Pin, Trotter.

If a writer chooses a nickname that links a fictional character to a specific locale, it mayor may not have any significance to the story. For example, in the motion picture
Raiders of the Lost Ark,
audiences were not told why the adventurous main character was called
Indiana Jones.
The nickname simply had a lyrical ring to it and it was easy to remember. Some nations, cities, American states, regions, streets, and special areas lend themselves well to nicknames—though certainly not all of them. For instance:

Country:
Burma
wore a pair of boots that everyone talked about, made from the hide of an alligator he had killed when it swallowed one of his chickens.

State:
It was a gunfight that
Montana
wanted no part of.

Region:
Slowly, from his sleeve,
Sahara
removed a long-bladed knife.

City:
There in the corner sat
Jericho,
hunched over a dirty glass and a half-bottle of wine.

The shortened names of geographical locations may also be adopted for nicknames. For example:

State:
When Joe looked at
'Barna,
they started to laugh at the same time.

City:
Frisco
had the upper hand and he knew it.

Some geographically related nicknames can stand alone; others, however, sound better when they are linked to another name. For example:

First Name:
After he won the football game, they began calling him
Broadway Joe.

Last Name:
Mountain Miller
could shoot the eye out of a squirrel fifty yards away.

Combination:
The only person who stood in his way was
Minnesota Fats.

Before deciding to use initials for a character's nickname, a writer should consider whether the initials are going to be used extensively throughout the story. If so, they will frequently stand alone—that is, they will not always be joined to a surname—and, therefore, the combined sound of the two letters must fall easily from one's tongue. The combinations most easily spoken include the following:

B.B.
B.J.
C.C.
D.C.
D.D.
D.J.
G.G.
J.B.
J.J.
K.C.
K.K.
K.O.
O.J.
EC.
T.C.
T.J.
T.T.
Z.Z.

Other initials sound better when they precede a character's last name, although they can occasionally stand alone. Example: "J.
Butts
will be the movie's producer."

In the hit motion picture as well as in the long-running television series that followed, several characters were known by their nicknames,
e.g., Hawkeye
and
Trapper.
But only one of the key characters had a nickname that could be seen as military-related: that was
Radar,
who served as the all-knowing but still rather naive assistant to the unit commander. A few other typical nickname possibilities that may have a military connection include the following:

Bazooka
Bombshell
Boots
Bunker
Gunboat
Sarge
Scud
Scuttlebutt
Shine
Sonar
Tank
Taps
Torpedo

A writer can use a nickname beginning with "Mr." or "Miss" to quickly nail a specific skill, failing, or some other trait into the reader's mind. Such a name is more likely to be used when the writer first introduces the character, and it is rarely referred to again. Should the a nickname appear in the story after that, it will usually be uttered by another character, and usually in a derogatory manner. Here are three examples: