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Q&A Is it OK to rename characters?

One of my characters has two names, one she was given by her parents and is how the world/other characters know (of)her, another she likes and uses to "throw enemies off her scent" Is it OK to re...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by shieldedtulip‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question naming
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T07:11:26Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/30937
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar shieldedtulip‭ · 2019-12-08T07:11:26Z (about 5 years ago)
One of my characters has two names, one she was given by her parents and is how the world/other characters know (of)her, another she likes and uses to "throw enemies off her scent"

Is it OK to refer to her by the second name til her true identity is revealed to one of the heroes?

For instance - Olivia walked alongside Peter... - where Olivia is actually the alias. Or...

Should I call her by her given name while the other characters call her by the alias - Beatrice walked alongside Peter... -

Which will be less confusing for the readers?

I've read works where both methods are used and never felt bothered by that. But then, I'm the kind of reader that reads the end of a novel first and isn't bothered by spoilers. So....

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-10-20T12:33:34Z (about 7 years ago)
Original score: 1