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Q&A How to refer to a character who doesn't know her name?

If you find it easier to write the novel in third-person, then you should write the novel in third-person. Regarding how to handle switching first-person perspectives, I'm sure there's a question a...

posted 6y ago by F1Krazy‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-12T21:42:32Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36206
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T08:50:48Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36206
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T08:50:48Z (about 5 years ago)
If you find it easier to write the novel in third-person, then you should write the novel in third-person. Regarding how to handle switching first-person perspectives, I'm sure there's a question about that here already, but I can't find it - in any case, I would not recommend doing it within chapters unless you want to confuse your readers.

As for what to refer to your protagonist as - what does _she_ refer to herself as? Or the other characters in the novel? If she doesn't know her real name, then she or the other characters should invent some kind of nickname or placeholder name to refer to her as. This is convenient not only for them, but for you and your readers.

As an example: one of my stories has an entire cast of characters with missing or false memories. One of those with no memories gives herself a (very symbolic) placeholder name, while another is given a nickname by another character just so she has something to call her. Either of those approaches could work for your story, depending on what kind of story it is.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-05-17T11:19:46Z (over 6 years ago)
Original score: 3