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Q&A How do I differentiate characters in first person POV when the narrator doesn't know them yet?

When the men first come in, have the women invent names for them, make it a game. "Wow, what's his name, do you think?" "The dark haired guy? I say ... Richard." "No way, I say Willia...

posted 5y ago by Amadeus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-19T22:13:44Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44139
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 · 2019-12-08T11:33:21Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44139
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T11:33:21Z (about 5 years ago)
When the men first come in, have the women invent names for them, make it a game.

> "Wow, what's his name, do you think?"
> 
> "The dark haired guy? I say ... Richard."
> 
> "No way, I say William. Definitely a Will. The other guy, a Maybe!"
> 
> "Ha! Okay, Will, and, say, Mark."
> 
> "Mark! Okay. What does Mark do for a living?"
> 
> "He's pretty fit, I'd guess something active. I want him to be a park ranger."
> 
> "You just want to get him into the woods. Please, Mark Ranger, I lost my phone, come help me find it ..."

Fill this in with "color", actions, sounds, laughter and descriptions. But they are in a **_bar_** and drinking, let them have a little play fantasy while people watching. It's actually a fun game IRL. (Maybe because I'm a writer.) And, as a writer, it gives you a chance to describe the new characters.

If the men are within earshot and they start listening to the conversation, they can quiet down; but in the POV thoughts and anything she says to her friend, the men are Will and Mark. The joking assignment of names ensures the reader is fully aware these are "temporary" names, so they won't be confused if the real names appear.

The real names, if they ever find them out, can be wildly off, that doesn't matter.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-03-28T10:53:35Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 5