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[rj_anderson]

Thanks for all those who voted in my poll about whether or not it was necessary for me to change Timothy's name to "Tim" or something else entirely -- the general consensus was strongly on the "A bit old fashioned, but not the end of the world" side, which was exactly how I'd been thinking of it myself (it's not as though "Timothy" is a big popular name in Canada any more either!).

So I sent my UK editor a link to this poll and also expounded a little on why I thought that "Timothy" was the best name for the character, and she (being a lovely and understanding person) said that was just fine. This was a great relief to me, especially since my dutiful attempt to substitute "Tim" for "Timothy" throughout the narrative yielded a truly soul-harrowing result (I couldn't get past the first page!). And besides, I've known this character as Timothy since he first appeared in the original draft of Knife back in 1994, so it would have been very hard for me to change it (even if I did cut him from the final draft).

Anyway, Timothy he is and Timothy he shall remain. Huzzah!

Comments

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Oh, good. I couldn't see anything wrong with Timothy (it's my Dad's favorite name, and I had a great-Uncle with that name - old-fashioned, indeed!) What puzzles me is this:
Aren't Tim and Timothy exactly the same name? Like Thomas and Tom, and Christopher and Chris? Usually, a person will use one form in some circumstances, and the other in others. But they are still the same name, right?

Anyway, I'm glad your editor was so understanding.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Tim is the short form of Timothy. I like the full name; I don't like the shortened version.

As a child, everyone called me "Becky". I never liked it. To me, "Becky" was a name for an apple-cheeked farm girl wearing pigtails and grubby jeans, and I was so not that person. But nobody gave me the choice, until in grade five my teacher said to me, "Do you go by Becky or Rebecca?" and I immediately said, "Rebecca."

In the same way, "Tim" makes me think of a kid who's trying hard to be cool and hang out with the popular crowd but never quite making it. It suggests a puppy-dog eagerness to please, to become familiar and accepted; whereas "Timothy" seems more independent, more reserved and thoughtful, even a little bit scholarly.

Of course, those are just my associations with Tim vs. Timothy, but I trust you get the idea.

There are a couple of places in the book where Paul calls Timothy "Tim", which felt right to me -- right for Paul's character, anyway, and also right that Timothy wouldn't object to it. But in Timothy's own mind (and thus in his POV), he thinks of himself as Timothy, not as Tim.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Oh, I see. I personally like the short form better than the long, but it's not my character! And it does make sense that he'd be "Tim" in some places (or with some people) and not others.

I'm glad Paul will be in this book, too!