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Many fanfiction writers seem afraid to call characters by their name. "No, we can't call Naruto 'Naruto'! We need to allude to it, like a middleschooler's attempt at flirting: it must be extremely implied and easy to mistake!"
...Okay, well, maybe not quite that bad. But tell me, does this list sound familiar to you?
The list goes on. Take a moment to fill in a few more that pop into your head. I've got a moment, I'm going to use the restroom.-The Avenger
-The Noisy Genin
-The White Haired Jounin
-The Dark Hair Shinobi (What is with the hair-base titles, I mean really now!)
-The Orange-Clad Shinobi
-The Pink One (okay, that one is actually funny and therefore serves a purpose, and therefore legit)
-The Scarred Chuunin
-The Lazy Jounin
-The Whisker-Marked Boy
-The Scarecrow Ninja
-The Sharingan-User (especially quality if the following verbage is in no way related to the sharingan or sharingan techniques)
-The Spikey Haired Boy...
etc.
...Okay, back. See what I mean? Now, is this a bad thing?
Yes, yes it is.
Am I an authority on the subject? No, definitely not.
But let's look at the words of one who is. This is part of the near-daily writing articles David Farland, author of over 50 published books, New York Times best seller, and one of the most prolific and renowned teachers in Speculative Fiction:
So this is what I say to "The Blond Haired Ninja" syndrome: don't be shy! Use the name.Promising Starts, Part 2—Introducing Your Conflict, Character, and Setting
When you start to write a story, it seems self-evident that you must answer some basic questions: "Who is doing what?" "Where and when are they doing it?" "What's happening?"
Yet you would be surprised at just how many authors fail to accomplish this. There are a number of ways to goof up. One common way ...(removing non-relevant points)...
Now, usually when a new writer messes up, they neglect to tell us about the setting. But I see other problems. One other common glitch that you come across with new writers is this:
The wizard stood above the cauldron, inhaling the bitter scent of his potion as it boiled. Long white brows poked out beyond the brim of a battered robe. The man was old and haggard, his eyes reddened from too many days on too little sleep. Long had the hunter been seeking the ingredients for this potion, and so his robes were brown and stained. He looked over to where his brother lay in a twisted heap, weakened by the winter fever. Jessot's hand grasped a tong, thrust it into the green gurgling brew, and began to stir.
So my question for you, astute reader, is how many people are in the above scene? Do you think that I'm talking about one, or could it be five? Are the wizard, the man, the hunter, and Jessot all the same person?
I recall once trying to read a story where I sat down with a piece of paper, and in the first three pages found sixteen distinct people on the bridge of a star ship. I was several pages in when I suddenly realized six of the people described were in fact only one person--the captain. It turned out that a second character, described variously as a dangerous dark-haired assassin, the science officer, and his wife--was a second person on the ship. I actually had to phone this person and ask how many people were on that deck. Turned out there were only four.
In short give that character a name and don't be afraid to repeat it.
"But won't that become repetative?" some may ask.
Generally speaking, no. And here's the reason why, if you're interested:
Spoiler: show
[P.S. If you find a writer on FF.N suffering from this syndrome and could benefit from an antidote, feel free to direct them here, no insult intended.}
