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Writers! Should You Change People’s Names When You Write About Them?

A Pro Spells Out the Rules

I’m a writing coach and editor-for-hire. One question my clients often ask is whether they should change the names of the people they’re writing about.

Obviously, if you’re writing a reported piece about a real person, you should name them. (And for God’s sake double check to make sure you’ve spelled their name correctly.) But what about when you write a personal essay which involves a friend or family member? Or a short story with a character who is based upon a real person?

Change the Names to Protect the Innocent — and the Guilty

Six years ago, I wrote an essay about discovering that the man I’d loved and trusted for 20 years had a secret girlfriend for over a decade.

In writing this essay, I changed the names of both my boyfriend and his affair partner. Not because I thought I’d get into legal trouble if I didn’t. The truth is an absolute defense to a libel lawsuit. But changing the names when you’re writing about real people, unless it’s for a reported story, is standard practice. That’s what editors expect you to do, so that’s what I default to. After all, nobody wants to go through the time and trouble of being sued, even if it’s a suit that they’ll win.

So unless you have a good reason to use somebody’s real name? Change it.

Could I have gotten away with using their real names? Sure. Not only is the truth an absolute defense to a libel suit, but my boyfriend’s affair partner happened to be married. If she filed a lawsuit against me for telling the world that she’d been having scads of hot spicy phone sex with my boyfriend behind my back, chances are her husband would notice.

And she didn’t want that.

But I didn’t write that essay to call the culprits out. They knew what they’d done — and felt no shame. I wrote that essay because I’m a writer and that’s how I process things. (And I’m glad I did, if only because that essay has brought in $1, 135.90 on Medium.)

Using their real names wouldn’t make the essay any more compelling. So why bother?

Angry People Threatening Lawsuits

Years ago, back when newspapers still published fiction in their Sunday magazine sections, I wrote a short story that contained a character who resembled my dad’s second wife. The story was syndicated to major metropolitan newspapers across the country.

My dad’s second wife had a terminal illness in both life and in my story. Even though she had died by the time it was published, I asked my editor not to offer that story to markets in the Detroit area, where her adult children lived. So naturally it ended up running in The Detroit News. Even though I’d made the character very sympathetic, her kids weren’t happy.

They phoned the editor of the newspaper and threatened to sue. He, in turn, phoned the editor of my syndicate and read him the riot act. “Roz opened us up to liability! That story was based on real people and she didn’t change the names!”

When my syndicate editor, in turn, phoned me to ask what the hell I’d been thinking, I responded with, “Of course, I changed the names! What kind of novice do you take me for?”

The editor checked and verified that this was indeed the case. And that was the end of that.

There’s No Need to Tell the Reader That You’re Using a Fake Name

When you’re writing about real people, or creating characters based on real people, it’s standard practice to change the names. And the fact that it is standard practice means that you don’t have to tell the reader that Betty or Ethel or Jack isn’t that character’s real name.

So, for instance, writing

“Anne (not her real name) was on her way to the grocery store when she almost ran over the wombat.’” isn’t necessary.

Nor is putting the fake name in quotes to signal to readers that it’s made up, like “Anne” was on her way to the grocery store when she almost ran over the wombat.

In fact, doing either of these things exposes you as an amateur.

That being said, a small notice at the end or the beginning of a piece telling the reader that names and/or identifying details have been changed is okay.

Choose the Right Fake Name

A writer I know once wrote a short story about a character who was based upon a friend of hers named Oralie Licht. When she told Oralie that she was going to write the story, Oralie asked her to make sure to change her name. And she did — but she changed it to Oralie Jones. Given how unusual the name Oralie was, this last name switch didn’t fool anybody. All of their friends recognized that the story was about Oralie, and she wasn’t amused.

If you’re going to change a character’s name, make sure you try a little harder than this.

Make Sure the Name Stays Changed

No matter how careful you are about changing a character’s name, things can still get fouled up.

When I wrote that essay about finding out that my boyfriend was a cheater, I changed his name to “Mike.” The editor who bought and ran the story assumed, for some reason, that Mike was his real name — so when she published the piece she changed it.

To the cheater’s actual name.

Ooops.

If You Really Want to Use Somebody’s Real Name in Your Story? Ask Them First.

If your story contains a character based upon a real person, and you really want to use that person’s real name? You can always ask if that’s okay. They may be thrilled and flattered and happily grant permission. They may be a very private person and tell you that they’d rather you didn’t. But you’ll never know if you don’t ask. And if you do ask and receive their permission? You’re good to go.

The Takeaway

(1) If you’re writing a reported piece, use real names — and make sure you spell them correctly.

(2) If you’re writing a story or personal essay, change the names of any characters who are based on real people, unless those real people have given you permission to use their real names.

(3) And once the story goes up, it’s not a bad idea to check it to make sure that the names haven’t been misspelled or changed back.

Writers! This article is based on my own experience as a writer, editor and writing coach. If you’ve used a character’s real name in a story and gotten away with it — or gotten into trouble for it — please share your experience in the Comments section.

Writing Coach and editor-for-hire Roz Warren, who writes for everyone from the Funny Times to the New York Times, can help you improve and publish your work. Drop her a line at [email protected]. (That’s Ros with an “s,” not a “z.”)