What's in a Name?

I received this question from a reader. I'll share my response with you all.

If I have a main character in a story and he lies about his name to a supporting character before we as the reader know his real name, how do we refer to him in type. Would you use quotations or apostrophes around his fake name? I would think that it changes depending on how much we as the reader know. Here are some of the scenarios that come up in this story.
1st Q
Our main character lies about his real name and gives a fake( let's say Sam). Second character doesn't know any different and calls him by Sam. We know that his name is not Sam but don't yet know his real name. When referring to him out of dialogue do we say something to the effect of;
The rain was making everyone tired, "I'm going to sleep." Sam said.
Or
The rain was making everyone tired, "I'm going to sleep." 'Sam' said.

I wouldn't use quotation marks around Sam's name. I might continue referring to him as "the man," or something along those lines until the reader knows his actual name.

 2nd Q
The Narrator gives us the main characters real name but the main character is still going by his fake name. Second character still doesn't know any different and so calls him by the fake. We know both names.
So how now do we refer to him. Such as;

Peter, for that was his true name, almost got hit with the mango thrown by the pauper.
"Hey, Sam! Over here" someone yelled
Peter turned around to see his friend Shilly beckoning him away from the crazy man and toward an alley hidden behind a wall of hanging carpets for sale.

If the reader already knows Peter's name, I wouldn't find it necessary to add your parenthetical statement. I would just call him Peter.

or would I have said
Peter, for that was his true name, almost got hit with the mango thrown by the pauper.


"Hey, Sam! Over here" someone yelled

'Peter' turned around to see his friend Shilly beckoning him away from the crazy man and toward an alley hidden behind a wall of hanging carpets for sale.

I'm pretty sure the first one would be right for this question.

I'm not sure why you would want to put Peter in quotation marks since that's the man's real name. You're correct; use the first version.

Getting to the heart of the matter, there is no real wrong or right answer here. It's more a matter of style than of convention. Thanks for your question.

You Might Be an Eighth Grade Teacher

You might be an eighth grade teacher if...

• you've ever eaten a granola bar and Pepsi for lunch while grading 100 vocabulary tests.
• someone has asked you, "How long is this school in feet?"

• you've been told, "You're my favorite teacher," by someone whose very name makes you cringe...
• you've spent time scraping chewing gum off your carpet, out of the drinking fountain, or off of your shoe.
• you believe that chewing gum is an abomination.
• you hang a sign on your door that says, "Don't come in here at lunch unless you plan on being quiet!"
• you have shocked people by telling them that no one had a home computer when you were in junior high school.
• you tell five people to pull their pants up and three other people to put on a jacket or get a more modest shirt from the nurses's office.
• during a discussion on irregular verbs, someone raises her hand and asks you where you get your nails done.



• you've been told, "You've got swag. You wear your clothes with confidence".
• you find yourself staring blankly into a youngster's face trying to figure out what he's talking about only to realize that he has confused the words cyclone and clone.
• some days seem like an endless stream of nonsequitors.

• you give your last granola bar to a kid because she didn't have breakfast.
• you are given daily reports on Justin Bieber's latest exploits. You didn't ask.
• you have to tell a young lady that she can't use the restroom for that reason because she used that reason all last week.
• in a thirty minute period, 15 people ask you, "Where are the scissors?" and your answer is always, "In the art supply cabinet."
• in the next fifteen  minutes 10 people ask you, "Where do the scissors go?"
• you have to tell people, "The art supply cabinet is that cabinet with the sign on it that says, 'art supplies'."

• someone asks you, "You know when Bruce Lee was wearing that yellow and brown track suit? What movie was that in?" and honestly expects you to know.
• you instruct people to write about a celebrity and one of them asks,"Is Sponge Bob a celebrity?"
• you are sick and tired of hearing, "Someone stole my pencil!"        

• the words "rally schedule" fill you with dread.
• you feel the urge to tell total strangers in the grocery store to spit their gum out.

So that's my life. It's a good thing I love the crazy, hormone-ridden little people. 

What's the Deal with the Crystal?

Before I started making jewelry, I really didn't know a lot about the different components that make up a piece of jewelry. I've learned about things like jump rings and chandeliers. I've learned about tools such as the chain nose pliers, the round nose pliers, and the mandrel. No, that's not Barbara Mandrell for those of you old enough to remember the country singer.

She was country when country wasn't cool!

I've also learned about the various materials used in jewelry making. I know the difference between silver plated and silver filled. I know I can't afford to make much out of gold. And I've learned about the difference in crystals.

No not Crystal Gayle, another country singer from back in the day.

Now you know me; I can't have information without sharing it with the world, so let's talk about crystals. I always thought crystal was only important to new age gurus who needed crystals to channel their chakra...or something.

Or maybe they use them to direct their Chi....whatever.

Crystals occur in nature, but they can also be man made. When we're looking at crystal jewelry, we see both natural and man made crystals. Swarovski, headquartered in Austria, is widely recognized as the maker of the finest quality man made crystal.

Jewelry made with Swarovski crystal has a brilliance and sparkle unlike any other. Swarovski meticulously and precisely cuts each crystal, achieving the perfect shape, angle and placement of each facet. 

Blue Briolette Cut Swarovski Crystal Drops.

I wasn't sure when I started what the difference between crystal and glass was. Was crystal just a fancy word for glass? Was it a particular cut of glass? As it turns out, man made crystal is glass with lead oxide added to it. It's the lead oxide that gives crystal its sparkle by...well, it's some scientific technical jargon about "a higher index of refraction." Trust me. Crystal sparkles more than glass, and Swarovski is the sparkliest of them all.


So, what do you think? Did you learn anything, or was I the only one who didn't know any of this?