Is it okay to give names to characters who have no dialogue, and who, in this case, only appear in one scene?
One of the characters is important for the consequences of her actions, but the other is little more than a temporary obstruction. However, I think giving both of them names will help readers to visualise them better than if there is just character description. I think it also makes for smoother reading. Or is naming non-speaking characters not proper practice?
Any advice or opinions will be very much appreciated.
For some context, below, I've posted two versions of part of the scene in which the two characters appear -- the first version without naming them, and the second version with them named.
WITHOUT NAMES:
SHLOOSK! -- a bloody needle-blade jolts out from the drudge's gawping mouth.
At his back stands a middle-aged wyrd woman cloaked beneath a hooded coat of beaver pelts. Her left hand pulls the long needle-blade back out the nape of his neck as her right hand shoves him forward.
The dead drudge hits the ground headlong and hard.
The wyrd woman moves fast to the fire -- her white face, painted woad-blue, only glimpsed between wild braids of auburn hair.
WITH NAMES:
SHLOOSK! -- a bloody needle-blade jolts out from Ordo's gawping mouth.
At his back stands a wyrd woman -- FREY (52) -- cloaked beneath a hooded coat of beaver pelts. Her left hand pulls the long needle-blade back out the nape of his neck as her right hand shoves him forward.
The dead Ordo hits the ground headlong and hard.
Frey moves fast to the fire -- her white face, painted woad-blue, only glimpsed between wild braids of auburn hair.
One of the characters is important for the consequences of her actions, but the other is little more than a temporary obstruction. However, I think giving both of them names will help readers to visualise them better than if there is just character description. I think it also makes for smoother reading. Or is naming non-speaking characters not proper practice?
Any advice or opinions will be very much appreciated.
For some context, below, I've posted two versions of part of the scene in which the two characters appear -- the first version without naming them, and the second version with them named.
WITHOUT NAMES:
SHLOOSK! -- a bloody needle-blade jolts out from the drudge's gawping mouth.
At his back stands a middle-aged wyrd woman cloaked beneath a hooded coat of beaver pelts. Her left hand pulls the long needle-blade back out the nape of his neck as her right hand shoves him forward.
The dead drudge hits the ground headlong and hard.
The wyrd woman moves fast to the fire -- her white face, painted woad-blue, only glimpsed between wild braids of auburn hair.
WITH NAMES:
SHLOOSK! -- a bloody needle-blade jolts out from Ordo's gawping mouth.
At his back stands a wyrd woman -- FREY (52) -- cloaked beneath a hooded coat of beaver pelts. Her left hand pulls the long needle-blade back out the nape of his neck as her right hand shoves him forward.
The dead Ordo hits the ground headlong and hard.
Frey moves fast to the fire -- her white face, painted woad-blue, only glimpsed between wild braids of auburn hair.
Comment