"Diane L. Major, You Get In This Story Right Now!"

Some years ago, I read a friend's MSS, in which every chapter opened from the point of view of another character, and each one was introduced by their full names.  One chapter, quite fatally, involved that scene that always boils my nerves - the woman spinning off a musing mental exposition of her own character - while looking at herself in the mirror.  And describing her prettiness.

Ugh.

The MSS, I know, got that note more than once, and the author revised - and I hope he's seeing success.  The work was a fascinating slice of WWII history.

Today, in the writing workshop at RavenCon, we were introduced to at least four characters by their full names.  As a writer who refuses to indulge in much description (and who is blessed with characters little burdened by middle or given names - it's not like Clovis was called Clovis Lee Meroviginus), the full-name thing drives me bazoo.

There are ways to provide full names without their showing up in stock dialogue.  Mothers or friends stipulating every formal syllable of a character's full given name, even if she doesn't go by "Henrietta" but only "Henny" - soldiers saluting with full titles - clunking chunks of woodblock exposition, not cooling the drink, just taking up space in the cocktail of one's writing.  Give me ice, or serve it neat.

How do you provide your characters' full names - or do you ?