Sarah is one of those names where you must earn a nickname. There’s no obvious variant to it, and so when I was very young, I used to be jealous of the Elizabeths, Jessicas and Jennifers. There were so many ways to say their names. As if they could be different personalities. And different people.
In rereading ANNE OF WINDY POPLARS, you have a character who does this exactly. Little Elizabeth changes her name based on how she feels. If she is Beth, everything is great. If she is Lizzie, the world is a dark place for her.
The journey for a nickname is not also one you can do for yourself. Often, if you try to title yourself and introduce yourself as so and so, it comes off as flat and inert. But over time, many of us earn them. Here are some of the ones I’ve gathered and love best:
Sarabelle: My first true nickname as given by a friend in high school. She is whimsical and on a quest. She is young and searching for her identity. She can be the princess and the knight. The dragon and the golden egg.
Sarita/Sariča: These are family nicknames—diminutives from other languages. These Sarahs are beloved in many ways.
Saralita: From one of my longest friendships—this Sarah gets to be humble and small in her quest for big things. Even as she tackles life head on, it’s a reminder that she is human and vulnerable and still lovable.
Nemesis: Uh… I wrote a whole book about this one.
Yaya / Yayasita / Ya: This nickname captures the evolution of an entire relationship in language.
Ayatz: I was so dubbed for a brief few months by a baby in the family. This nickname is a time capsule. Something you’ll find in museum.