The characters talk about "Big Jude" and "Little Jude" to differentiate, but I think that would sound strange in the narrative?
Not that strange. It's a method people actually use in everyday life. I know about six different Marias and your story uses the same method we use to distinguish between them in discussions. brigid's idea of using a nickname would work exceptionally well, though, if you do want a clearer way to differentiate.
I'd suggest seeing a distinct nickname over alternate spellings or versions because readers will be less likely to balk at you for that choice. They use names as one of their primary ways to tell characters apart (quickly), so the more similar your names are the harder your reader needs to work to follow the story. Many, if not most, readers don't like that extra work, so a nickname strikes me as your best compromise: you can clue your readers in on the fact that both characters are called Jude, but you'll not be asking them to refer to them with the same name. Just to know and believe that some of the other characters'll do it in certain situations.
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Date: 2013-03-30 09:15 am (UTC)Not that strange. It's a method people actually use in everyday life. I know about six different Marias and your story uses the same method we use to distinguish between them in discussions.
I'd suggest seeing a distinct nickname over alternate spellings or versions because readers will be less likely to balk at you for that choice. They use names as one of their primary ways to tell characters apart (quickly), so the more similar your names are the harder your reader needs to work to follow the story. Many, if not most, readers don't like that extra work, so a nickname strikes me as your best compromise: you can clue your readers in on the fact that both characters are called Jude, but you'll not be asking them to refer to them with the same name. Just to know and believe that some of the other characters'll do it in certain situations.