"Okay, so you know letters? Yeah, yeah, you know letters, but, like, do you know how letters go TOGETHER?" 🤣Comedic gold 🧠 Humor aside, this is a very interesting tip, thank you for sharing with us!
The most important thing about worldbuilding in fiction isn't that it be realistic, but that it feels real. Verisimilitude over realism. In the story I'm currently working on the main character ends up in a world with a culture very different from his own. One of the choices I've made to reflect this is that other characters don't use contractions. Is it realistic that a culture would never develop contractions in their speech? No, obviously not. But it differentiates their speech, making it feel formal and stilted compared to the main character's more casual way of speaking which reflects the difference in cultures I want to get across. It also allows a subtle way for me as the author to demonstrate the effect that he has on the people around him by allowing his use of contractions to spread to his friends over time. It can add a bit of characterization seeing how different characters adapt their speech, from the ones who enthusiastically jump at the chance to experience something new to the ones who try to fit in but just can't seem to grasp the unspoken rules and insist their way is better (won't is stupid and it should clearly be willn't).
In my middle Grade novel "Ice" two children find themself in the Ice age. For the tribe, that they live with, I used Welsh words ( courtesy of google translate) and I smudged them i.e. modified them. For example An 11 year old girl was called Adrinbak derived from Aderyn Bach =Little Bird. There were other names created in the same way, It's not fantasy but the same principle applies.
4:43 Like Sieglinde, and Sigurd, and Sigmund, and Siegfried, and all those other Siegs who were involved in making the sword Gram. (It was actually just Sigmund and later his son Sigurd, but you get the idea.)
For me, i would hover my fingers over the keyboard and see where it instictively goes. Magically, the name would follow the character’s chatacteristics quite well. Oh, and I would also be aware of the character’s culturic naming style. Though your advices gave me more ideas to diversify these naming styles. Thank you! And thank you for the advice to use TK for drafting too!
TK is an editorial mark dating back to the early newspaper days, short for "To Come." (I know, come doesn't start with K, but whatever. Actually TC was markup for Title Case.) Also used was "No Thirty." That referred to the 30pt slug at the end of an article back in the hot metal days of typesetting.
Absolutely loved (and geeked out on) this video. One of the best resources I've found is Gary Gygax's Extraordinary Book of Names by Malcolm Bowers (Troll World Games, publisher). It breaks down names by regions and cultures, pronunciation and more. The detail and presentation are well worth the price. Or maybe that's just my Linguistics degree bias rearing its head.
My head does that, so i get up and hammer it out. Then i can sleep. Or my characters tell me to go this way or gife m ecan idea to fix something, fortunately they wait for me to wake and then remind me.
I'm working on my first novel, don't expect anything from it, it's just for fun...I find it amazing, how every time you come out with a new video, it's something I am currently dealing with...are you clairvoyant or something? lmfao.
I’m so glad it’s been helpful! I’ve been wanting to do a series called Writers Start Here that breaks down all the different things that are helpful to know when you start writing. Are there any things in particular you’d like to learn more about?
"Okay, so you know letters? Yeah, yeah, you know letters, but, like, do you know how letters go TOGETHER?" 🤣Comedic gold 🧠 Humor aside, this is a very interesting tip, thank you for sharing with us!
The most important thing about worldbuilding in fiction isn't that it be realistic, but that it feels real. Verisimilitude over realism. In the story I'm currently working on the main character ends up in a world with a culture very different from his own. One of the choices I've made to reflect this is that other characters don't use contractions.
Is it realistic that a culture would never develop contractions in their speech? No, obviously not. But it differentiates their speech, making it feel formal and stilted compared to the main character's more casual way of speaking which reflects the difference in cultures I want to get across. It also allows a subtle way for me as the author to demonstrate the effect that he has on the people around him by allowing his use of contractions to spread to his friends over time. It can add a bit of characterization seeing how different characters adapt their speech, from the ones who enthusiastically jump at the chance to experience something new to the ones who try to fit in but just can't seem to grasp the unspoken rules and insist their way is better (won't is stupid and it should clearly be willn't).
In my middle Grade novel "Ice" two children find themself in the Ice age. For the tribe, that they live with, I used Welsh words ( courtesy of google translate) and I smudged them i.e. modified them. For example An 11 year old girl was called Adrinbak derived from Aderyn Bach =Little Bird. There were other names created in the same way, It's not fantasy but the same principle applies.
4:43 Like Sieglinde, and Sigurd, and Sigmund, and Siegfried, and all those other Siegs who were involved in making the sword Gram. (It was actually just Sigmund and later his son Sigurd, but you get the idea.)
honestly not sure how you only have like 400 views, this is one of my favorite new channels, great vid!!
For me, i would hover my fingers over the keyboard and see where it instictively goes. Magically, the name would follow the character’s chatacteristics quite well. Oh, and I would also be aware of the character’s culturic naming style. Though your advices gave me more ideas to diversify these naming styles. Thank you!
And thank you for the advice to use TK for drafting too!
TK is an editorial mark dating back to the early newspaper days, short for "To Come." (I know, come doesn't start with K, but whatever. Actually TC was markup for Title Case.) Also used was "No Thirty." That referred to the 30pt slug at the end of an article back in the hot metal days of typesetting.
Not terribly unlike the backstory of OK.. derived from the phrase “all correct”… oll korrect.
My partner, who has Atkins family ties, would like to say "Umm actually…" So pleased to see those subs blow up. Great channel, you deserve it.
Absolutely loved (and geeked out on) this video.
One of the best resources I've found is Gary Gygax's Extraordinary Book of Names by Malcolm Bowers (Troll World Games, publisher). It breaks down names by regions and cultures, pronunciation and more. The detail and presentation are well worth the price. Or maybe that's just my Linguistics degree bias rearing its head.
Shout out to all the great DnD content out there to inspire us writers!!
My head does that, so i get up and hammer it out. Then i can sleep. Or my characters tell me to go this way or gife m ecan idea to fix something, fortunately they wait for me to wake and then remind me.
I'm working on my first novel, don't expect anything from it, it's just for fun...I find it amazing, how every time you come out with a new video, it's something I am currently dealing with...are you clairvoyant or something? lmfao.
I’m so glad it’s been helpful! I’ve been wanting to do a series called Writers Start Here that breaks down all the different things that are helpful to know when you start writing. Are there any things in particular you’d like to learn more about?
Just binged all of your videos and man I love your vibes and advice!
haha that rhymes! Keep it up 👏👏
Canuck being a troll feels personal…
WHAT ARE THEY ARGHHHHHH
😂😂😂😂