The Art of World Building: Creating Breakout Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds In Stories and Gaming EP 23: Creating Names
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Apr 7, 2020 Dive into the art of naming in fantasy and science fiction! Discover innovative techniques for crafting unique and personalized names that enhance your world. Explore the significance of surnames and how they reflect character traits and cultural backgrounds. Unravel the complexities of naming conventions, including hyphenated surnames and memorable place names. Get practical tips for creating names that are both simple and unique, ensuring they resonate with readers and enrich your storytelling!
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Multiple Sources For Surnames
- Use occupations, patronyms, nicknames, or notable deeds as surname sources.
- Mix and adapt these sources to create believable hereditary or assigned last names.
Hyphenation Multiplies Name Complexity
- Compound and hyphenated surnames create long names and cascading complexity.
- They reflect cultural choices but can produce unwieldy names across generations.
Name Places To Reflect History
- Name places after people, events, features, or saints to give them story weight.
- Use suffixes (ville, -burg) or feminine forms to fit regional naming conventions.
