tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406965522472464603.post6148716391394537777..comments2023-10-09T06:03:28.658-07:00Comments on SF Safari: World Building: NamingScott D. Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15293540073601809197noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406965522472464603.post-62795216499228118192009-05-08T10:57:00.000-07:002009-05-08T10:57:00.000-07:00In answer to your question about convoluted naming...In answer to your question about convoluted naming structures helping or hindering, my feeling is that if I have to stop reading to figure out the pronunciation of a name, then somebody did something wrong. Some writers fall in love with playing grammatical games to create unique spellings. I often wonder who the first guy to throw an apostrophe into an alien name was.<br /><br />I've always dug one of George Lucas' systems. He finds rare and exotic place names and then just uses the phonetic spelling. It's pretty effective. Tataouine is a city in Tunisia. Tatooine is the planet Arrakis in the Star Wars universe.Terrencenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8406965522472464603.post-29636537448101782102009-05-08T03:53:00.000-07:002009-05-08T03:53:00.000-07:00Ah, The Blade Itself. I've been putting off readin...Ah, The Blade Itself. I've been putting off reading the third book in that series for a while to prolong the anticipation, but started last night. It's a fun series and Glokta's one of the best characters I've come across for a while.<br /><br />Anyhow, as a writer I give them a generic name at the start and slowly as their character reveals themselves they decide whether they want to be a Barney or a Clint. As a reader I like the names, in fantasy particularly, to have some good reason to be what they are. Celtic type fantasy should have celctic names etc. I utterly hate characters called Fr'and-g'hura when they're called that for no good reason other than it's fantasy.I.J. Parnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08933834936324859175noreply@blogger.com