How to Find Interesting Words and Names for Your Fantasy Writing

Keep a small notebook of interesting names and words

In the course of your daily life you come across streets, names and places that you find interesting. Get in the habit of remembering and writing them down. Leafing through an art book, the name of the artist Hieronymous Bosch caught my attention and the last name Bosch ended up being the main character in one of my novels. If you are familiar with this artist’s fantasy paintings, you will get an instant idea of ​​what this character looks like. If you carry a PDA, you should create a document where you can jot down interesting names as you come across them. Having this list is an invaluable tool because if you create a new character or place while you’re writing, you don’t want to stop writing because you don’t have a name. Having a list will help you find something that is a perfect fit. As you add words to your notebook, write a quick note about what the word feels like. Does it give the feeling of strength or softness? Does it evoke a feeling of mystery or danger? These little notes will help you find the right word when you are in the writing process.

The maps are an excellent resource.

Tear up the maps you have. I live in New England and it is filled with a multitude of old British names for cities and towns. Who can resist words like Braintree or Framingham? You should also use online mapping services like Google Maps or Mapquest. Just pick a country that you think might have interesting words that would complement the type of fantasy you write. Great Britain and Germany are two of my favorites and an inexhaustible source of material for me. Who can resist a small German town called “Hugelsheim”? It looks like a place where Hobbits would live!

Dictionaries and Encyclopedia

Browsing randomly through an English dictionary can come up with lots of interesting words and phrases. Flipping through the pages at random, you can find a lot of material, and larger dictionaries have additional resources, such as a list of geographical locations or common foreign words and phrases.

Foreign languages

This is my favorite method. I have a conversational ability with German which gives me a bit of an edge because it offers a full set of very medieval sounding words and phrases which is perfect for my style and genre of writing. If you have a second language, you should use it as a resource. If you don’t speak a second language, you should choose a translation dictionary. One of the pocket ones is a cheap option and I recommend you don’t get the English to foreign language dictionary. You must get the foreign language version in English, such as the German to English dictionary. Getting this type is much more useful since you can simply scan the German words for attractive sounds. Then look up the English to see if it makes sense.

Add a glossary to your novel

If you are writing a fantasy novel and have quite a few creative, made up, or foreign language words, you should add a glossary to the back of your novel. A glossary is something that can enrich your reader’s experience. It’s like discovering and venturing through a new part of your world. But don’t make it too big. A glossary that is too large can be more of a chore than a joy and could be an indicator that your book is too difficult to read.

listen to the words

Creative names and words not commonly found in the English language can be confusing for the reader. You want to exhibit a sense of fantasy and a unique feel for your worlds, but you don’t want to alienate the reader with difficult pronunciation and poor comprehension. The words you choose should accentuate the reading experience and not make the reader stop to understand the new word. You and your reader think and hear English sounds, so words will be pronounced using a predetermined set of distinctly English sounds. You should always say your new words out loud to get an idea of ​​what they sound like. And if you are using a foreign language for your words, you should not assume that your reader knows the language and the correct pronunciation. You have to assume that your reader will read in English and pronounce the word accordingly. Say the words out loud like an English word and see if it still sounds appealing.

Enhance your readers’ experience

The very nature of a fantasy novel is to take the reader into a new world and the only tool you have to do this is words. Choose the names of places and characters carefully and you will enhance the reader’s experience and convey an idea of ​​your world. But always keep a balance in your choice of words. Excessive use of creative words can distract readers’ attention. You don’t want to force your reader to frequently stop and reread sections because the names don’t make sense.