Greetings. Spring has arrived here in New England, and with it the hope of life returning to normal after the past year. The cherry tree in our front yard has bloomed, and the daffodils are flowering.
That’s Missy in the picture. She’s looking at me suspiciously, wondering what I’m doing away from my writing desk.
I hope you had a chance to read my latest book, Elthea’s Paradox. If you have, and you enjoyed it, please consider posting a brief review. Help others decide if the book is right for them by posting a comment or two. Tell others what you liked in the story. I appreciate your assistance.
One of the creative aspects of writing fiction is devising fictitious names for people, places, and things. I often spend a lot of time trying to decide on the right name for a character or race.
Book One, Elthea’s Realm, was the most challenging since I was starting from scratch. First, the Astari characters: Damek, Bevon, Quintia, and Riyaad. Each name had to sound uncommon from names we’re all familiar with, but not so different. The Astari character name I liked best was Elderphino.
Besides the Astari, I introduced two other races in that book, The Ikhael (a very unusual, almost unpronounceable word) and the Valnorians (a simpler name).
I particularly liked the name Woodbery College, the school attended by the primary characters. It sounds like a name I would expect for a college.
I probably spent the most time conjuring names for each of the Floating Isles of Loralee. Tensheann was the main island. For the sake of brevity, I won’t list all the eleven other islands here.
In Book Two, Elthea’s Gambit, I introduced the Stonewraiths and the lost race of the Draas. New Valnorian characters included Queen A’Lenora, Woodsman Fendor’il, and Ja’Krill, who eventually develops into a primary character.
As I write this article, I realize the many names I had to create. The ones I highlighted here are only a tiny fraction of those in the first two books. Maybe in a future article, I’ll review some of the concocted words in Book Three, Elthea’s Paradox.
Creating believable and intriguing names for people, places, and things is a crucial part of fantasy fiction. They provide a credible substance to the worlds I devise. But it’s only the beginning. Putting the characters in life-and-death situations keeps you reading.
I hope you enjoyed the many different names I’ve come up with. Let me know which of my made-up words you enjoyed the most.
A Look at the field inside Gillette Stadium.
The picture on the left is a view from inside Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. I received my COVID shot here, one of the mass vaccination centers in the state. Life is beginning to return to normal because of the vaccine. And that’s something to be thankful for.
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