[rune]

Does anyone know of a site on the net that is good for making up place names for a fantasy world.

Also if there is anywhere with mythical creatures. I did have one but its stopped working so now i am stumped http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/frown.gif

[lior]

Well, I think the best place to make up names is in your head! I myself once created a fantasy world for a story I was writing, including a detailed map, bogus documents, bogus journals, the whole thing... I didn't have Internet then, hell, I didn't even had a computer.

[This message has been edited by lior (edited September 23, 2001).]

[Erebus]

Hi Rune,

There's this site here, which has a wealth of random name generators etc.
www.seventhsanctum.com/gens/index.html (http://www.seventhsanctum.com/gens/index.html)

I also posted this web address in your previous, similar enquiry, which in case it also has some links or info you can still use, can be found here (http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000117.html).


[This message has been edited by erebus (edited September 23, 2001).]

[rune]

Thanks for that erebus. I hadnt seen that site before, the only one i had managed to find was a person name generator.

So hopefully now i will be able to make up realistic place names.

[Penumbra]

Tolkien was a nomenclaturist and I consider myself in that category. Personally I couldn't conceive of having to consult a random generator for source material because I automatically make suggestive associations as I develop a theme. If that doesn't work for you, increasing your vocabulary ought to help and I am not being sarcastic when I say so. When I was young, I soon learned the advantage of having an Oxford dictionary, as opposed to the inferior Websters, by my side for any narrative because I always disliked not knowing what words meant or what their roots are. That, naturally, led me to Roget to seek better more stylistic or appropriate words to improve a stale text. These I think remain the best sources for improving vocabulary and adapting your imagination so that words, derivatives and newly coined varieties come to you when you need them. I hope this helps.

[Bardos]

Personally I couldn't conceive of having to consult a random generator for source material because I automatically make suggestive associations as I develop a theme.

Same here. I never use random name generators, for the results never seem to fit in my world...

[This message has been edited by Bardos (edited September 28, 2001).]

[KATS]

I’ve heard that Shakespear had a tremendous vocabulary. I’m sure my vocabulary isn’t outstanding, but more than likely better than average. (But then I’m not impressed with the average person’s intelligence).

My memory on the other hand is not so great. I drive my Husband crazy because I often I can’t remember the word I know will fit perfectly. “Honey, what word means . . . “ which is immediately followed by, ”No, that’s not the word I’m looking for, what’s another word that mean the same thing, only different.” I’m the queen of Thesauruses.

And I too utilize roots for creating my worlds. I try to emulate how places & things are named in our world. Rio Grand for instance, Grand River. Also for names, Joe Smith - Joe the Blacksmith. Place & people’s names don’t have to be complex. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Alucard]

Random name generators? I've never even heard of such things...

For names, I usually don't think about them too much. I found that by wracking my brain, I usually ended up with a lot of frustration and very little result. So now, I usually just pick a name that has a good ring to it and leave it at that. Because often times, after writing the character for a while, the name begins to fit, regardless of how it originally sounded. Suddenly, you just find the name seeming natural, even it sounded a bit strange at first(like the name "door" in neverwhere. At first it was odd, but now I can't think of another name that would have been more appropriate). So I reccomend not worrying about it too much.

You could also pick up a "20,000 names for babies" book, or something along these lines, for insparation. You can flip through to find names you like, or even alter average names to your liking. This helped me out a lot whenever I was stuck....

[Penumbra]

KATS - Please don't take this the wrong way but memory is probably more important to a writer than anything else. My background forced me to memorize certain things and by the time I became a writer, my ability to recall was very helpful. I also think that memory is the key to a superior vocabulary. There are many ways to improve the process. I taught it for years. Rote helps but is not definitive. I try to think of my brain as a computer with files. When something new and worthy comes along, I file it under the appropriate letter and call on it when I want to use the data. That may not work for you, I realize. Most people develop their ability when young, as I did. For me it was a necessity because of the field I wanted to go into, music at the time. My memory became rather specialized in that I used it in conjunction with a discriminating ear to produce sounds. Later, I went into electronics and used my 'special memory' to learn its intricacies rather easily. As a writer, these old techniques simply cooperate, at least with me.

[Bardos]

Or, if you forget easily, just take many notes... I keep whole files about my world, story progress, plots, and ideas.