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Fantasy Dictionar
Chatterbox: Crowd Sorcery
Fantasy Dictionar
Fantasy Dictionary
Writing a fantasy story often involves world-building: creating the setting in which your story takes place. Physical location is an important part of this phase—the house, cavern, mountain, forest, town, ship, island, or any other space your characters inhabit. But it is more than just a place. Building a world may mean thinking about the history, art, music, language, clothing, and customs of the story’s people—how they earn a living, what they do on holidays, and what everyday objects they use.
Of course a writer can’t design every aspect of a culture. If you did that, you’d never get around to writing the story! But here is the key: you want to think carefully enough about these things so that the reader believes your fantasy world goes on beyond the edges of your story. You want this imaginary world to feel real. And you do that with some well-placed, clear, creative details.
So let’s do some world-building! Please come up with objects, places, words ... any ideas for a fantasy story’s world. Tools, animals, types of clothing, dwellings—any of these and more may become necessary elements in our story! You may suggest as many as you like, or even post a strange word and let others suggest meanings. If you want, you can also write a sentence using the word or describing the fantasy place. Here are two examples:
haloris – a lantern that gives off both light and a pleasant scent. It is used by people who live near the swamps to counter the odors of mud and decay.
“Quill’s boots sank into the moss, deeper at each step, and ahead she could see a swamp, moonbeams glittering on pools that lapped around the tree roots. Catching the stench of stagnant water, she pulled the haloris lamp from her pack and set it alight.”
gnawk – a large, black bird with a raucous cry and uneven feathers that always look ruffled and untidy. Gnawks have a fondness for pecking and chewing on rope, and they are notorious for setting free dogs and farm animals tied with ropes. They unmoor boats tied to docks, and have been known to free certain fortunate prisoners.
Can you see how story ideas practically ooze from your Fantasy Dictionary, once you get your imagination going?
submitted by Fred Durbin
(April 23, 2014 - 10:11 am)
(April 23, 2014 - 10:11 am)
Scavenger's Stew : A popular mixture of whatever leftovers you may have. Traditionaly, having vension, beans, topque, ( hope you don't mind, Forrest ) , and scraps of bread and cheese.
Fire Grape Wine : A strong auburn-colored, tangy, wine, very expensive and popular.
Rethica : A snake which has semi-posionous venom, boiled to make cheap wine. Its tongue is considered a delicacy.
Kyla Stew : A mix of catfish whiskers, turtle, carrot, pattato, and kelp.
Kixi : A breed of pig that is bright red, tough, and delicious.
Guri : A coconut-like fruit with soft red fur, a hard shell, and buttery milk inside it.
(September 14, 2014 - 9:55 am)
There are so many fantastic fantasy words here! Tremendous job, everyone! And they keep coming! I wanted to let you all know that I am re-reading this Dictionary very carefully these days. The unique thing about this thread is that it's still "live" -- which means that words you create and post here now could STILL possibly make it into our Crowd Sorcery story! I wish we could use them all, but of course that's impossible. The story would turn into a dictionary if they were all there! But I am finding many that fit the story well and even suggest new twists to it. So keep these words coming! And if you've posted your words here at any time since we started, be sure to watch carefully when you read the story beginning in the November CRICKET. Some words from the Fantasy Dictionary will be in there!
(September 15, 2014 - 3:23 pm)
@ Fred Durbin : How many words will get into the story ?
Myré : A word, smell, animal, memory, thought, feeling, piece of clothing ( In one instance, a pair of ragged socks ) , or wand that unlocks someone's magic. For instace, Fable might have a quill which helps her concentrat and write.
We really don't know how many words will be used till the story's all written. Fred will try to use as many as he can. I'd guess maybe 10 to 12 per episode, but we really don't know.
Admin
(September 15, 2014 - 5:46 pm)
Hi, Indigo! (I really like your idea of myre!) It's a good question you asked about how many words from Fantasy Dictionary will appear in the story. As the Admin rightly says, we don't know for sure yet, because the story (like Fable's future) is still being written. I am still reading through the dictionary, watching the new words that come in, and finding ones that seem to fit.
There are two challenges that limit the number of these words that can go into the story:
1. The story has to read like a story, and if we put in all the fantasy words we wanted to, it would become a showcase of words. The story itself would be buried under amazing words and ideas. As writers, we try hard to remove any distractions for the reader; we want the reader to focus on the story and feel like s/he is inside it. So we have to choose our special vocabulary with care. Just the right number of new words can help the story to come alive. Too many, and they become distracting, even if they're all great words.
2. Many -- perhaps even most -- of the terms here in the Fantasy Dictionary are very specialized. A lot of thought and imagination has gone into them. Their creators imagined how these words would fit into a whole fantasy world! That means that many of them don't quite fit into the world that is already growing up around Fable and Lumine. That also limits how many we can use.
For each part of the story, I'm pretty sure at least two or three of these words are in there, and sometimes as many as five or six. I'm definitely trying to work in as many as I can -- there are so many fantastic words here to choose from!
And I would encourage all you writers to use these words and ideas! This Crowd Sorcery part of the Chatterbox is like a grand treasure house of ideas! There are hundreds and hundreds of fascinating and wondrous possibilities here -- people, places, objects, concepts . . . all just waiting to be used in stories! To all you writers, I say, "Go for it!" Put these things to work! Don't let them sit around on dark shelves in the warehouse. Put them into stories, and give them life!
(September 16, 2014 - 11:54 am)
Ocupate: A fear of heights
(September 16, 2014 - 11:44 am)
Jironen --a type of lantern that gives of a warm light. Though it is not tethered to anything, it floats around rooms and hallways, giving light to whoever needs it. To work this way, they are somehow magically enchanted. They are commonly used in big churches and libraries. (Hint, Hint!)
(September 16, 2014 - 9:24 pm)
Froshe -r-a necklace with a cross on the end engraved with ancient spells written in the language of the fay people.
Reior's Monastary --a large castle-looking structure placed near Tyro. The monks there practice all areas of magic in hope of one day overthrowing Khaos. They have in their catacombs prophecies predicting the return of Khaos and the re-organizing of the Order of the Moon (Khaos' army of monsters and darks sorcerers).
(September 16, 2014 - 9:36 pm)
Rotyra ( Roty ( Daven word cave ) plus Utra ( Pagan word ' death ' or ' of death ' ) : Khoas's Cave.
Yzer : A kind of light canoe made of thin strips of heartwood. Often with symbols painted on it in brillant colors, it is the fleetest and fastest kind of canoe in the world.
(September 17, 2014 - 8:12 am)
Earrogliphics (pronounced, arrow-glyphics)-symbols that were used in writing by the worshippers of Mael-Koth and other pagan gods and goddesses like Rogar, pagan god of the skies and Sryo, goddess of ice.
Here are some different types of wizards. When I say 'inspired' or 'started by', I mean that certain area of magic was started and passed on by a certain animal, monster or whatnot:
Geolytes-wizards that control earth, stone, or any other type of ground substances. There are many different spells and movements involved in this kind of magic. This area of magic was inspired by the terrokors (a kind of a giant wolf/badger hybrid).
Aqualytes: wizards that control water and ice. This area was started by the sea serpents.
Hyrolytes-wizards that control air. This type of magic was started by the dragons.
Thermolytes: wizards that can control fire. Started by the phoenix.
Spirolytes: wizards that control plants. Started by the dryads (tree spirits).
Karolytes: wizards that use mixed spells (stunning spells, door opening spells, etc.). They usually use wands.
Waronauts: wizards that use battle magic.
(September 18, 2014 - 5:46 pm)
Sorry I haven't been on here lately! Cross country, plus my novel and sketching, can be time consuming. I think I'll add a word or two since I haven't been here for awhile- just for fun :)
verz- an electric creature made by lightning. They are usually very rare. They can disappear, appear and transform easily. There is no known true form of what it really looks like.
ginft- an unusual spirit that has the ability to take over the consciousness of those around it and control them at its will. Made up of light and shadow. Very hard to make deals with if you want them on your side.
That's all for now! I can't wait to see any sneak peak in October if there is any- and the story in the November/December issue!
(September 21, 2014 - 8:01 am)
Kuk : Low-quality armour : torn boots caked with old, dried-out thask, leggings stiffened with dried sweat and blood, chestplates lopsided and heavy, worn helmets torn in many places.
Jor : One of the best kinds of armour. With a thin metal outer shell and light, comfortable leather inside it, it is lightwieght, strong, and comfy.
(September 21, 2014 - 8:06 am)
Here are some possible character names —
Laisle — completely made up, so you can invent your own meaning and origin. Sounds like the word aisle, just starting with the letter L.
Ouell – prounounced same as Will.
Novella – the word for a short novel (fiction book), also means new.
Noraleine – combination of the name Nora and the suffix Leine, as in Madeleine.
Leine – also makes a good name by itself. Can be prounounced like lane or line.
Calendula (Calie for short) — the cook's cat, named after her favorite flower. She may or may not be a fair maiden in disguise.
River Rundle – flows past Fable's village, important for trading and traveling to far lands
(September 21, 2014 - 5:20 pm)
Mishflux is a powerful oil. It can be used in magic, it can be drunk to enhance physical prowess, and it , when exposed to air, corrodes crystal. However, when in large amounts, mishflux has almost
sentient properties, and, when intellegint, frowns upon the use of it this way.
(September 22, 2014 - 7:51 am)
Caverone: A certain oracle, used by yours truly. You go up to the mouth of the cave, whisper what you want, and a fragile scrap of paper flutters out. Catch it and read it. (CAVE-roon)
Chqa: A soup for armies, typically made of whatever slop we can find (my monsters aren't picky), or made of random meats. (CHi-QUA)
Terec: A fine powder made of blue moon dragons' claws. Icy, deadly, and poisonous.
(September 26, 2014 - 7:37 am)
Dear Fred Durbin,
I am so excited for this upcoming story! I hope that some of my ideas will be in the story! Do you like any of my ideas?
(September 26, 2014 - 3:23 pm)