Prompt 4 - Naming Conventions... Again

How are the people in your region named?

This is essentially a continuation of Prompt 3, and in fact some of you may have already started to address this question. If you haven't, though, now is the time! This prompt is not about naming ceremonies, though you can write about them, too, if you wish. It has to do with the names themselves.

This is also a re-draft of the original prompt article, which mysteriously disappeared from Synergasia. PLEASE... since we are all editors in Synergasia, we all have the ability to delete articles or move them around - even if we didn't create them in the first place. So before you delete something, or move something to a different world or even category, please make sure it is your article!!!

Suggested Topics

• How many names does a person go by - commonly and formally? Do your people use surnames in addition to given names? Clan names?
• Are names "given" or "taken"? Do others decide what a person is called, or can people choose names for themselves?
• How are "given" or "taken" names derived? Do they honor ancestors or famous people from history? Are they descriptive of some personality or physical trait? Are they inspirational - reminding one of some goal or attitude in life?
• What about surnames, if used? Do they reflect ancestry? occupation? geographic location?
• If you use clan names, what do these reflect?
• What about nicknames? Are they commonly used? How are they derived?
• Do people have secret names - perhaps known only to family or clan?

As you are thinking about answers to this prompt, it may be a good idea to put together a list of 10 to 20 example names which you may use in the future when the need for a character name arises. Always having a list of names handy is a great way to prevent the writing momentum crash that happens when you need to introduce a character - whether in creative writing or as an NPC for a game - and you realize the character needs a name.

BONUS QUESTION: How are the places in your region named? Are they named after people? geography? historical events?

As with personal names, putting together a few lists of place names in advance could be a tremendous time-saver in the future. Lists of potential names for cities, towns, villages, and even things like mountains or rivers and streams can prevent a momentum crash during a writing session.

Submission Guidelines

1. Make sure you're pointing to the Synergasia world when you create your article.
2. The Suggested templates above are just that - suggestions. If you really think a different template is more appropriate, then use it. If you have a customized template that you want to use, then use it.
3. In the event that your new article introduces something that changes something in your region's Canon article, please highlight this somehow. (A note in the footnotes will be sufficient!)

Suggested Template(s)

Unlike previous prompts, it is entirely possible that you already have articles ready to be edited in order to complete this prompt. If you have already created one or more Ethnicity articles in response to Prompt 3, then you already have the place to put the response to this prompt. There's a whole series of blocks in the template under Naming Conventions. In fact, if you haven't started Prompt 3 yet, you may want to tackle 3 and 4 at the same time.

The Rules

The only rule in Synergasia is that your worldbuilding is restricted to your area unless you are actively collaborating with a neighbor. If you are collaborating, let us know and we'll make an entry in the Canon articles to notate it.

Other than that, your region is your world. Go for it!

There are no prizes... no judging. An article with 300 words is probably the low end of "enough to be useful", and more than 1500-2000 becomes a "wall of text" that will frighten people off. But there are no hard restrictions on minimum or maximum word count.

We will review your article and will, from time to time, extract certain facts to be included in your region's "Canon" article. These articles will be guides for you in the future, and for anyone you wish to collaborate with. ("Canon" will include things like capital cities... names of rivers, settlements, deities... major past or present events... wars... conquests... You get the idea.)