Not naming names [writing tips] · 9:44pm Dec 21st, 2022
As I’ve mentioned here and there, one of the (many) rules I generally abide by when writing for Twin Canterlots is: avoid using real-world names wherever possible. It’s harder than it seems—especially when one considers indirect coinages as well as direct references—and I don’t always succeed, but in general I find ways to skirt them most of the time. For the handful of people who might care in the least, here are some of the methods I have found useful in dodging the issue.
- Use a generic alternative if one is reasonably common or at least similar in obscurity: instead of Murphy bed, wall bed; instead of Japanese maple, red emperor maple; instead of Heironymus machine, eloptic machine.
- If no generic alternative seems to be in widespread use or even available, avoid specific names through description: instead of calling Chelsea boots by name, I spent a couple of sentences detailing the pair in question. This technique can be tricky because it's easy to bog down the pacing; to avoid turning the example passage into a nugget of exposition I made sure to point up differences from, as well as similarities to, the usual elements that distinguish a Chelsea boot.
- National subdivisions vary widely: states, provinces, lands, oblasts, governorates, cantons, prefectures, counties, regions, departments, emirates—not to mention subdivisions of those, such as counties in the US. Rather than commit to any particular terms used by the (nominally unnamed) nation where Equestria Girls takes place, I use both the above dodges as well as listing the subdivisions implicitly rather than explicitly, as in the phrase “municipal, national, and everything in between”.
- In line with the previous, I even try to avoid specifying the nation as being either a monarchy or a republic, though I fear that’s a bit more threadbare: Rose refers to “the District”, presumably the capital district—it is a nickname for Washington, DC—which is less likely for a monarchy probably dating back to before such modern ideas as capital districts came about. On the other hand, Ambassador Ember does mention “ministerial level” in The Campus, but that’s a term of art common even in nations such as the US that don’t use the title of minister. More neutrally, Undersecretary Pin Stripes is “three steps down from the top”, without stating whether the top spot is monarch or president.
At any rate, I hope I’ve provided food for thought. A great deal of what distinguishes good writing from bad is sweating the details. Don’t dismiss such bits of world-building and tricks of narrative as picayune, because it is precisely those things that can help the most in grounding a story’s setting and making it feel real.
I always thought that for a Monarchy, the Capital District is that defined by The Wall. and maybe the Clearence that was its range of defense fire before things got quieter and the rest of the city built up around the central Castle itself?
Also, be careful of terms alternative to others, the alternative to Heironimous Bosche is a term used by the Dark Clerks?
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That’s a good point about a capital district possibly being defined by old city walls or traditional legal or administrative usage. After all, the word also is used as a synonym for neighborhood, so I suppose it even might be an old term. I probably would drill deeper in shaping the world-building behind it as a name, but those are good places to start.
Heironymus machine refers to a completely different individual, Thomas Galen Heironymus, who in the mid-twentieth century invented several devices he claimed had potential for homeopathic research and treatments.
I just try and shove horse words into the original name wherever possible :B
I'll be honest, I have far too much fun slipping horse puns into place names. But this is definitely a viable approach.
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Being at best mediocre at puns and, truth to tell, finding them irritating especially in non-comedy writing, I avoid the horse puns as best I can. Moreover, I was thinking more broadly than just place names, and puns may not work as well in all cases.
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trust me, they are always the right choice :3
especially if they are not good