FIELD GUIDE · 6 MIN READ
Write a small naming style guide
Make a world feel connected without giving everything the same ending.
Choose three constraints
A useful style guide can fit on one page. Specify a typical length, one recurring naming source, and a rule for formal titles. For the fictional Reed Concord, we chose place names of two to four syllables, names drawn from river work, and civic offices described in plain language. These rules leave room for difference. They do not require every town to begin with Reed or every citizen to have a water-themed surname.
Separate shared patterns from repeated words
Reedquay, Copperfold, and North Landing can belong to the same setting because they all refer to work or geography. Repeating the exact word reed everywhere would make a map harder to scan. Shared logic is often more useful than shared vocabulary. Look at a list without its category labels and ask whether the names feel related while remaining distinct.
Define an exception with a reason
A mountain observatory might retain an older name, Veyr, because it predates the river towns. Record that exception in the guide and show how residents use it. An exception is useful when it explains a historical layer. It becomes noise when each new location invents an entirely unrelated spelling system. One clear reason is usually enough; a complete fictional language is optional.
Record pronunciation only where needed
Use an approximate spoken guide for an ambiguous name rather than attaching technical notation to every entry. Keep the pronunciation note separate from the display name. If several collaborators interpret the spelling differently, revise the spelling or accept a documented variant. Do not call an invented pronunciation authentic to a real culture. If you use a real language, consult suitable sources and people with relevant knowledge.
Decide who can change a name
In a team project, record a canonical form, short form, category, first appearance, and status. A suggested change should identify the problem it solves: confusion with another character, clipping in a menu, or an unwanted association. “I like this more” can start a discussion but should not silently overwrite a name already used in dialogue, art, and save data.
A compact template
Use these fields: Name; Spoken form; Category; Naming source; Related names; First appearance; Rights review status; Open questions. Fill them for one location, one person, and one organization. If the fields do not help a real decision, remove them. Keep internal database identifiers stable when display names change. The guide is a tool for consistency, not an invitation to make naming harder than writing the story.
Test the exception against the rule
Add one district whose name predates the current system. Write its official form, local form, and the reason both survive. Then add a completely new location. If you cannot explain why the new name belongs beside the others, revise the guide or the candidate. Do not keep accumulating exceptions without examining whether the original rules still help. A one-page guide should reduce repeated decisions. If it requires a separate explanation for every entry, the pattern may be too narrow or the exceptions may not have distinct purposes.
A useful handover
Give a collaborator three unnamed subjects and your short guide. Ask them to propose forms and explain the choices. Compare the reasoning rather than expecting identical words. The method is working if both of you can identify which candidates fit the brief and where judgment remains open. Record that exercise accurately as a collaboration check. It does not establish that the names are culturally authentic or that readers everywhere will interpret them in the same way.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Try the method on a fresh name.
Open the related naming toolCreative drafts. Check suitability and existing uses before publication.