Recent content by P.A. Trujillo

Does anyone have any hints or tips on the grammatical construction of Hawaiian names? I'm trying to use Hawaiian prefixes and suffixes to create my own names, but I don't want my words to sound inaccurate. Any help would be be appreciated.

Yeah, I always intended them to mean "son of __". From what I've learned, and unless anyone can correct me if I'm wrong, that's the way surnames work in most of the Germanic countries.

So the -r at the end of Old Norse names is actually pronounced? Don't Anglicized versions of these names drop the -r?

So for my fantasy world, I am using the languages of our world to create names for my fictional characters, countries and kingdoms. But I don't fully trust Google Translate, so I am seeking the help of anyone who knows any language other than English to help me write believable. If you can give...

What in the everloving heck makes you think that all elves are jerks??? That is patently absurd. Where in Norse mythology is that characterization? True, elves were often characterized as malevolent demonic beings, but just as often they're beneavolent angelic creatures. It's an invention of...

I'm looking for some unique, original creatures from cultures and mythologies around the world to use in my canon of stories. And some of the most creative kinds of creatures, I think, are of the aquatic variety. Of course, my mind immediately turns to mermen (and, by extension, the similar...

I think culture is very important to my fantasy stories. I try to draw upon real-world cultures for inspiration and as a groundwork for the fantasy cultures I create, partly because it's kind of fun finding all the cultural references like hidden Easter eggs. Even my fictional races, though...

Thanks for the suggestion! I've definitely got to include some South Pacific island cultures in my tales. That would be a great change of pace from the usual European forest setting.

Indonesia: that's a country I hadn't thought to include. That could be a good addition to my world. Where do you go to find information about the culture?

See, I have to disagree with you here. I can't stand it when authors invent aspects of fantasy races from scratch, because they get even farther and farther away from the original myths from which they originated. Example: island-dwelling dwarves. NO. Why? Because dwarves are an invention of...

My problem with works that are derivative of Tolkien is that they are only skin-deep. It seems like some of the tropes that Tolkien pioneered are cliches now because hack writers don't have the originality to blaze their own trail. But I believe that you are right about the author's interests...

That is precisely what I'm trying to avoid in my fantasy world: humans should absolutely NOT be interchangeable with any other species any more than a cat is interchangeable with a racoon. Yes, they're both mammals, but the way they think, their instincts, etc. should be worlds different...

I see what you mean; I guess that's why Tolkien wrote a story for this languages; because there's no real point in creating a new language if there's no one to speak it, even if they're fictional. I've yet to encounter any fantasy fiction that isn't even partially inspired by Tolkien. What...

I love J.R.R. Tolkien. He is an incredible writer and an extremely creative world-builder. It was his writing that inspired me to turn my creative energies to fantasy writing. That said... Do you find yourself defaulting back on Tolkien's pre-established tropes and race archetypes? I know I...

What is the one continent/nation/culture that doesn't get enough representation in fantasy fiction, in your opinion? Many authors go straight for a vaguely European flavor (and not without reason, mind you), but there are plenty of other cultures from around the world that could spice up the...