Quick Fire Questions (A Place to Ask and Answer)

[TheDustyZebra]

We print quite a number of newspapers (broadsheet and tabloid, but not THAT kind of tabloid, LOL), and none of them use all caps for headlines -- they are as springs said. However, I'm not sure if that would properly convey the way a headline might appear in a dream; you might wish to capitalize more of the words in that case, for effect. Or make sure it's a headline that is mostly capitalized words, such as "Body found in Doubletree Hotel, Mayor Mouse arrested" or something like that. Even without caps, the emphasis would be made by a "Larger, different and more bold font" inside your little surrounding italics.

[Arkose]

I am in the process of World-building. I am coming along nicely until I hit the idea of culture/race. Before I ask my question, I will give you some background. The story involves 3 races (2 Man, 1 animal) and is set around 1860 in a fantasy southwest America. The 2 men cultures are meant to be close (as in a civil war broke the two up, but has nothing to do with the story atm), but the 2nd culture really won't be explained and the people wont even be described. The question is where should I pull names/cultures/country name from? I have been researching all day, literally, different languages and cultures. Just to give an example, I would like the name "Autumn Life/growth" to one of the countries, but not sure what language or wording I should pull from.

Note: I have visited numerous world-building sites from authors and what not, but it seems not to help me in the circumstance.

[hopewrites]

I would go with something that sounds like what you want. You can pull from pre-exsisting languages and I have a list of names (pulled from my favorite site to get names from) that mean roughly what you said and that I liked.

Name- Language- Meaning
Tlaloc- Aztec- Of the earth; he who causes growth
Aki- Japanese- Autumn, Bright
Hideharu- Japanese- Flourishing Autumn
Teruaki- Japanese- Brilliant Autumn
Ashoun- Armenian- Autumn, Fall
Apphia- Greek- Bountiful, producing growth
Hourea- Maori- Recent growth
Kanupa- Hawaiian- Luxuriant growth

[TheDustyZebra]

If your world is one which diverged from the one we know, developing differently, there are a number of cultures that could have populated the area. Of course there were the Spaniards and various Indian tribes (none of that "Native American" stuff back then), and Aztecs, depending on how far back the divergence occurred. Probably the least considered today, though, that might be interesting, would be the Chinese. There were a lot of Chinese working in the mines in the 1800s. In our world, they were very low in society, but if things had happened differently they could easily have been a whole country of their own. And a civil war leading to that would not be at all out of the question.

[Mouse]

Originally Posted by TheDustyZebra

We print quite a number of newspapers (broadsheet and tabloid, but not THAT kind of tabloid, LOL), and none of them use all caps for headlines -- they are as springs said. However, I'm not sure if that would properly convey the way a headline might appear in a dream; you might wish to capitalize more of the words in that case, for effect. Or make sure it's a headline that is mostly capitalized words, such as "Body found in Doubletree Hotel, Mayor Mouse arrested" or something like that. Even without caps, the emphasis would be made by a "Larger, different and more bold font" inside your little surrounding italics.

The headline is: 'Ambrose Lawson fails to assist local drunk'

Which I've written exactly like that for the mo, surrounded by italics. I've got a real headline coming up which is MURDER AT THE WHITE HORSE. Which I think should be capitals?! For a local newspaper?

I was getting petrol the other day and the local news headline on the board outside was COW KICKS GATE INTO VET'S HEAD.

[Vertigo]

After seeing your query, Mouse, a passage in a recent book I read by P G Wodehouse caught my eye;

...There are moments when I can almost see the headlines: 'Promising Young Artist Beans Baby With Axe.'"

[Mouse]

Heh. Nice. Maybe I'll do initial capitals then.

[Vertigo]

Well it seems to work but then it was published in 1919 and styles do change.

[Ursa major]

Perhaps someone should ask Jeeves.

[Vertigo]

"Indubitably, sir"

[AMB]

What sort of paper does Ambrose read?

For the local, I'd suggest going with what your local paper does.

[Mouse]

I imagine he reads gossip mags, rather than newspapers.

[AMB]

All caps then. Sensationalist.

[Mouse]

Yeah that makes sense.

[Mr Turtle]

Hi folks,

Just a quickie,

I have a moment in my story when someone sets alight a whole load of werewolves and vampires with some crazy ass power. It's raining heavily and I've made a comment as one of my main characters flies away (he's an angel) that the rain is suppressing the smell - is this correct?

I wrote it thinking, yeah, that makes sense, but now I'm editing it, I'm not sure. Theres about 20 bodies on the ground, all charred and smoking, would someone that was about 20/30 feet above them be able to smell it? Or would the rain indeed suppress the smell?

Thanks in advance

Peace

Jx