Addendum

That isn't an endorsement of anything else that goes on in Star Wars books. This is, though: People would definitely watch and bet on blob-racing if it existed.

A Hint of Maturity

When I was young, I thought it was silly when some author of Star Wars licensed novels decided to use "slicer" as an in-universe equivalent of "hacker." Now that I'm venerable, I still think that's a silly practice but I realize slicer is a cooler term for it anyway.

Aesthetic Crossroads

Pick one:
Psychic powers
Psionics
Psycho magic
Mind magic
Magic

A Little Precaution

To avert the inevitable accidents when people realize the equivalent of "airspace" must be "spacespace" and the resulting hesitation to bring it up, we should change space's name now. I like "firmament," but it's too long to resist abbreviation, and "firmspace" and "firm elevator" aren't inspiring me to hand over the Pulitzer. "Ether" would be good but has appropriated. "Empyrean" doesn't shorten very well either. We could retrace our steps and go with "spatium," or "spat" for short, which has meanings already that are more likely to amuse than confuse.

Turning Regional Differences to Your Advantage

It will in nearly all circumstances be unnecessary to clarify, for example, "Raghald Bloodletter paced the first floor, by which I mean the one on the bottom and not the next one up." However! Consider the word count. Really think it over.

Addendum

The state of suffering from excessive dark spew will be called spewganza, and the sufferer will be referred to as a spewganzatic.

Humor Crime

Whose fault is it that out of four humors, two of them are bile? Was it a little natural philosophy joke, just some levity between peers? Anyway, from now on black bile is dark spew.

Legibility

Some people have trouble getting into fantasy, what with the invented terminology and exotic names. In other words, the greatest contemporary fantasy universe is online drama. It's a cooperative work too, like Thieves' World.

Declaration of Science Fiction Principles

1. "Wormhole" is a terrible term.
2. Spaceships! Woohoo!

Addendum

And if they have a thousand distinct terms like terrestrial conveyances do, all the better. Quick, which one's a brougham? That's an easier one, as you can tell because I remembered the name.

This Is No Longer Acceptable

We've been putting up with it till now, but stop saying "bend the knee" outside of A Song of Ice and Fire. The word is "genuflect," or if that's too fancy for you, "kneel." While we're at it, "bannermen" is not a general term, "vassal" is, and variant spellings of "sir" aren't getting you anywhere. I'm speaking especially to video game translators.

The Curse of Traditional Knowledge

These days, if you ever say "larboard," people will presume you have a speech impediment. That can be handy sometimes, but be honest: You sometimes think those dullards need to be controlled by someone like you, don't you? Then, when you search for rebuttals, you realize there are none. Well, that's all true, but it's not as if you can do anything about it. Not till you level up a few times at least.

Addender

Gothic can just be kothic. We don't need to get complicated here.

Addendum

Wait, no, that's what you call quinine. How about the Ankwin style? That'll do it.

How to Discuss Architecture in Fantasy

Everybody only cares about Queen Anne, and if your setting has a Queen Anne, people probably built different stuff during her reign. What to do? Give it a fun fantasy label such as qui'nan. Blam!

Looming Phoneme Disaster

There you are, writing about the mysterious artificially created superstructure Ogg Vorbis your hero has just discovered in space, when you decide to check and find out something's already called it. I estimate we'll run out of things to call the stuff we make up somewhere around 2037. The only solution is a total language reboot.

Word Instinct

"Orison" looks to me like it should have some kind of engineering meaning. For instance, the counterweight and the sling together of a trebuchet or such should be the orison. And yet, it is not so.

Doubts Regarding Space Dragons

If we find space dragons, will scientists be reluctant to call them space dragons, or will they be all for it? Komodo dragons were a long time ago. Long enough to be retro. All right, I've decided, it's all space dragons from here on out. Though the "space" part might be a problem. Star dragons. Void dragons. Vacuum dragons. Stellar dragons.

A Seismic Conundrum

"Earthquake" already sounds like a fantasy term, so do fantasy authors have to come up with a new term for it? That's before getting into fanciful causes for them. Or is it? Perhaps an earthquake caused by a catfish should have a different name from one caused to two smiths competing to create the strongest suit of armor underground. The latter would I suppose be a hoploclasm, and as for the former, "thrashwhisker." Those are bad, and therefore they fit in with "earthquake."

Addendum

I realize nobody uses hep anymore, but by the time science fiction happens, it might be back.