8 Questions to Ask Yourself About Word Use in Your Novel

Are my names difficult to pronounce? How difficult do I want them to be?

When were these words invented? Before or after the time period in which my book is set or purportedly set?

What stories lie behind the names of your characters? Or what qualities are they to represent?

Why are the places in your novel called what they are called? What languages are dead and what peoples did they represent?

What words are new to this world and what political/cultural shifts do those words hint at?

What accents exist in this world? How does that change how people see each other? What political and cultural differences come with different accents? Why are certain accents seen as privileged and others not? What words do people use to describe favorable/unfavorable accents?

What misunderstandings occur because of different language use, either within the same language or across language?

What translators exist? What position do they hold in society and why?