Adventures in World-Building — Sophia L. Hansen

I learned a new word! That’s not terribly unusual for me, but getting acclimated to the new word is helping me learn how to pronounce its cousin. BONUS!

The new word is: Anatopism.

*An anatopism (from the* *Ancient Greek* *ἀνά, "against," and τόπος, "place") is something that is out of its proper place.*
*The* *concept* *of anatopism is less widely familiar than that of* *anachronism, perhaps because much that is anatopic is also anachronistic. Yet the distinction is a valid one; not all that is anatopic is necessarily also anachronistic.*
*The online* *Collins English Dictionary* *gives a* *synonym* *for "anatopism": anachorism (from* *Greek: ana- + khōros, "place"): "a geographical misplacement; something located in an incongruent position".*

Google it!

Seriously, when I want to learn something, I let my fingers do the walking. This time I typed, “What word refers to something that doesn’t make sense in a specific timeline, (anachronism,) but for a particular setting?”

When you’re creating an alternative world or timeline, it’s important to pay attention to these details. Nothing will boot your reader out of your story faster than including an anachronistic or anatopistic detail. Think wristwatch on one of the extras in Ben Hur. Or contrails over your favorite spaghetti western hero as he rides into town.

In this instance, it was realizing that I describe a water-dwelling character as having a “mop of hair.” Why would they use mop to describe anything when mops are anatopistic underwater?

Paying attention to these details will reveal that you’ve done your homework, and you care about the integrity of your work.