Forum Discussion

ck213's avatar
ck213
Seasoned Scout
6 years ago

Which word form are you most comfortable with?

Long ago I wrote a story centered on the Supernatural expansion pack.
I referred to my fairy character as a Faery because I liked the archaic form. Even the Supernatural marketing made references to the Fae.

But throughout the story, I was always concerned if Faery was annoyingly unfamiliar to my readers. No one complained, but I would hate to have someone read a full series and struggle with it. I am asking because I am working on a project and have to chose between fairy and faery.
  • I've seen "Faerie" and don't mind it but "Faery" bothers me for some reason. I still prefer "Fairy" over all of them, it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when authors seek out the most obscure way to spell words or names in order to make them stand out more. But you should do whatever it is you want to do, as it's your story.
  • ck213's avatar
    ck213
    Seasoned Scout
    "Cupid;c-17065581" wrote:
    I've seen "Faerie" and don't mind it but "Faery" bothers me for some reason. I still prefer "Fairy" over all of them, it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when authors seek out the most obscure way to spell words or names in order to make them stand out more. But you should do whatever it is you want to do, as it's your story.


    Yeah, it being bothersome concerns me.
    I am more concerned with my readers. I am sure they would get used to it over time, but I wouldn't want anyone to have to get use to a word that is being used so much, no matter how much I like it. :)

    Thanks to everyone who participates. :)
  • Fairy of the two but Faerie more so than either. I am fine with any option though. All are familiar to me.
  • ck213's avatar
    ck213
    Seasoned Scout
    I think I know how I will approach this.
    My fairy is living in the human world, so all humans will use "fairy".

    Other fairies from the faerie kingdom will make an appearance, so they will use the archaic form when referring to themselves.
    Perfect! :)

    Thanks everyone.