The Archduchy of Maradaine, in northwestern Druthal, lies between the Maradaine River and the Patyma river, with the Itasan Canal marking its eastern border. The Archduchy of Maradaine has three […]
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Perils of the Writer: Real World Politics and SF/F
I don’t usually bring up real-world politics here. But it’s been drumming around the circle for a while now, so I might as well address it. I might be something […]
Read moreWorldbuilding, Food and Regionalism
Here are some choice passages from the intro of a book that most people probably wouldn’t think of in terms of worldbuilding, especially fantasy/sci-fi worldbuilding: In bald terms, terroir refers […]
Read moreSeanan McGuire and other heroes in the writing world
So, I’ve been doing deeper research into DAW over the past few months, for obvious reasons, and learning more about the other people who write for DAW. It’s a pretty […]
Read moreFantasy Writing, and How It Looks from the Outside
So, the other day I was at physical therapy for my broken foot*, and at the next table the patient was trying to explain Game of Thrones to his therapist. […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: History is a Process of Change
One thing I’ve noticed reading fantasy fiction is the notion of stability: that people or nations stay more or less locked for centuries, if not millennia. This is, of course, […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Laws, Rights and the Wheels of Justice
Yesterday, I was summoned for jury duty. This meant I arrived as required, along with twenty-three other people, sat around for a bit, and then had a clerk, a judge […]
Read moreArmadilloCon Writers Workshop 2014
ArmadilloCon is now three months away, so I figured it was high time to turn up the signal on this year’s workshop. If you are a genre writer looking to […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Culture and Rituals of Class Difference
A few months ago I witnessed something that is an uncommon occurrence in the States. I was waiting in our favorite local Thai restaurant for our take-out order to be […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: The Broad Strokes and the Fine Details
I’ve made little secret of the fact that I’m a worldbuilding completist, though even I have a limit of what “completist”would actually mean. For example, in my Banshee setting, […]
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