The real test of a civilization is not just its laws, but how its laws are put into practice. Criminal law is one aspect, of course: does the society care […]
Read moreCategory: culture
Worldbuilding: From the Neolithic to the Agricultural
Progressing from my initial ideas of bottom-up worldbuilding, once you’ve established your geography, your basic flora and fauna, and then had your people rise up and spread throughout the world, […]
Read moreWorldbuilding and the Challenges of the Cosmopolitan City
So, I’ve finally begun the work on The Little East (aka the sequel to A Murder of Mages) in earnest. Without delving too deep into spoilers, it deals with investigations […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Columbian Exchange in Secondary Worlds
Many of the worlds you’ll build will have multiple continents, and if you’re doing things correctly, each of those continents will have their own biodiversity. Each one will have its […]
Read morePerils of the Writer/Worldbuilding: Avoiding the Chakotay Problem
I’ve talked before about worldbuilding and the challenges of just doing a copy-and-paste of Earth cultures, which, of course, you don’t want to do. Draw inspiration from real-world cultures? Sure. […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: A Glance Under the Hood
So, last week, I shared a map and some worldbuilding details for one of the nations in the world I’ve been building, and opened the floor for questions. The questions […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Cultural Rituals and Coming of Age
I just turned 40, and my son just turned 13, which has me thinking of significant milestones and coming of age. We make a big deal out of turning 40, […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Art and Culture in the Fantasy World
The most fundamental way to define a culture is through its art. Geography, food, religion, technology and government are critical as well, of course, but none of those quite get […]
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