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 moreCategory: Druthal
The Long Journey of the Writer
My thirties are coming to a close, officially this Sunday. So, needless to say, I’m getting a little introspective. But when I think about what my thirties were to me, […]
Read morePerils of the Writer: Balancing the Gender Imbalance
So, in the past month I finally got around to reading the Hunger Games trilogy. As I’ve said before, I don’t read as much as I should, or more to […]
Read moreEverything You Wanted To Know About Worldbuilding
Some time ago, I posted links to my various Worldbuilding posts. I’ve written quite a lot more of them since then, so it was high time to reorganize. It occurs […]
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 […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Great Forces of History
We present the following not as a matter of law, to be debated by a council of lords or ignored by a monarch, but as a matter of truth: the […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Complexity in the Political Landscapes
As part of Way of the Shield, I’ve been delving deeper into the politics of Druthal. In doing so, I’m taking into account the same thing I said about strawmen […]
Read moreHoliday Special Worldbuilding: Religious Texts
Given that it’s Christmas eve, I’m not devoting a lot of time to today’s blog. I’m sure you understand. But I was thinking about religious texts, and how they inform […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Mapping in 4-D
There’s a neat little video out there that shows the various political shifts in Europe over the course of a thousand years. It’s the sort of thing you have to […]
Read moreVisual Influences and the Failure of Words
Every writer has their weak points. Visual descriptions is definitely one of mine, I’ll own that. I can muddle my way through describing people and clothing all right. In those […]
Read more