Fantasy fiction, when it comes to technology and industry, typically has two settings: Medieval and Steampunk. Rarely do things deviate from those two, unless it’s “urban fantasy”, in which it’s […]
Read moreCategory: fantasy
Worldbuilding: Building Blocks and Lists
I’ve talked before about the importance of understanding how agriculture and domestication of animals influences the building of societies. Cultures don’t move past hunter-gather stages without domesticating animals and mastering […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Putting the Civil in Civilization
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 moreWorldbuilding: Magic, Sorcery and Witchcraft
Magic is usually an integral part of any secondary fantasy world. That tends to be the thing that makes it a “fantasy world”, rather than just some form of alternate […]
Read moreTen Books That Stuck With Me
Earlier this week, I got tagged over on Facebook with that “list ten books that stuck with you” meme, and I listed ten books with little additional commentary, save to […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: 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: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
As an old school D&D person, one of the things I loved about the old Monster Manual was that it wasn’t just a listing of monsters and their combat stats. […]
Read moreWorldbuidling: Mage Circles and the Professional Mage
So, as I’m currently hip-deep in editing A Murder of Mages, one aspect I’m weaving in there is further explanation of Mage Circles, which is a crucial part of how […]
Read moreCurrent Projects and Writing Process Baton Pass
So, there’s a blog-hop thing going on about current projects and writing process, which I was tagged on by Glynn Stewart, fellow client of Onyxhawke Agency and author of Starship’s […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: The March of Science in the Fantasy World
Today’s required reading: The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean. It’s a look at chemistry through the lens of history, The Disappearing Spoon talks about every element on the periodic table, […]
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