I’m a big believer in research as a key part of writing, regardless of what you write. It’s funny, because I’ve heard people– in talking about writing fantasy or sci-fi– […]
Read moreCategory: worldbuilding
Worldbuilding: Levels of Industry in Fantasy
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 moreWorldbuilding: Verisimilitude in Constructed Languages
I won’t pretend that Constructed Languages aren’t a lot of work. To really get into it, to do every element of it, you have to love it. And if you […]
Read moreCreative Outlets That Aren’t Writing
One can’t just pound out words for eight hours a day, five days a week. Well, maybe some people can, but I sure can’t. So what else do I do […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: 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 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 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: 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. […]
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