The nobility of medieval Europe is often confusing, especially when trying to decipher a thousand years of change and competing systems that sometimes changed rapidly and in other places had contradictory rules depending on who you were. It can be a headache to decipher and sometimes as a writer I just want a simple answer. … Continue reading A guide to the noble titles of medieval Europe for writers
High fantasy tends to feature a lot of nobles. More often than not, authors pull inspiration from the feudal and courtly nobility of medieval Europe. However, honestly, it can be confusing to research with so many conflicting traditions, not to mention how they changed over time too. As a result, fantasy sometimes leans on not … Continue reading A guide to nobility, for fantasy writers
Fantasy has a fascinating array of alternative words for wand. Interestingly, many of the words are used in different way to their dictionary definitions and I've found it hard to find much information. So I put together my own list of definitions I've learned from years of reading fantasy and mythology. There aren't as many … Continue reading Alternative Words for Wand
Fairy lore has become one of my favourite things to research, and I have also been enjoying the breadth of portrayals of Faeries / Fairies in pop culture. It made me come back to an old topic that most people in the English speaking world (and many beyond it) probably know, to ask a question. … Continue reading Why does iron hurt fairies?
I love creating pantheons. I've made enough of them over time, and when worldbuilding, it is near the top of my list of worldbuilding essentials. Right after magic systems. But I've sat there scratching my head more than once, questioning what different types of gods are absolutely essential for a pantheon. There are certain types … Continue reading 11 Different Types of Gods in Mythology
I stumbled upon the Decopunk genre a few years ago. I absolutely adore art deco, even though we don’t see very much of it here in Australia. Decopunk takes a leap further with the aesthetic, and reimagines the clean, geometric lines and classical imagery of art deco as science fiction. “Dieselpunk but shiny” is what … Continue reading What is Decopunk? A subversive art deco genre!
Myths are one of the most important parts of worldbuilding. Cultures use myths to explain the causes of natural phenomena, ascribe the meaning of words, or just to entertain. I almost always start writing myths early in my worldbuilding, because I find them the perfect way to explore what my cultures think about. A creation … Continue reading Myths: 5 Tips To Write better Mythology
Today, we are discussing Orcs. Stock fantasy species get a bad rap lately. It can be the first thing you want to do when you start a new fantasy world: Reinvent the wheel. Or in this case, reinvent the elf. But these races have an interesting history that makes them a useful writing tool. The … Continue reading How To Make Orcs Interesting and Unique
Ever since cyberpunk took off, people have loved adding the word punk to genres. I'm planning to write a post on the why, and should we? of this phenomenon. But first, for the confused layman, I'm going to lay out the different types of punk genre you can find around! Links provided in this blog … Continue reading Different punk: A to Z of punk genres
Introducing your world, and writing that elevator pitch, is a really hard step to take. You know your world better than anyone, but sometimes that can make it even harder. Which parts are important? How do you sum up all the things you've made quickly and without overwhelming readers? Even if you're writing for fun, … Continue reading Introducing Your World and Writing Elevator Pitches