Fantasy writers like to talk about world building, but what do you do once the world has been built? One of the things I enjoy with fantasy is how it can transport me to a different world. A place that only exists in my mind. To achieve this, world building is important, but it’s also … Read more
It happens to all of us. A brilliant story idea takes root in your heart, soul, and mind. We spend day and night thinking about it, making up characters and dreaming up the setting. We imagine the magic system, the monsters, the battles. We frivolously scribble down the plot and create backstories for our characters. … Read more
This article is by by Cathy, the Overprepared GM, PsychoJuliet, Jaren J. Petty, and Cryssalia Noire, and is presented by Worldbuilding Magazine. Punk The mid-seventies saw the birth of a new artform, punk. It was a style, an ideology, and a way of life. It was a reaction to the peaceful acceptance of the hippie … Read more
This is Part 1 of our series on Writing as a Collaboration. As a speculative fiction writing team, the most common question we get asked, after, “where do you get your ideas?” is, “how does writing with three authors work?” Collaboration is not new in the speculative fiction world. Scan the shelves of your favorite … Read more
Limburg is a land of rolling hills and meandering streams, chock-full of old towns and villages. It is a land of castles, abandoned mines, Roman, Prussian and French remnants and ruins, all kept together by modern Dutch, German and Belgian buildings. It’s a peculiar hodge podge recipe of a whole bunch of ingredients I happen to … Read more
This is Part 3 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. Characteristics of a Hero The characteristics that you give your character are entirely up to you. The hero archetype does have some characteristics that are synonymous with the role, however. While you are not required to use all of them (or any of … Read more
This is Part 2 of the Mythic Guide to Heroes & Villains. The Hero Archetype An archetype, in simplified terms, is essentially a defining quality or qualities that summarize a character into a label. One of these is “hero.” The hero is an archetype for a character, as is the anti-hero, the villain, the mentor, … Read more
This article is by M.S. Jenkins, and is presented by Worldbuilding Magazine. The world is a dangerous place, especially for Roman politicians, Hellenistic kings, and babies; ironically all for the same reason. It may be hard to believe, but poison and venom use is archaeologically about as old as human society. Research suggests that early … Read more
Lights, camera, action. It’s time. You’ve written your novel almost to the end. You’ve ramped up the tension and excitement, and the fate of the entire world is at stake. The audience is waiting with bated breath for what’s to come. All that remains is to write the final showdown where your heroes vanquish the … Read more
We welcome you again to the world of speculative fiction, where there are no limits for what an individual can accomplish—except in the mind of the writer. Often, while we can create entire worlds out of our imaginations, stories of adventure and daring do have been limited to male characters, based on the belief that … Read more
