Recent content by Featured Author

Featuredauthor submitted a new blog post: Writing Neurodivergent Characters in Fantasy This article is by Emma Lammers. Author’s note: neurodivergent is term used to refer to people whose neurological functions differ from the norm because of an innate or acquired condition. Examples of...

Aldarion submitted a new blog post: Building a Fantasy Army — Weapons & Tactics This article is by Toni Šušnjar. In Antiquity and early the Middle Ages, the main weapon was the spear. Only a few exceptions appeared: Roman legions, which used javelins instead, and Macedonian pike phalanx...

Aldarion submitted a new blog post: Building a Fantasy Army — Recruitment & Logistics This article is by Toni Šušnjar. Recruitment and Numbers The most basic style of recruitment is that of a local militia – rural or urban – where a portion or all of the free men take up arms. Militiamen...

Aldarion submitted a new blog post: Building a Fantasy Army — Strategy & Organization This article is by Toni Šušnjar. Strategy and Enemies The structure of an army will depend on the strategy, as strategy will determine the army's role and tasks. A state which carries out expansion...

Aldarion submitted a new blog post: Building a Fantasy Army — Environment & Society This article is by Toni Šušnjar. Warfare and military are an integral part of much of ancient and medieval fantasy. This is no surprise: warfare was a key element in development of society and of history...

Featured author submitted a new blog post: Faith-Based Fantasy This article is by Lynea Youmans. Faith-based fantasy. A sub-genre of its greater counterpart. There are many books that align with this genre, but do we ever hear of them or clear out the figurative shelves when they go on sale...

Aldarion submitted a new blog post Fantasy and Monarchy This article is by Toni Šušnjar. Monarchy is the most usual governing system found in fantasy. While this is often presented as problematic by democrats, it is actually a) very logical, b) practical and c) much less problematic than...

Eleanor Konik submitted a new blog post: Civilizations Thrive in Adverse Environments This article is by Eleanor Konik. The earliest human civilizations arose in conditions that were favorable for agriculture. Ancient river valley cultures gave rise to some of history’s longest-lasting and...

Featured Author submitted a new blog post: An Overview of Fictional Travel This article is by Zaivy Luke-Aleman, and is presented by Worldbuilding Magazine. Transportation can reveal the quality of life, stage of development, and interconnection between cultures in your setting. Like all...

Featured Author submitted a new blog post: Hush: The Role of Secret Societies in Revolutions This article is by Seán Gray, and is presented by Worldbuilding Magazine. Revolutions and secret societies have long shared a connection. Whether through military action or fostering divergent...

Eleanor Konik submitted a new blog post: Deity as Celebrity — Crafting a Myth Cycle This article is by Eleanor Konik. Gods in Myth Creating a myth cycle is one of the hardest and most exciting parts of worldbuilding. I've written previously about how to frame a myth cycle around a war, but...

Aldarion submitted a new blog post: Basics of Heraldry This article is by by Toni Šušnjar. Distinctive personal insignia on shields had been used to identify warriors in battle since 800 BC in Phrygia. But this insignia was not heraldry as it was not hereditary (familial). Heraldry appeared...

Featured author submitted a new blog post: Storming the Bastille This article is by B.K. Bass and is presented by Worldbuilding Magazine. “Certainement qui est en droit de vous rendre absurde est en droit de vous rendre injuste.” (“Certainly anyone who has the power to make you believe...

Aldarion submitted a new blog post: Map Building for Fantasy Writers This article is by by Toni Šušnjar. Map building is perhaps the basis of fantasy, epic fantasy in particular. JRR Tolkien once wrote, "I wisely started from the map, and made the story fit" (1 2). George Martin, aside from...

featuredauthor submitted a new blog post: Building Systems of Tanistry This article is by Seán Gray, and is presented by Worldbuilding Magazine. Fiction is overflowing with kings and queens, galactic empires, and bloodlines bursting with hidden power. History, too, is replete with important...