Inspired by the Mayans: Revolutionary Writing Method of Ethnography
There’s so much in our world that can help develop our creative minds. Today is all about the study of ethnography and how it relates to writing.
Dungeons and Dragons Study: World Building and Collaboration
We can learn from anyone and anything. Today’s study is on the well-loved roleplay game Dungeons and Dragons.
Learning Character Development and Storytelling from Rapper NF
In this artist study, we explore how rapper NF exemplifies character development and storytelling with his life and music.
Environmental Landscape: Descriptions and Terminology
Forever ago, I posted about how to build a world and how to create new plants and animals. While creating is fun, some real life climates don’t hurt. Actual landscapes bring the reader into the story and give them a frame of reference for the scenery. But every landscape has different traits. Maybe you have an environment that lacks water, or a forest teeming with life and danger. With a little research, I’ve gathered terminology to help color your world in a descriptive landscape.
Hydroponics: Plant Life in Water
Been talking a lot about plants and pastures, and the question on everyone’s mind is probably why (at least, it’s the question on my mom’s mind). Writers research the strangest things for the purpose of developing a world and characters that feel real. It doesn’t matter how fictional the story; a little reality engages readers that much more. So when I write a post about hydroponics, it’s for all the writers like me who decided they wanted a planet made of metal.
Plant Basics: Pastures and Plant Life for Writing
In my quest to create realistic landscapes on unknown worlds, I found myself deep diving into the basics of farm life. Seems weird (hence why it’s in “random research”), but learning about plant life and how it works in our world offers many insights in how to create exotic plant life with believable ecosystems.
I explored a lot more into plants than I thought humanly possible. And there’s still more to learn. Gonna have posts about other growing methods like hydroponics and a few word lists related to plants and landscapes, but this should help give you a basic idea of how a farm traditionally would operate. I mainly looked into pastures, though found myself digging a little into crops and compost. Hopefully this snippet helps make your story that much more realistic and relatable while the dragons attack.
Castles 101: A Guide to Medieval Construction
My favorite part about fantasy has to be the castles. I don’t normally use them, but I love the idea of tall towers, grated gates, and a massive palace. I did write one story with a castle; it didn’t quite go the way I hoped. While castles can be amazing on the outside, the inside can be a maze of halls that lead to nowhere if not written correctly. That’s what happened to mine, nonsense encased in stone blocks.
Writer’s Guide to Authentic Weapons in Storytelling
This might be shocking, but I’m a huge fan of weaponry. No, I’m not a violent person and have never fired a gun before. However, when I write, I imagine fight scenes. The close calls with bullets. The nicks from swords. Bleeding wounds. Dripping steel. Weapons add a layer of intensity… when used correctly.
In The Art of Magic, I went into some combat techniques and weaknesses in regards to magic and magical weapons. Ignoring magic, there’s tons of weapons to choose from with many different pros and cons that must be accounted for. Otherwise, the story will fall apart because a sword can’t split bone or a hammer would leave more than a bruise. So, here’s a collection of weaponry and the troubles most writers face based on the findings of Rayne Hall in Writing Fight Scenes. Note: might be a little gory.
Writer’s List of Medieval Clothing and Materials for Fantasy
Perhaps my favorite part about writing fiction, whether it be fantasy or science fiction, is the clothing. I can imagine the regal wear of kings and the stylish yet agile garments of warriors. Yet whenever my pencil meets paper, all I can come up with to describe such intricate clothing is shirt and slacks. Not very interesting. Same thing with drapery or furniture; what colors make sense? What materials exist other than cotton?