World building: Scale

World building: Scale

The scale of a world is an interesting facet to explore. Is the world of the book the normal everyday or does it delve into a microcosm, or travel across the universe? Variations on scale can create and define a

World building: Deserts

World building: Deserts

Humans continually modify much of the environment in order to make it more comfortable to live. Yet many places still exist on Earth and our Solar system that are dangerous and uninhabitable by humans, at least for the long term.

Worldbuilding: Clothing maketh the character

Worldbuilding: Clothing maketh the character

If you write a story about people or most aliens, then they will need to be wearing something to cover all the naughty bits. But what does their choice of body coverings and accessories say about them? Or you as

Making a hero

Making a hero

Often we read to escape- but sometimes we find ourselves. In genre fiction, the novels of science fiction, fantasy and historical authors build a world where readers can travel to imaginary worlds, marvel and be lost to the present day.

World building: Downtime

World building: Downtime

Summer holidays last forever, especially if you are a child – or indeed a parent. Weeks and weeks of sun drenched days with no planned activities. Sounds marvelous? But how are these to read about? Endless descriptions of sunsets or

World building: Celebrations

World building: Celebrations

Woo who – lets have a party! Said every human in every culture since the dawn of time. There are more festivals and things to celebrate than there are days in the year, so the human race is definitely one

Twisted History

althist

The sub genre that is Alternate History has – naturally – an illustrious history! But what is it? I’ll quote the wiki entry on the definition: “The Collins English Dictionary defines alternative history as “a genre of fiction in which the author

World building: Water

World building: Water

Water is the universal solvent, enabling life on Earth, and dissolving the hardest rock to soil over time. It can be the lightest mist, a cloud scudding across a sky so blue it hurts your heart. A mighty torrent of

World building: Landscapes

World building: Landscapes

Often the favourite part of a fantasy book is the map. A land of the imagination, full of cities with strange names, mountain passes guarded by trolls or otherworldly creatures, deserts of unending pain, oceans teeming with mermaids and sea