A lot of fantasy writers draw inspiration from medieval Europe - or what they think is medieval Europe. This means kings with absolute authority, dirty peasants, shifty merchants, grubby towns and - besides a handful of inept town guards who seem to work directly for the king or local lord - a total lack of… Continue reading Inspiration: How Medieval Towns Worked
Category: Worldbuilding
Three Basic Rules For Mapmaking
You may have heard by now that I make maps. I've made dozens of them at this point, so I've learned a few things. I wanted to share a couple of basic ways to make your maps look more realistic and unique. I use the word 'rules,' but these aren't hard and fast, iron-cast laws… Continue reading Three Basic Rules For Mapmaking
A Different Way To Do Borders in Fantasy
If you know me at all, you'll know I draw a lot of maps. That's actually how I make my living. I've seen dozens and dozens of them - from sketches that people send to me to maps I look up when I'm trying to learn a new style. Lord of The Rings has no… Continue reading A Different Way To Do Borders in Fantasy
Creating Interesting Post-Apocalyptic Countries
For no reason at all related to current events, I've been thinking about post-apocalyptic settings recently. In a lot of post-apoc fiction, the focus isn't on the apocalypse itself. Most of the time, it sits in the background: sometimes it's ancient history, and sometimes it's been forgotten about entirely. The Hunger Games is a kind… Continue reading Creating Interesting Post-Apocalyptic Countries
Why Warhammer’s Monsters Work (For Heroic Fantasy)
If you know Warhammer, you probably know it because of the very successful tabletop game. Newer fans might know it from the Total War: Warhammer series of video games. If you've been around a while, you might have found it through its fiction. I found it through the tabletop game, but I stayed for the… Continue reading Why Warhammer’s Monsters Work (For Heroic Fantasy)
How To Write Fantasy Creatures
We all want to make our readers marvel at the detail and beauty of the worlds we create, and one of the best ways to do this is to show the daily lives of the people who live there. In a rural setting, most of their lives will be dominated by farming crops and rearing… Continue reading How To Write Fantasy Creatures
Why Skyrim’s Intro Is Actually Excellent
I'm starting a new blog series about worldbuilding. I'm going to use examples of good and bad worldbuilding to teach you how to make better worlds in your own writing. And since I've recently been on a Skyrim high, we're going to start there. Skyrim's intro gets a lot of flack from the gaming community… Continue reading Why Skyrim’s Intro Is Actually Excellent
Dewi Hargreaves 