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Every once in a while, a team of astronomers discovers an Earth-sized planet orbiting its star equivalent to where Earth orbits the Sun. And popular science blogs go crazy, because – wow, that world could support life! It’s amazing… Or it would be, if life was as fickle as the writers of popular science blogs. Read more »
Creating your own language probably brings to mind Tolkien’s Elvish languages or Marc Okrand’s Klingon. Most of us, though, aren’t scholars and linguists like Tolkien and Okrand. Don’t worry. You don’t need to be to add some linguistic depth to your worldbuilding. Creating a relatively simple naming language can do the trick. Read more »
There are many tomes you can read to improve your skills; the worldbuilding skill is no exception. There’s one in particular I can personally vouch for: The Planet Construction Kit by Mark Rosenfelder. A Complete Guide to Worldbuilding Before I delve into the details, I … read more »
Magic is a cornerstone of fantasy. A good place to start when creating a magic system is to ask yourself some questions about how the magic works. Knowing the answers to the following questions is integral to building a cohesive world. Read more »
Mike, Oren, and Chris explore how science fiction is used to comment on contemporary issues. From dystopian novels to Vietnam War analogies, they share the stories that brought their message home, and deconstruct those that missed their mark. Read more »
Are you making a fantastic world, or an alternate Earth? Do you like it? In the words of a wise woman: you should put a ring on it. Well, maybe. As anyone with a non-single marital status can attest, rings have consequences. Read more »
The Mythcreant Podcast dabbles into the depths of worldbuilding. Dash discusses how she starts the process for new stories, and Mike puts some of his military history knowledge to work in spec fic. Plus examples from Star Trek and Discworld, laser catapults, and other short topics. Read more »
When it comes to worldbuilding, one of the first things that comes to mind are maps. Maps can aid worldbuilding as outlines do storytelling, giving us clear lines to work within and something solid to stand on. For most, maps are not just helpful, but … read more »