Fantasy World Building Pt 1

Superb post on world building, with the patience of a saint! 🙂

Reece Dinn

There are a vast array of methods authors use to create the worlds, each one different from the other and suited to that particular person. There is no one, fool proof way. The only thing they all have in common is that building worlds takes time, a lot of time. If you’re aren’t willing to put the work in then the end result will most probably be an unconvincing, drab world that the reader can’t engage with. Detail is the key, if you don’t have detail then you don’t have a world.
Some authors use a preexisting, or ancient, civilisation as a template and then build from that, changing things to suit the kind of world they want to make, such as in Guy Gavriel Kay’s novel ‘Trigana’, which is based on the Roman Empire. Others focus on much smaller aspects first, a town or place, an institute like an…

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To edit or re-write? The folly of re-working old stories and novels.

Over the years, I've written an alarming amount of novels that I've never done anything with. They reside in Dropbox, dump drives, flash drives, etc, scattered and saved for the inevitable day when I decide, 'I'm bloody doing something with that'. The MA has prompted me to re-look at everything I've written, and has given … Continue reading To edit or re-write? The folly of re-working old stories and novels.

Audible – A Canticle for Leibowitz

Another six gym days week, another audiobook down. I was recommended this one by our tutor (the magnificent James Friel) for the MA Creative Writing course late last year, when we were discussing different sci-fi via email. I'd not heard of it, and kept hold of the email until such time as I was able … Continue reading Audible – A Canticle for Leibowitz

My scribblings and the MA Creative Writing at LJMU

At the moment, I'm currently studying semester 3 on an MA Creative Writing course, something which I wish I'd done decades ago. Okay decade ago, decades I was still doing adequately on my GCSEs. While I gained all my GCSEs and two A-Levels (Geology and Biology at a D - rock nerd!) I single-handedly left … Continue reading My scribblings and the MA Creative Writing at LJMU

Audible – Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, narrated by Peter Batchelor on Audible is the unabridged story of Samuel Pickwick, his servant, the amusing and witty Sam Weller, and a group of associates and friends (mainly Tupman, Snodgrass and Winkle), and the entertaining stories and tales that surround them. At 29 hours long, I initially found it a … Continue reading Audible – Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

Audible – Bladerunner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep)

Let's make no mistake, the Audible Bladerunner narrated by Scott Brick, is actually the unabridged version of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. If you're expecting the narrated version of the film, with moving speeches from Roy Batty and games of chess between Tyrell and Sebastian, you're in for a disappointment. Good news is, if … Continue reading Audible – Bladerunner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep)

Audible – reading books through your ears.

This morning, after 29 pleasurable hours listening, I finished Charles Dickens' novel, Pickwick Papers on Audible. In the past I've tried reading Dickens, and found it hard going, it's not a style that I can read very well, and because of this, I've never managed more than a couple of chapters before moving on to … Continue reading Audible – reading books through your ears.