Entries Categorized as 'Tips & Tools'

Turn your Dungeons and Dragons campaign into a novel

Filed under Tips & Tools on June 4, 2008
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Never submit a story to a market without reading the submission guidelines first. It’s also important to read work previously published in that market so you can get an idea of what types of stories the editors like. I always do the former, but tend to neglect the latter unless samples are offered online.
I was [...]

Building a fantasy fiction world: magic

Filed under Tips & Tools on May 30, 2008
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If you haven’t read my previous posts on building a fantasy fiction world, you’ve missed out on discussions about using geography to support your story, integrating the history of your fantasy world without resorting to large information dumps, and creating dynamic inter-character relationships by developing cultural factors like race, religion, government and social mores. Of [...]

Building a fantasy fiction world: cultures

Filed under Tips & Tools on May 29, 2008
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Now that you’ve determined the geography of your fantasy world and developed its history, it’s time to create the cultures that exist therein. “Cultures” really means people, and includes factors such as races, religions, forms of government, and social mores that define who they are. These topics all shape how the inhabitants of your fantasy [...]

Building a fantasy fiction world: history

Filed under Tips & Tools on May 28, 2008
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All life is created, and must, therefore, have a creator. Jord created the world and filled it with life. Then He created the Nefilum as stewards over the world. The Nefilum rebelled against their task, however, and turned to the worship of demons, seeking dominion over the natural world. Jord was grieved, but He could [...]

Building a fantasy fiction world: geography

Filed under Tips & Tools on May 27, 2008
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Fantasy worlds take all shapes and sizes. The physical landscape of your story’s setting plays a large part in its uniqueness. Creating fantastical geography involves more than just drawing maps, however.
Determine the Scope
Building an entire fantasy world can be daunting, and unnecessary. No need to create entire continents if your hero will only be gallivanting [...]