Fantasy Writing Category

The Worldbuilder’s Toolkit: Deserts

Deserts may seem lifeless at a glance, but they pulse with stories waiting to be told. These harsh, arid landscapes are more than just stretches of sand or cracked earth. They’re crucibles that shape resilient cultures, drive innovation, and influence every aspect of survival. Whether you’re building a vast sci-fi world or a mythic fantasy […]

Read More

The Worldbuilder’s Toolkit: Mountain Ranges

I will do a deep dive into the topics that I covered in my world building series two years ago. This article is the first in a new series on geography and topography. Mountain ranges have always been alluring to writers and storytellers. They are places of mystery, beauty, and danger where one can feel […]

Read More

The Writer’s Guide to Realistic Healing Timelines and Scarring

In fiction, injuries often happen at the speed of plot. A hero is impaled one day and sword-fighting the next. A broken arm is forgotten by chapter three. But realistic recovery doesn’t just make your story believable, it deepens emotion, develops character, and adds tension through limitation. Healing takes time. It also leaves traces, not […]

Read More

The Writer’s Guide to Healing Herbs and Other Treatments

Before antiseptics, antibiotics, and modern surgery, healers relied on the natural world to treat wounds and illnesses. Herbs, roots, resins, and animal products formed the foundation of medicine from ancient Egypt through the 19th century, and they still appear in fantasy, historical, and even post-apocalyptic fiction. When written accurately, herbal medicine can lend authenticity to […]

Read More

The Writer’s Guide to the Long-term Effects of Injuries

When a character survives an injury in fiction, that’s often where the story ends. The hero limps off into the sunset or awakens in a hospital bed, battered but triumphant. Yet for real people, recovery doesn’t stop when the bleeding does. It continues for months or years afterward. The long-term effects of injury – chronic […]

Read More