Fantasy Writing Category
The Writer’s Guide to Medieval Armies
Posted on April 29, 2022 53 Comments
When you ask a reader for their favorite scene in a book it is often a battle. From the despair and deliverance of Helm’s Deep to the brutality of the Battle of the Blackwater to the desperation of the Battle of Hogwarts, nothing has quite the power of a battle to get our hearts pounding […]
Writer’s Deep Dive: The Black Hoffmann
Posted on April 15, 2022 6 Comments
Our third and final female warrior in this series is one that you have probably never heard of. Yet she played a small but vital role in a standoff of ideals in medieval Europe. Now, let’s dive in! The Basics The life of a 16th century peasant was harsh, and this was especially true in […]
The Writer’s Guide to Women on the Battlefield
Posted on April 1, 2022 6 Comments
When you find historical mentions of women on the battlefield, it is usually in the role of nurse or support staff or as a grieving widow. On the rare occasion you find a female soldier, she is disguising her gender or relegated to a non-combat role, such as morale-booster or tactician. As writers, especially those […]
Writer’s Deep Dive: Joan of Arc
Posted on March 18, 2022 15 Comments
When you ask people for a list of famous women warriors, Joan of Arc is probably in the top five. She casts a long shadow over French history and the image of a woman leading an army into battle is a visceral one that has inspired many writers. Now, let’s dive in! The Basics Joan […]
The Writer’s Guide to Women in Single Combat
Posted on March 11, 2022 6 Comments
One of the most difficult positions a writer can put their female combatant is in a one-on-one fight or alone against multiple opponents. This is especially true if the attackers are bigger and stronger. Does that mean that a woman will lose every one of these fights? Absolutely not! There are women throughout history, including […]
Writer’s Deep Dive: Boudica
Posted on March 4, 2022 1 Comment
One of the greatest tools and sources of inspiration that a writer has is history. The lives, actions, and motivations of historical people can be invaluable in shaping believable characters. As part of my series on female warriors, I will be sharing the stories of several formidable women. Today, we start with Boudica Now, let’s […]
The Writer’s Guide to Women in Combat
Posted on February 25, 2022 3 Comments
Writers have had a fascination with women warriors for centuries. The ancient Greeks wrote about the Amazons, a fierce tribe of female fighters. The main event in many Roman gladiatorial games were the gladiatrices, female gladiators. In our modern stories, we have quite the league of combat heroines, such as Eowyn, Arya, Katniss, and Wonder […]
Writer’s Deep Dive: Horse Bits
Posted on February 18, 2022 1 Comment
Most people know that the primary way that a horse is steered is by using a bit. However, there is a lot more to it. Now, let’s dive in! The Basics First, the bit is not the only way a rider communicates with their horse. Weight shifts, leg cues, verbal commands, and sometimes whip cues […]
The Writer’s Guide to Ecclesiastical Titles
Posted on February 11, 2022 6 Comments
Besides royalty and nobility, members of the clergy also have a rich history of titles and forms of address. Since religion, especially Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, played such a large part in European society throughout much of history, it is important for a writer who is setting their story in this period or one drawing […]
The Writer’s Guide to Noble Titles
Posted on January 28, 2022 110 Comments
Today I will cover the titles and forms of address for members of the nobility. Collectively, the nobles of a country or kingdom are known as the peerage. There was a strict pecking order within the peerage during much of European history and it still exists in a form today in the United Kingdom and […]
Rebecca Shedd - Author 