Worldbuilding
Speculative fiction presents authors with a truly dazzling array of environments for their settings. This week, we talk about some of those wonderlands and what value they add to the story. From the spooky forests of New England to the cratered surface of the moon, we … read more »
Building the history of your setting is a tricky business. It’s something even great authors struggle with, from Rowling to Tolkien. So it’s no surprise that Adrienne asked us this question: How do you create interesting histories for fictional worlds, whether they be fantasy or … read more »
Praise mighty Zeus, it’s time to talk about Greek mythology and its place in speculative fiction. For this task we bring on special guest Jim, who is perhaps the Iliad’s biggest fan. We discuss how accurately modern stories portray Greek mythology,* how the mythology has … read more »
Fantasy settings are usually some version of history with extra elements added. Those extra elements may be dragons, magic, firearms, or all of the above. Whatever’s added, it will change the setting in ways authors don’t always consider, which is why Brady sent us this question: … read more »
We scifi authors love to write stories about abandoning Earth and colonizing space. We also love to write scientifically plausible stories. This is a problem, because most stories about evacuating our home planet are wildly implausible. Most planetary evacuation scenarios don’t work for two main reasons. The … read more »
While the fantasy genre is rapidly growing beyond the limitations of medieval Europe, it is still historical almost by definition. Sometimes fantasy stories are literally set in our own world’s history, and sometimes they use history as inspiration. Either way, authors spend a lot of … read more »
Every story revolves around some type of conflict, but speculative fiction usually prefers physical fights. Yes, the sword is the queen, and hand-to-hand is king, but why not be a little creative? Let’s dive into the process of choosing the best weapon for your protagonist. Read more »
What’s this? We’ve fallen through a portal into some kind of strange podcast universe. Oh well, might as well talk about stories where a character is transported from the real world into a fantasy setting. This podcast is Wes’ first time as an official co-host, … read more »
Most worldbuilding mistakes we see over and over again come from lazy storytellers who create worlds as an afterthought. But a few mistakes persist even in worlds built with considerable time and effort. These are mistakes of oversight: the worldbuilder just didn’t remember to think about everything … read more »
Hate it or love it, none can doubt the beauty of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. He was one of those minds ahead of his time. He took fantasy “way too seriously,” sometimes overshadowing his “real” work as a philologist. Now, a hundred years after he wrote his … read more »
