Tag Archives: worldbuilding

Winter Is Here

Posted on November 12, 2012 by

It’s that time of year on the old homestead: the often drastic change of seasons, when it’s 90F/32C on Wednesday and 32F/0C by Sunday morning. Even in regions where the range isn’t quite so dramatic, there’s still a point at … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Animals, horses | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Invisible People

Posted on July 1, 2012 by

              A couple weeks back I made a post on what I think of as the bricolage theory of worldbuilding. In part that was in response to a post by Kate Elliott that comes … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Books and Reading, Culture, History, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , , | 29 Comments

History, Worldbuilding, and Bricolage

Posted on June 17, 2012 by

          Several people linked to Lev Grossman’s list of twenty things he’d like to see in fantasy novels. Discussion of lists like this can slow to a halt when writers pop up, issuing long comments about … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Books and Reading, Culture, fantasy, Genres, historical novels, History, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , , | 41 Comments

Worldbuilding with Horses: Urban Horsekeeping

Posted on June 11, 2012 by

In worlds and historical periods in which horses are a primary means of transport, they often coexist with cities. There’s a bit of a disconnect there. Large, herd-dwelling herbivore that evolved on and for steppe and tundra, that needs large … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Animals, Blogs, Book View Cafe, History, horses | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Horse-Human Interface

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

Here we are, a day late but not, we hope, a dollar short. Technical difficulties laid Book View Cafe low over the weekend, and then I had my own Fun With Computers. Whenever my brain is about to explode with … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Animals, Blogs, Book View Cafe, Culture, horses | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Worldbuilding with Horses: Personalities

Posted on April 2, 2012 by

There’s one trap the worldbuilder can fall into all too easily. It’s the same one Hollywood persistently falls into with genre films. The special effects take over, and nobody remembers that what really makes a story work is people. Soylent … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Animals, Blogs, Book View Cafe, horses | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Worldbuilding with Horses: Making the Magic Happen

Posted on March 19, 2012 by

I still have more to say about science-fictional horses, but I’ve promised the Kickstarter backers a go at that first if we make the next bonus tier, so this week we’re switching genres. Horses and magic have a long, long … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Animals, Blogs, Book View Cafe, fantasy, Genres, horses | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Worldbuilding With Horses: Ponies in Space!

Posted on March 5, 2012 by

Ha! Thought this would be all about fantasy and historicals (pre- included) and preindustrial societies, didn’t you? In the process of interacting with the public for my Kickstarter project, I’ve been riffing on (and offering to write a story about) … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Animals, Blogs, Book View Cafe, Genres, horses, science fiction, space opera | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Worldbuilding with Horses: Figurative Language

Posted on February 20, 2012 by

This post brought to you by my pet, Peeve. One of the things writers have to do when they’re writing in any world that is not right here, right now, their own culture and their own world view, is to … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Animals, Book View Cafe, Culture, horses, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Worldbuilding with Horses: The Human Element

Posted on February 6, 2012 by

The incorporation of horses into a world can do interesting things to the shape of a culture, right down to the way roads are built and the places where people either have or choose to live. But the effect can … Continue reading →


Share
Posted in Animals, Book View Cafe, Culture, History, horses, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments