by Joseph Malik | Sep 23, 2016 | Worldbuilding
There was a wonderful demonstration at DragonCon this year where two guys took a mild steel helmet and used a hardened-steel helmet to literally turn it into a pancake. Check this out at 11:45. Now, as cool as this is, these guys miss a huge point during the...
by Joseph Malik | Sep 16, 2016 | Worldbuilding
So the question came up on KBoards as to how to address a king. I’m not going to give you a history lesson because I don’t write history. Well, not Earth history. How you address various ranks and levels of royalty in fantasy is totally up to you....
by Joseph Malik | Sep 7, 2016 | Worldbuilding
Today, I want to touch on the only thing in fantasy more divisive than elves. Prologues. Let me start by saying that I don’t hate prologues. At least, not categorically. In fact, I’m thrilled when I read a properly-written prologue, and yes, there is a...
by Joseph Malik | Aug 10, 2016 | Dragon's Trail, Worldbuilding
So, we were talking elves over on Mythic Scribes. Talk of elves always brings up talk of cliches. Cliches fuel fantasy, particularly the pulp fantasy market. It is possible — and apparently lucrative — to take a bunch of fantasy cliches, and hammer them...
by Joseph Malik | Jul 25, 2016 | Writing Craft
This started out as a forum post on Mythic Scribes, but a few days later the exact same issue came up on KBoards: “You guys always say ‘study the craft,’ but what does that mean, exactly?” I have had the following conversation with so many...
