Today I’m delighted to introduce fellow writer and historical fiction lover, Jack Shannon. Jack approached me with the idea for an article on the links between historical fiction and fantasy and I found myself in complete agreement. For fantasy writers, there’s much to be learned from historical fiction, from weaponry, armour and battle tactics, to …
Historical Fiction and Fantasy: Learning From The Past Read More »
Writing fantasy can so often leave you caught up in a web of your own making. Most fantasy involves a secondary world, that is a world different from our own. Granted, it doesn’t have to be totally original, but it raises the question: how different should we make it? Should we scrap everything we know and play God and build from scratch? Should we shape and morph things that already exist? Or should we keep what everyone finds familiar?
These questions can be asked when it comes to inventing anything for our worlds, but one such area in which it’s particularly prevalent is with language. In this new world of ours, does everyone speak the same language?
Dros Delnoch, Pelennor Fields, Julatsa, the Battle of the Bastards, Helms Deep. These are just some of the most iconic battles in fantasy. The writers of these epic clashes knew a thing or two about warfare, and this post aims to give you some research to aid your creation of the compelling and gripping clashes fantasy fans love so much.
To gain an insight into the role and lives of the lords of the Middles Ages we’ll first take a brief look at the reign of King Richard II, otherwise known as Richard the Tyrant. From there we’ll turn our focus to the world of barons, the individuals who held almost unlimited power over the land granted to them by the king.
