Elements of World Building – People

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Photo credit: Rufino at Wikimedia Commons

I read once that, unless described, a fictional character is often visualized as having the same features as the person imagining him.

That means that if you’re white, you see the character as being white, and similarly for if you’re coloured.

It’s strange because, even though I am of African decent, whenever I start a new fantasy novel I always imagine all the characters as being white. This is probably due to growing up watching fantasy movies that have been dominated by white Hollywood actors. Conan the Barbarian (the 1982 version), Red Sonja, Clash of the Titans (again, the 1981 version) were all full of white characters.

And then there were the fairy tales that my young impressionable mind absorbed: Jack and the Bean Stalk, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast. You see where I’m going here.

Single-Race Fantasy

Because fantasy is based […]

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Mining Gyegan’s Ring

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Photo Credit: Fernando de Gorocica at Wikimedia Commons

When my Facebook writing group Skywriters announced that they were doing an anthology themed around rings, at first I wasn’t interested.

I always found this theme-based style of writing too restricted. I prefer to write where my imagination takes me, not the other way around.

So I ignored the invitation, but somewhere in my mind, my imagination played with the idea, dissecting it, turning the pieces over, until one night inspiration came streaming. I decided to offer a story of my own.

I came up with a red gas giant, unnamed at the time. Surrounding this planet is a ring of dust, rocks, and ice. People must go there for some reason, but the environment is dangerous.

Then I started to write, and after several drafts and help from Skywriters, I created Mining Gyegan’s Ring. Here’s the basic idea of […]

Posted in: Stories

Skywriters Ring Anthology: Short Story Collection

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Skywriters Ring Anthology

Magical rings, asteroid rings, wedding rings, rings with special inscriptions. The Skywriters Ring Anthology is full of magic and adventure.

This collection contains ring-themed stories from Skywriters, ranging from a wife receiving a ring engraved with a message from her husband when he emigrates to America, to an asteroid ring miner who must survive an attack from giant intergalactic spiders.

Content

There are nine stories in all, including one from myself:

For Eve – S. J. Henderson
Artifacts – Ann Stanley
The Legend of the Vanished Isle – Katie Hamer
Alaskan Run – Eleanor M. Huteson
Mining Gyegan’s Ring – Jevon Knights
Heirlooms – Sherma Webbe Clarke
This Too Shall Pass – Mirel Abeles
The Red Ring – J. E. M. Hall
The Mirror – Joy Collado

The collection was published by Skywriter chief James Hall, and I think he did an excellent job.

And interestingly, thanks to him, along with my contribution, I […]

Posted in: Stories

2017 Writing Resolutions

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Image courtesy of krishna arts at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So long, 2016.

It feels like it flew by in just a couple months. I know I say this every year, but this is the year I’m going to publish that debut novel.

Now something like that is easy to say. So in order to get things going, here’s a little recap and how I plan on accomplishing my goal.

Writing Progress

If you’ve been following along for a while, then you know that I’ve been working on two ebooks: the short story collection Chronicles of the Cursed Crown, and the main novel Guardian of the Cursed Crown.

Progress has been slow, but I did hit a milestone.

Last year I sent the short story collection to my editor Jesse, and he already responded with his comments. Then I started revising the main novel.

This year I plan to pick up my revising […]

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5 Great 2016 Christmas Gifts for that Geek in Your Life

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Image courtesy of Graphics Mouse at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So you’ve got a geek in your life. Maybe it’s your spouse, maybe a brother or sister, or maybe your child. You know they like science fiction fantasy, but what kind of Christmas present does that translate into exactly?

Well you’re in luck. Fortunately, being an expert geek myself, I’ve got some ideas for you.

Here are 5 great 2016 Christmas gifts for that geek in your life.

Logitech Harmony All-in-One Remote

Logitech Harmony All-in-One Remote ($141.41)

At any point in time, I’m juggling at least four remotes. There’s a remote to control the tv, a remote to control the cable box, a remote to control the laptop, a remote to control the wife.

Ok, maybe not the wife, but the point is that it gets old pretty fast. And just one misplaced remote […]

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Vikings Season 4 part 2 Prep – Part 1 Character Recap

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History Channel’s Vikings

Vikings has returned with season 4 part 2 this week, and I’m excited.

I’m not sure why History Channel split the season in 2 parts like that, but I’m not judging.

I’m just glad to get back into some European-raiding action. Nothing gets the testosterone flowing like awesome-bearded savages hacking away at each other (on tv, of course).

Not sure what all this excitement is about? Check out my post over at SFSignal explaining 5 reasons why you should be watching this series.

If you’re already a fan, then let’s prepare ourselves for Vikings season 4 part 2 by doing a recap of where these violent characters left off in part 1.

Rollo – the Saviour of Paris

Vikings: Rollo saves Paris

“Oh Rollo, if you truly knew what the gods had in store for you, you would go […]

Posted in: Movies

Elements of World Building – the Map

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The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion: Map

As a child playing jrpg’s like Final Fantasy or adventure games like Zelda, I’d always spend several minutes with the included map, gaping at the large continent and the smaller islands scattered over some imaginary ocean.

I loved looking at the mountains and rivers and villages, ancient ruins and mysterious caves, anxious to start my adventure as a character dropped off at some random point with nothing but a sword and a sack.

Even today, when I start reading a new fantasy novel, I obsess over that first page with the map of the world, trying to remember the locations of roads and cities that I’m certain the protagonist would visit.

So seeing that I have this passion, it surprises me that one of the mistakes I made when I first started writing fantasy was not truly mapping out the world […]

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Top 5 Most Powerful Weapons from Video Games by Jason Green

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The Legend of Zelda: Link

What would a hero be without their trusty weapon?

Nothing. Unless, of course, that hero uses fists like Saitama in the anime One Punch Man.

Video game characters usually get all the credit when people write about them, and little love is usually given to the tools that helped these heroes win their various battles.

That’s why in this article, let’s take a look at the top 5 most powerful fantasy weapons that have ever existed in the world of fictional video games.

BFG 9000 – Doom

Doom 4: BFG

Let’s kick off this list with a real powerful weapon called BFG 9000.

This weapon is so powerful that game developers thought they’d give it some sort of numerical advantage over others.

The BFG or “Big F***ing Gun” first appeared in the original Doom game to allow players to […]

Posted in: Games

Writing like Usain Bolt Running a 200m Olympic Final

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Usain Bolt in Olympics 2016

The journey has been made. The torch has been lit. Now it’s time for the world’s best athletes to compete in the greatest show of skill known to mankind.

The Olympics is always a thrill to watch, and while I respect champions like Michael Phelps, Andy Murray and Simone Biles, I don’t hold every sport equally exciting.

The one discipline that’s always caught my attention and I always look out for above all others is the 200m sprint.

It blows me away to witness human beings barrelling down a track at seemingly impossible speeds to a finish line in under 20 seconds. Of course, the world record and fastest man to date is none other than Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

Once again he’s proved to the world that there is no one faster, and seeing him win the 100m and 200m events made […]

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Top Science Fiction Fantasy Games at E3 2016

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E3

The biggest gaming expo of the year takes place every June and I’m always excited to watch it.

I already bought my PS4 so I want to know what game developers are working on and what to keep my eye out for. Of course, the games I’m focusing on are science fiction fantasy.

But after checking out the conferences on Youtube, I was left wondering if these guys need more staff (yes, I’m looking at you, Nintendo).

This year’s E3 wasn’t one of the best, but there were still some good stuff to nod a head at.

I won’t be highlighting any games that are already well known, so as great as they are, that criteria disqualifies Scalebound, For Honor, Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Last Guardian, and Final Fantasy XV.

So here’re the top science fiction fantasy games of E3 2016.

God of War 4 (ps4)

Everyone’s favourite Greek God […]

Posted in: Games