Fairy Tale Contract Law

While fairy tale contracts can often seem cruel and capricious:

– They can’t get something for nothing
– There must be consent (often uninformed, though)
And?
– There’s always a loophole

Spirits Abroad and At Home

At Spirits Abroad and At Home, we got to hear 3 writers from non-european descent talk about the different ways spirits are seen in their cultures. Comparing and contrasting between their cultures and the Western storytelling norms.

What’s In A Name? Characters in Fiction

Welcome to Part 4 of my WorldCon, CoNZealand panel write ups. The panelists for the “Writers on Writing: What’s in a … More

World-Building: Economics

Economics is usually seen as a dry topic, full of game theory and calculated systems.

But economic systems do not exist in a vacuum. Here are:

5 Things To Consider When Designing Future (or Fantastical) Economic Systems

Accessible Magic

So often, Fantasy (and sf) use magic (or tech) to ‘cure’ disabilities, and create worlds populated without any. Let’s talk about the ways that different abilities might be a boon to magic casting and ways that magic could add accessibility, without negating the existence of differently-abled people.

Cultures and Their Myths

How right were Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell? Are there underlying stories behind myths around the world? Or does the culture influence the myths.

There’s No Target in Middle Earth: Economics in Fantasy

In your original fantasy setting, everything the characters own or interact with has to come from somewhere, from food and drink to durable goods. Let’s talk about how to build a believable material culture for your world.

In the Background: Class in YA Fiction

In the real world, the social class we come from can have far-reaching consequences into our lives: from the jobs … More

Done To Death: The Art of Killing Characters

When you’re reading a story and a character dies, you can tell if it’s just the writer trying to manipulate … More