World-building, at its most basic, is determining the rules within which your cast of characters acts. Some of these rules will be unbreakable (the basic physical laws of the world), and others will be negotiable. As a matter of fact, a lot of story tension can come from a character breaking the rules, and maybe changing society in the process. Even our most basic needs, like food, clothes and shelter, as well as safety and security, are governed by such rules and are therefore free game for any worldbuilding author. If your characters are human(oid) or otherwise not endowed with Read More …

Food (including drink) is one of the most basic needs we have. Along with clothes and shelter, as well as safety and security, it is non-negotiable. And yet it usually doesn’t play a big role in fantasy literature. Often it’s “travel bread”, the occasional chunk of cheese, and whatever animal had the misfortune to end its life in the pot. Usually in the form of “stew”, which, even without the benefit of magic, rarely takes more than ten minutes to prepare. Have these authors ever tried to cook a meal from scratch? Or do they buy their sustenance at the Read More …