What happens when you drop King Arthur's court into medieval Oxford for a summer? And how do you, as an author, find out? Using Universal Fantasy in worldbuilding.
Category: Fantasy
Creating Authentic Non-Human Characters
Beyond my philosophical and spiritual commitment, I wanted to portray true animism in this book. And that created specific, thorny writing problems that required concrete solutions.
Better Conlang Orthography: Inspiration from History
A reader suggested an excellent change to my constructed language's spelling system.
The Linguistic Legacy of Dragons: A Worldbuilding Case Study
A month or two ago, while writing Crown of Crows, I suddenly and unexpectedly found myself in desperate need of a language for dragons. Not really having time to come up with one completely from scratch, I asked myself if there were some quick way I could create something that sounded reptilian and exotic, but also grounded in linguistic theory and historical linguistics.
Summer Writing Sprint 2025
A bit of a curtain-peek, for those who like them. A little progress report, a little linguistic nonsense, and a few excerpts of recent writing.
A Discursive Lecture on Late Pizan: a Linguistic Revolution
Professor Eleinn Hahíns and Magister Errícc Cnohrmann discuss the evolution of the Pizan language post-Yḿboldhźh revolution. Late Pizan, known as Kamvlŕsâi, emerged as the official language, marked by significant phonological simplification and a shift from SVO to VSO grammatical structure, reflecting a society's transformation towards directness and efficiency in communication.
Creating Pizan: The Language of Conquistadors and Conquest
In my ongoing development of the languages of the world of my novel Crown of Crows, I've been working on Pizan, a language with a complex fictional history rooted in Spanish colonization and subsequent English influence.
Land of the Witch, Land of the Bear: Naming the Language of a Fantasy World
Why I'm moving from the name "Sagaia" and "Sagaian" to "Artír" and "Artanga." Themes of power, resistance, and cultural identity, highlighting the influence of the Bear and the evolution of language among the inhabitants following the White Witch’s defeat.
On Elves III: Neoteny
This final post in the series explores the concept of neoteny and its connection to the archetype of elves. Elves embody the eternal child, with youthful traits like wonder and adaptability. They illuminate humanity’s place in nature, and prompt reflection on self-identity and relationships with the more-than-human world.
Update on Writing Projects: Progress & Plans Oct 2024
An update on my writing projects, with exciting progress on "Axon, Inc." and "Crown of Crows." How I track projects in my journal.