marycatelli: (Architect's Dream)
I don't generally research my books. I read a lot of history, fairy tales, and folklore, and then run on it.

I have recently worked on two stories where a princess is sent to the mountains to protect her. In the second of them, I really need to know something about the economics and the topography of such settlements. It's important that they are settlements in the forest, which basically engulfs them, and that in fact the herb trade is vital.

I did already know we needed rivers. Hmmm. That would mean that the way to block passage would be to block the river, not the road. . . .

But first, settlements in mountain valleys before the railroad.

marycatelli: (Default)
The hero is in an enchanted castle, which will protect him.

Outside is an ill-minded crow witch, who will try to kill him.

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marycatelli: (Default)
An iconic part of the genre from the Golden Age -- though perhaps the only part that has taken more of a beating is the Kid Sidekick.

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marycatelli: (God Speed)
Ripping off a story idea and hitting on an issue. It's a nominally feudal land. (Nominally because it's inconsistent.) And the knight has a castle and an estate, both distinctly grand. It's explicitly mentioned that he got them in the original story, but nothing more. Which is one of the flaws that inspired me to redo the idea.

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marycatelli: (Default)
Was reading "how-to" advice on how to write a superhero story.

A lot of it neglected the world-building. In all senses. It did not discuss how the supers would affect the world -- though it does seem to be a trope that the answer is "not at all" even when you have super-inventors -- but it also did not discuss how the super-world is constructed. Not even at the base level of assuming that you have a standard ripoff of DC/Marvel where there are masses of superheroes and supervillains and much crime and crime fighting involved. . . .

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marycatelli: (Default)
Crime, whether committing or fighting, is not the only life a superpowered being could live. All sorts of powers could be useful for all sorts of things. Message delivery, or special effects, for superspeed. Superstrength in construction. X-ray vision in inspection work.
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marycatelli: (Rapunzel)

How much magic lies about in the land?

There are no magical creatures like dragons or gryphons, and no people except humans. But there is a spell, a major spell, that is vital to the kingdom. There is also a wise old woman who does some stuff in a secret place.

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marycatelli: (God Speed)
In a sort of Regency/Faerie cross-over, the heroine and her family conjure their teacups from flower blossoms. As a retrenching measure.

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marycatelli: (Default)
Most superpowered characters make crime the center of their lives. Whether fighting it or committing it. With varying levels of realism. (Lumping in invasions from other planets, other dimensions, and odd places on earth (like underground) because they affect many things but not so much the central plot.)

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marycatelli: (Default)
So how did the werewolves support themselves?

The heroine does leave them young enough that it might not have impinged on her awareness, provided it happened far enough away.  
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marycatelli: (Rapunzel)
An idea popped up.  For a story

But the question arose, what would the best modern idea that three modern people could bring to upgrade agriculture and so living in a D&D (sorta) medieval universe? They have crop rotation -- maybe contour plowing?  They are at least aware of the circular problem that the people need more food to be able to build the infrastructure to increase agricultural productivity.

And then, what is the best thing they can bring in as their own D&D characters? The decanter of endless water -- endless potable water -- would probably bring about the most change if they could only get enough. But both objects and spellcraft are aimed at adventures.
marycatelli: (Default)
Was reading a world-building RPG discussion that said that wages were based on a five-day work week. Working weekends could get you more. . .

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marycatelli: (God Speed)
Happened on a discussion of D&D and why on earth are humans powerful and dominant when they are so much shorter-lived and so can't be so powerful, having less time to grow in power in their lives.

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marycatelli: (East of the Sun)
The tales actually have quite a bit. It's just not detailed. The prince has to go past thrice-nine kingdoms to rescue the frog-princess after burning her frog-skin means the witch abducts her. Or, somewhat less specified, the heroine has to go east of the sun and west of the moon to rescue the prince after burning his bearskin means the witch abducts him.

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class size

Oct. 25th, 2017 11:10 pm
marycatelli: (Gibson Girl)
Sometimes the world-building is driven by ad hoc kludges to fit what you want -- like the heroine finding herself plopped into a class where she's the fourth student. Adding a fifth later doesn't help much with the numbers. . . . and also, they're all girls.

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