(C) 2020, JJ ShaunThe lands surrounding the Happy Harpy. I’ve spent the week working on my fantasy tavern and inn called the Happy Harpy. In fleshing out the characters that make up the residents of this remote outpost, a couple of stories have been rolling around my head. One is set in the time of … Continue reading Filling in a Fictional Community
Character Creation
The Happy Harpy
(C) 2020, JJ ShaunThe eastern trade road. I want to share a little about my fantasy outpost—the Happy Harpy. I’m working on a map of the region (it’s still a work in progress). I know it’s hard to see, but the outpost is in the middle. The Happy Harpy was established some three hundred years … Continue reading The Happy Harpy
Creating a Fictional Community
(C) 2020, JJ ShaunThe Happy Harpy I’ve spent the past working on the characters that comprise the citizenry of a make-believe outpost in the middle of nowhere—a tavern and inn called the Happy Harpy. To get an idea of what makes the place tick, I’ve fleshed out the characters that live there. I’ve created only … Continue reading Creating a Fictional Community
Staffing a Fantasy Outpost
(C) 2020 JJ ShaunThe gate to the Happy Harpy I’ve spent the last week creating characters to fill my fantasy outpost, the Happy Harpy. Making up the characters has been an exciting exercise. I have a good idea of how a small group can interact over time. (I spent four years on two different Navy … Continue reading Staffing a Fantasy Outpost
Story Creation, Part I
(C) 2020, JJ ShaunThe Happy Harpy Where do you start when a story comes to mind? For me, it almost always begins with a character or two, sometimes with a place. My latest endeavor starts with a little of both. So, where did this idea come from, and how has it been germinating in my … Continue reading Story Creation, Part I
YouTube to Write
(C) 2020 JJ Shaun I’ve been binge-watching a YouTube stream called “Critical Roll” for the last several days. I wouldn’t say the channel is for everyone, but if you like storytelling, you might want to watch a few episodes. The story takes a party of adventurers (a group of voice actors) through the “Underdark,” an … Continue reading YouTube to Write
Why Do I Write?
Why do you write? That’s a question I see on the boards a lot. I thought I’d take a minute to answer that question. I was never one to sit and write as a child. I was the reader. Often, my family would find me on propped up my bed, a book in my lap. … Continue reading Why Do I Write?
Acting Out
Have you ever tried role-playing to enhance your writing? One place that I get a lot of my writing ideas is at the gaming table. Now, I know not everyone is into table-top role-playing games like me, but the world offers other avenues to “role-play” your writing. Consider hosting a murder mystery dinner party . … Continue reading Acting Out
The Trouble with Tropes
The Cinderella Trope I’ve been struggling to finish my novel. And I’m not exactly sure why. I have a solid plot, solid characters, and a real place in which to base the story. Part of the solution occurred to me as I laid down for a nap the other day. The whole concept started with … Continue reading The Trouble with Tropes
Finding Stories
Sometimes it’s hard to home in on a story to tell. The Vignette Many times, what comes to my mind is a vignette rather than a story. A vignette is defined as “a short descriptive literary sketch” or a “brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie)”. If you have studied any languages, … Continue reading Finding Stories
J.J. Shaun 