(C) 2020, JJ ShaunNotebooks detailing the Adaran continent. Twelve or so years ago, I began outlining the antagonists for my unfinished story. I pulled old issues of Dragon magazine off my shelf and pored through the pages. I searched for the “perfect” plot devices for the half-orc twins that were to be the ultimate challenge … Continue reading Worldbuilding, Part VI
Creative Writing
Wednesday Word for April 1, 2020
Today’s word comes from this week’s news. Follow me on Facebook: @jjshaunauthor. Today’s Word Part of Speech noun Definition Smallness of number.Smallness or insufficiency of number; fewness. History Paucity, which was first recorded in English in the 15th century, comes to us from the Middle English word paucite, and is ultimately derived from "paucus," Latin … Continue reading Wednesday Word for April 1, 2020
Finding Normal
Creative words are hard these days. Practically every post or story I try to write morphs into a commentary on the world of today, along with the challenges we are all facing. So, I’ll start there. As I’ve said before, I live in a very rural area. The closest grocery is about 45 minutes away, … Continue reading Finding Normal
Random Quote for March 26, 2020
“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.”~Robert Frost American poet Robert Frost was born on this day in 1874,
Wednesday Word for March 25, 2020
Today’s word comes from a random word generator. Follow me on Facebook: @jjshaunauthor. Today’s Word Part of Speech adjective Definition Originating in or based on observation or experience.Depending upon experience or observation alone, without using scientific method or theory, especially as in medicine.Provable or verifiable by experience or experiment. History When empirical first appeared as … Continue reading Wednesday Word for March 25, 2020
The Ides of March
I first heard the term, “beware the Ides of March” back in high school. But what does that mean, exactly? The Ides of March is a date from the Roman calendar that referred to the first full moon in March. It was also a deadline for settling their debts. Because the Romans used a lunar … Continue reading The Ides of March
Reading to Improve Writing
(C) 2020, JJ ShaunTo be read pile I’ve been trying to catch up on my reading. My TBR pile keeps growing, mostly with the magazines I subscribe to. Admittedly, the magazines focus on the American publishing industry, but they do sometimes have articles that discuss international publishing requirements. I have been reading Writer’s Digest for … Continue reading Reading to Improve Writing
Random Quote for March 7, 2020
“The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.”~Albert Einstein
Building Adara
(C) 2020, JJ ShaunThe Happy Harpy I’ve spent the past week or so looking for ways to introduce the player characters (PCs) to the homebrew Dungeons & Dragons campaign I’m creating. I have a place to start them out—the Happy Harpy Inn—and a destination if they play it out to reach the Great Evil. As … Continue reading Building Adara
Stories Abound
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun For years, I listened to audiobooks on my commute to the office to help me catch up on my “reading.” And, honestly, I’ve been struggling to finish the last series I started listening to. It could be that the rip-roaring semi-fantasy story turned into more of a romance than I expected, … Continue reading Stories Abound
J.J. Shaun 