I’ve spent this week working on maps. I finished coloring the regional map and started on the compound. When I finish that one, I’ll draw the main floor of the tavern itself. (C) 2020, JJ ShaunRegion surrounding the Happy Harpy. Drawing the region and the outpost helps me put the area in perspective. I have … Continue reading Sketching a Region
Lesbian Writer
Living the Dream
I’ve spent the last months in a state of flux. I don’t feel like I’ve really had a solid direction, it’s more like I’ve been in a holding pattern of sorts. We’ve been living off my severance package and haven’t had to worry too much about getting the bills paid, but that money won’t last … Continue reading Living the Dream
Looking Back on a Summer Vacation
First Reader and I have spent many summer vacations traveling the western US from the saddles of our iron ponies. Back in 2008, a group of friends approached us about taking a two-week motorcycle trip to Yellowstone National Park. We thought it would be fun since we love to ride, and I had never been … Continue reading Looking Back on a Summer Vacation
Filling in a Fictional Community
(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
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
Trip of a Lifetime, Part VI
After spending three weeks (and then some) riding from our home base to the Puget Sound region, then down the west coast, we were ready to get home. We had careers to get back to. We left California and rode east on Interstate 80—not our favorite highway—to Nevada. Now, Nevada is one of those western … Continue reading Trip of a Lifetime, Part VI
Worldbuilding V
(C) 2000, JJ Shaun I have spent the last week creating characters and building a fantasy outpost called The Happy Harpy. This enclave sits along a major trade road on the eastern side of the Dragonspine Mountains, on the Adaran continent. Located in the southern hemisphere of its world, this continent has had virtually no … Continue reading Worldbuilding V
Building a New World
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun For the past week, I’ve been busily building my D&D campaign on my imaginary fantasy continent, Adaran. I’ve decided the size of the staff of the Happy Harpy, my imaginary outpost between two major trade cities. So far, I’ve fleshed out about seven of the more prominent non-player characters (NPCs), and … Continue reading Building a New World
