Just In Time Worldbuilding

Ever wonder what a knight actually did from sunrise to sunset? Beyond the armor and the jousting, the life of a knight was defined by economics, hygiene, communication, and, of course, the ever-looming threat of a siege. In this final episode of our Just in Time Worldbuilding series, we’re closing out our guide on knights with a deep-dive "Day in the Life" exercise. Whether you are writing a gritt...

What did a knight do? Were quests real? What purpose did quests serve in medieval literature? What were the knightly orders and what impact did the crusades have? And of course, how do you apply all this to fantasy worldbuilding? Join the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvBH0EkwuHsQ9ryHHQNi2Q/join Sign up for the Newsletter: https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletter Buy Worldbuilding Blue...

How did a knight's training working? Could commoners becoming knights? What equipment did a knight need? Did they all use swords? How do you use a lance? Join me for all those and more in this video where we explore how to train a knight! Join the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvBH0EkwuHsQ9ryHHQNi2Q/join Sign up for the Newsletter: https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletter Buy Worldbuil...

Why did knights actual develop? How do you adjust that development process to your worldbuilding? Should you even have knights? Do they need to ride a horse? And how important is the stirrup? Join the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvBH0EkwuHsQ9ryHHQNi2Q/join Sign up for the Newsletter: https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletter Buy Worldbuilding Blueprints! https://www.mariemullany.com/c...

When building a culture, all too often, the outcasts and fringes get neglected by the worldbuilder. But some of the best stories are told on the fringes of societies. In this video, we explore how to build the fringes of society and why it matters! Join the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvBH0EkwuHsQ9ryHHQNi2Q/join Sign up for the Newsletter: https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletter Buy...

What if instead of HAVING concepts, your gods WERE concepts? What if they were born...from MEMES! Let's talk about how that would work and what effect it would have on your religions. Join the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvBH0EkwuHsQ9ryHHQNi2Q/join Sign up for the Newsletter: https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletter Buy Worldbuilding Blueprints! https://www.mariemullany.com/category/...

Honorable warriors are a staple in fantasy, from the knight to the space marine. But why is that? And how should you build your honorable warrior? And what code do they adhere to? All that and more answered in this video! Join the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvBH0EkwuHsQ9ryHHQNi2Q/join Sign up for the Newsletter: https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletter Buy Worldbuilding Blueprints!...

Education is one of the central underpinnings of a society. And yet, in a fantasy world, it's often given short shrift by the writer. In this video, let's explore how to adapt education models to fantasy worldbuilding! Support the Channel: Sign up for the Newsletter: https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletter Join the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvBH0EkwuHsQ9ryHHQNi2Q/join Engage my wo...

Cultural world building is one of the most complex and yet important parts of world building. And it's easy to get wrong, to end up with a mess of a culture that no one believes could be real. In this video, I unpack what I think are the biggest mistakes people make when building a culture.  Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https:/...

Send a text Sometimes an empire is not built to last. Sometimes an empire rises with its conquering hero and falls just as soon as the guy on the horse dies. But why? And what can learn as world builders about building empires that just pop-up and then plot right back down. Let's take a look!  Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https...

Send a text Sacred groves offer so many oppertunities for cultral and political worldbuilding, but too often they are relegated to "resting" places or "wild areas of a bygone age". In this video, we explore how to use sacred groves in fantasy worldbuilding, with regards to magic, gods, and everything in between! Get The Boxset: https://www.mariemullany.com/product-page/sangwheel-chronicles-box-set...

Send a text Using multiple different narrating characters is common in fantasy stories these days. But what actually is a narrating character? How should you use them? Can you ever have too many? Let's dive into Point of View Characters and figure it out. Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https://www.mariemullany.com/booksJoin the C...

Send a text Ah February... The month of love... But what if you don't want to tell a love story? What if you want your reader sobbing into the pages of your novel? Well... This video is for you! Happy Valentine's day!  Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https://www.mariemullany.com/booksJoin the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/chann...

Send a text People so often say: Immortals would get rich with compound interest. This is a fallacy. There's way more risks down that road than what you think. In this video, I'd like to explore how an immortal economy would actually work by exploring Altered Carbon, Scythe, and the predatory economics of Vampires. Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Chann...

Send a text You think fantasy worlds don't need chemistry? Give me twenty minutes to change your mind with these seven basic chemistry facts that make a huge difference to your world, your cultures, even your magic systems.  Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https://www.mariemullany.com/booksJoin the Channel: https://www.youtube.com...

Send a text Stop using prophecy as a "plot coupon" that saves your hero from every consequence. We're exploring why literal prophecies are spoilers and how to craft cryptic, world-shaking destiny instead. Let's learn from the greats like Oedipus Rex, King Croesus, Ragnarök, Mistborn, The Witcher, Percy Jackson how to use prophecy and still retain character agency! Signup for the newsletter! https:...

Send a text What is the 90-10 rule in fantasy worldbuilding? How do you use it tell great stories? In this video, we explore 5 techniques to show the hidden lore of your world without telling.  Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https://www.mariemullany.com/booksJoin the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvBH0EkwuHsQ9ryHHQNi...

Send a text What's on the menu in your fantasy world? This video discusses how neglecting character diets is a massive missed opportunity for cultural world building, especially in writing fantasy. Let's explore how cuisine reflects dining rituals, social hierarchies, and food production history within your fictional cultures and creates immersive storytelling. Inspired by concepts like dungeon me...

Send a text This episode dives into historical rebellions, discussing their origins, key figures, and the factors that led to their rise. Let's analyze what made these uprisings successful or significant and derive from there how to apply rebellions to fantasy worldbuilding! Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https://www.mariemullany...

Send a text Let's explore how magic can become a strategic asset in your fantasy worlds! This video dives into geopolitics and diplomacy, showing how magic influences wars, resource conflicts, and the rise of elite magical classes. Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https://www.mariemullany.com/booksJoin the Channel: https://www.yout...

Send a text Ever wonder where the most compelling ideas for your fantasy writing come from when crafting a fictional world?  Learn how to write rich lore by drawing inspiration from everyday experiences and continuous research, making your stories truly memorable. Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https://www.mariemullany.com/booksJ...

Send a text In this episode, Marie and George dive deep into the art of creating compelling alternate history narratives. They discuss how to identify crucial divergence points and explore the evolution of culture and language within fictional worlds. Get ready for practical storytelling tips to make your historical what-ifs truly immersive. Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/...

Send a text Let's talk about the trap of gritty realism and how to create awesome fantasy worlds that truly feels mythic is the best sword and sandal tradition.  Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https://www.mariemullany.com/booksJoin the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvBH0EkwuHsQ9ryHHQNi2Q/joinEngage my world building...

Send a text Let's explore using the rich history and culture of China as a basis for fantasy worldbuilding! We'll talk history, culture, mythology, economics and, of course, the politics of the Mandate of Heaven. Signup for the newsletter! https://www.mariemullany.com/newsletterSupport the Channel:Buy my books: https://www.mariemullany.com/booksJoin the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx...

Send a text Sometimes with world building, we can get caught up in the big things. The king, the gods, the prophecy, the DRAMA. But there details that really help world building land with readers or player in a DnD Game. Let's check out 7 tiny details you can add to your world right now and how they can help your world building!  Worldbuilding Blueprints Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...