One of the more expounded topics in novice writers is that of vegetation and animal life in your settings. Both can be hindrances and aids to your characters. Both can even be utilized towards the plot. But it takes experience to know how to craft both well, and to keep them in line with climate and geography. In the third installment of the landscaping series, I want to take you deeper into each terrain we’ve so far explored, and look into the possible outlets for your writi

Raise your hands if you’ve ever neglected weather in your fanfiction or original writing; don’t be afraid to show your shame. It’s a common pitfall of many writers, simply because the drama of our characters and plots often take center stage. When confronted with a dilemma, we don’t often ask ‘what is the weather like’ unless it directly effects the outcome of our situation. Yet weather does exist, and will continue to exist long after our daily dramas have unfolded… so how d

While there are many types of Geography, the type that we will be discussing today is physical Geography that predominantly dictates the shape of the earth. To zone in even further, we’re looking at the Geomorphology…the origin and evolution of the topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near the Earth's surface. And you can thank the dictionary for that definition. So let’s talk about your landscape! Cast asi

In crafting a compelling work, you will inevitably have to flesh out more than just the characters and plot. A play cannot be performed without a stage, and yet it seems to me that so often the stage is rather bare, particularly in the hands of novice writers. Crafting a complete and authentic landscape can seem utterly exhausting if not superlative. Why bother with the trouble when surely you can just have the characters make it up as they go along? If your character lives i