dobermanprocrastinating

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Writing Fantasy (part 3.)

This post was written with fantasy fiction in mind but many of these tips can be applied in other genres - they are simply more demanding in fantasy stories:)

Worldbuilding

There are many things to consider when creating a fictional world, especially if it’s quite different from our own world and magic happens to be involved.

Physical setting:

Geography; different continents, countries, cities, towns, and the general layout of your world

Cosmology; how the world was created, how the universe functions, different planets, stars, moons

Flora; plant life, their role in the ecosystem

Fauna; animal life, their role in the ecosystem

Weather; the climate of different places, the different seasons

Geology; the materials that make up the world, the structure of said materials

Cultural setting:

Architecture; building materials, building functions, construction

Education; the requirements for children, requirements for different jobs, what subjects are taught

Fashion; different designers, what’s popular, what’s practical, materials used

Folklore; mythology, legends, stories, fables

Food; popular meals, traditional meals, certain food for certain occasions

History; significant events that have shaped the world, important dates and holidays, origins of society

Jobs; essential work, hours, pay, education

Languages; where are they spoken, how many speak them, are they taught in school

Magic; does it exist, what types of magic, how is it used, where does it originate from

Military; system of defence, role in society, size and expertise

Music; popular songs, nursery rhymes, instruments, musicians

Politics; what are the laws, what are the punishments, how are cases settled

Religion; different beliefs, different forms of worship, different gods

Technology; is it more advanced than our world, what do they have that we don’t/what don’t they have that we do

Traditions; different holidays, different celebrations, how are these celebrated, why are they celebrated, clothing, food, music

Weapons; what types, how easy are they to access, laws and requirements

#fantasy #fantasy fiction #writing fantasy

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Writing Fantasy (part 2.)

This post was written with fantasy fiction in mind but many of these tips can be applied in other genres - they are simply more demanding in fantasy stories:)

Plotting

What is a plot? This question gets asked a lot, as people struggle to stretch their ideas into an actual story. A plot is what happens in the story and what order it occurs in. For there to be a story, something has to move or to change - the story moves from point A to point B. This can be:

A physical event, for example: point A = a crime being committed; point B = the culprit being arrested

A change in a person, for example: point A = a character is selfish and grumpy; point B = the character is less selfish and grumpy

A decision, for example: point A = a character wants to study marine biology; point B = the character studies paleontology instead

A change in a relationship, for example: point A = two characters hate each other; point B = these two characters fall in love

A change in the reader’s understanding of the situation, for example: point A = the antagonist appears to be the criminal; point B = the reader learns they are actually innocent and were framed

Stirring trouble creates an interesting conflict for your story. The main character is usually a good place to start.

What does the main character want most? What problems stand in the way? You’ve already got a conflict.

What could push your character to do something they aren’t comfortable with? What’s something they don’t feel capable of doing? If you can answer these questions, you have a conflict.

Below is a basic way of looking at plot structure so that you can begin to organize the path your story will take. Often, stories are split into three parts because of this system.

The reader gets to know the characters and the conflict. It’s the introduction to the story, the part that grips the reader’s attention and encourages them to read on.

The conflict builds up the conflict to a crisis point, known as the story climax. This is when something has to change or a decision has to be made. It creates suspense for the reader and keeps them on their toes. The rest of the story depends on what happens at this point.

The story’s resolution, landing the reader at point B. The end of the road.

#fantasy #fantasy fiction #writing fantasy

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Writing Fantasy (part 1.)

What is a fantasy story?

Fantasy is a genre of fiction about things that generally require a strong imagination to create and usually consists of the impossible or improbable. A few common examples are magic and magical creatures such as mermaids (for my own protection I must pretend they are not real), dragons, and elves.

More often than not, fantasy is based on myths, legends, and folklore. Many fantasy books also have elements related to the Middle Ages, such as castles and swords. These stories tend to be action-packed with adventures or quests. A conflict between good and evil is also a common subject in fantasy.

The do’s and don’ts of fantasy

When working on a fantasy story, do…

Read a lot of fantasy, as this helps to learn the “rules” of the genre

Research myths, folklore, and magical elements that are relevant to the story you’re planning

Plan your fantasy world before you begin writing, as this helps it to feel more real to your reader

Figure out the rules of any magic in your story and set limits

And don’t…

Feel the need to tell readers everything about your world and characters

Break your own magic rules - this will lose the trust of a reader

Plagiarism! Not only is stealing wrong but readers are looking for something new, they don’t want to read a copy of a famous series

Lose track of the story - world building is fun but every story needs a plot and characters; readers don’t want entire chapters describing the setting

This post is a little short because my time has been limited recently but there will be more parts coming soon! For the sake of helpfulness and the fact that I want people to feel inspired by these tips, I’ll include some fantasy-related pictures in my Instagram post <3

[dobermanprocrastinating]

How do you name characters?

Naming characters is something that I have struggled with a lot since I started writing. I can have a fully developed character but no name to go with them, simply because I am quite fussy. However, it is very rare that I’ll change a character’s name once I’ve found something to fit them, so it can be worth the wait.

There are many ways to find the perfect name for your character, but I will only be mentioning the ones I have used, so that I can recall my own experience with each method. 

Generator

This is quite a common method for finding character names, especially in fantasy or science fiction. There are a range of name generators that you can find to accommodate for what kind of thing you’re looking for - for example, different species, different origins, etc. Most of the time, people will slightly adjust the names they like, such as removing or adding extra letters, to make them unique.

Baby names

If you’re looking for something less unusual, there are many websites to inspire names, which are typically used by expecting couples. These can be discussion posts, where someone might be struggling to find a name for their new baby to fit with an older sibling, or sites where you enter desired information - for example, origin and meaning.

Googling “names meaning _”

This might feel like a desperate search but sometimes the results can be far better than you’d ever imagine. If you have a specific meaning that you want behind a character’s name, this is probably the best choice for you. It can result in a list of different names with the same meaning, of all different origins and time periods.

A fictional language

Although this is a tricky one, it’s very fun and rewarding. This is, essentially, inventing a name yourself. Of course, this does require the effort of creating a fictional language, but you could also use languages that already exist! Basically, you enter some words that would fit your character into the translator, jumble the letters around a bit, and voila, you’ve just created your very own name. I did this for my character Romilnasuemiko (or Romil for short) - his name literally translates to “seraphic courage” in his mother’s ancient language!

Keep a list!

I cannot stress this enough. If you see a name you like, it’s definitely worth taking note of it and possibly adding the meaning and origin. When you get a new WIP idea and you have a bunch of new characters to name, you’ll thank your past self for the head start. My current list is 3 pages long and I’ve taken many names from that list because they are so fitting to a particular character, who didn’t exist when I added the name to the list.

#writing tips #writing advice #naming characters

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Help on outlining

Disclaimer: This is my personal method of outlining, that does not mean this way will work for you. There’s no right or wrong way to outline but I wanted to share my technique in the hopes that it will help others to find a method that suits them.

This way of outlining is fairly simple, yet efficient. Hopefully I can describe it in a way that’s easy for everyone to understand.

The first thing I do when preparing to outline a story is create two documents - this can also be done on paper but you’ll have to bear in mind that there will be movement that can quite easily cause a mess, which is why I choose to do mine virtually. One document is called “brainstorming” and the other is “outline of *insert story name*".

The brainstorming document has a self-explanatory name but basically this is where all the ideas for scenes and events go in bullet points. There doesn’t need to be a specific order, we’ll come to that in a minute, it can be pure chaos so long as you get the information down. Absolutely anything you want to add in the story (dialogue, actions, descriptions) gets thrown into this document so it doesn’t end up forgotten about.

Okay, now you’ve created a thing. It’s not quite a story yet but it exists outside of your head and that’s progress. Now, at the top of the document, I create a new bullet point list - there should be a small space between this one and the one you’ve already created to avoid confusion. In the new list, I write down the same things again, except this time I sort the events into chronological order of the story. If you don’t know where something should go, keep it in the second list and come back to it later. 

Now we move onto the second document - the actual outline. For this document I usually create a table. Mine usually has five columns but you can have more or less. My columns consist of: chapter number, summary, POV (only if I’m writing in multiple POVs, otherwise I don’t add this column), date, and chapter title. The first thing I do after creating this table is go to the summary column and add the same things that I wrote in the brainstorming document, expanding on them if I feel the need to. I do this until I’ve added all my bullet points, which should create a good number of chapters.

If I feel that something needs to happen between two points, I add a spare row and leave it blank so that I’ll remember to add something there when I have an idea. Once I feel like I have the basics covered, I go down the list and add in the chapter numbers. This gives me a rough estimate as to how long my story will be. I usually add the date in next, so that I can keep track of how much time will pass between different events. Most of the time, I don’t add the chapter titles until I’ve actually written the chapter, as this type of outline gives room for flexibility.

#writing tips #writing advice #outlining

[dobermanprocrastinating]

What's the best time period?

Studies have shown that lunch time is the best period. Who has committed to those studies? Her quote on the subject is quite fascinating.

"Lunch time." - abbs

That's it. That's the whole post.

S i k e

Have a fantastic Valentine's Day, whether you're spending it with a loved one or on your own - do something that makes you happy today!

My DMs are always open and I'm down to talk about anything and everything! Or if you don't want to talk, you can always ask me to send random pictures I've collected, usually of birds or marine animals:)

[dobermanprocrastinating]

1920s

(I think the date is self-explanatory)

Roaring Twenties

You’ve probably heard about people being excited for the “Roaring Twenties” to come back, but I think many people regret wishing for that now. Why? Because every 100 years or so, the world goes through a bunch of dramatic events shoved into the second decade of that century. However, it’s not all bad - the 1920s was a period of dramatic social and political change, especially in America. Now, doesn’t that sound familiar? Hmm…

For the first time ever, there were more Americans living in cities than on farms. The USA’s national wealth more than doubled during this decade. All in all sounds good, right? Wrong! Many citizens were uncomfortable with this new, urban culture, and for many people in America, the 1920s brought more conflict than celebration. The concept of “Roaring Twenties” came from a small handful of young people in the bigger cities, who made the most of these changes with parties.

Mass Culture

Many Americans had extra money to spend during the 1920s. They spent this on clothes, home appliances, and radios. By the end of the decade, more than 12 million households had a radio. Movie theatres were also more popular, with three-quarters of the population visiting every week. The most important product of this time was the automobile. Cars were an affordable luxury in the early 20s (costing about $250) and by the end of the decade, they were pretty much a necessity. By 1929, there was estimated to be one car on the road for every five Americans.

Jazz Age

As mentioned above, radios became common in the 1920s, and with them, many different radio stations and an expansion of music. This, along with the ability to travel freely with the help of a car, lead to many young people’s desire to dance. Jazz was popular within the younger generation as they loved the freedom it gave them on the dance floor. However, some older people objected to this genre, calling it “immoral” and “vulgar”, as well as saying that the people it supposedly inspired were “moral disasters”. 

Prohibition

From 1920 to 1933, there was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States, known as the Prohibition. This was created to fight crime and improve the health of the American population. However, it wasn’t illegal to drink alcohol during this time - the Amendment only forbade the manufacture, sale, and transportation of “intoxicating liquors” - not their consumption. By law, any wine, beer, or spirits that Americans had stashed away in January of 1920 were theirs to keep and enjoy in the privacy of their homes.

The Cultural Civil War

Prohibition was not the only source of social tension in this time period. The Great Migration of African Americans from the rural south to the urban north increased visibility of black culture and the influence it has on society. Jazz and blues music are prime examples of this in the 1920s. After fighting in the First World War, many African Americans had seen the attitudes of other countries towards black people and wanted America to treat them the same - with equality regardless of race.

Unfortunately, we all know how America feels about white supremacy. Although the group was originally formed in 1865, when slavery was abolished, the Ku Klux Klan resurfaced and expanded across the country, taking on the role of “returning the values” to the United States by abusing, torturing, and murdering innocent black people.

#history #history facts #1920s #roaring 20s #jazz age

[dobermanprocrastinating]

The Victorian Era

(20th June 1837-22nd January 1901)

The Victorian Era is a famous time period in Britain, under the 63 years of Queen Victoria’s reign. It followed the Georgian Era and was taken over by the Edwardian Era upon Victoria’s death.

This time period is well-known by most people as it was a time of development in many different areas. The world’s first Industrial Revolution took place, there was social change and political reform, health of the general public began to improve, Charles Dickens thrived as an author, the railway blossomed, and both the telegraph and first telephone were invented.

Although society had come a long way by this point, the Victorian Era is often characterized as a class-based society, with the rich flourishing and the poor… well, their lives were downright brutal. However, there was a growing number of people allowed to vote at this time, meaning that even those in the lower class had some say in politics. 

The nineteenth century was full of dramatic technological development and inventions, such as: the typewriter, the calculator, the electric light bulb, the washing machine, and plastic. Because of this, the middle of the Victorian Era is called Britain’s “Golden Years”, as it wasn't until after the Second World War that economic growth like this was seen again.

Victorian morality also changed drastically, from the English being known as one of the most aggressive and bloodthirsty nations in the world to one of the most polite and orderly. A large reason for this was because of the strong reaction against the French Revolution, which brought the need to focus British efforts on not following the same downfall. This helped to decrease gambling and other greedy habits among the higher social classes. 

There was a lot of debate about prostitution in the Victorian Era. Generally, it was seen as a “great social evil” by major news organizations and business folk, but others saw that prostitution provided women with financial independence. The problem became so severe that police officers were allowed to stop any woman whom they suspected of being a prostitute and force them to be examined - if they were found to have evidence of sexual activity then they were placed in a Lock Hospital. This sparked outrage, as only women were targeted with this law.

Yes, crime was a huge problem in Victorian times, and the punishments were just as bad! Public executions, particularly hanging, were common up until 1868, when they were eventually abolished. Aside from the death penalty, another common punishment was to have criminals transported from Britain to Australian and American colonies.

I may do a post on Queen Victoria one day, as a I think she's an interesting monarch!

#history #history facts #victorian era #queen victoria #victorian britain

[dobermanprocrastinating]

The French Revolution

(May 5th 1789-November 9th 1799)

Royalty and upper class regularly threw extravagant parties, enjoying high living, and fine dining, while the lower class were barely surviving - the rich used all the tax on their own pleasure while people were literally starving to death! 80% of the population were poor and struggling at this time.

France went to war with Britain and lost. This landed them in financial debt. However, this didn’t stop the upper class from partying, so the peasants were forced to work even harder than before.

The Age of Enlightenment led to great philosophers, who began to question whether this beautiful nation was as great as everyone made out. In May 1774, King Louis XV died and his grandson, Louis XVI, was made king, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time, as the French were beginning to question whether they even needed a king, when all he did was spend their money on parties and himself. The new king was said to be a weak man and barely knew how to rule a country, especially one in a situation as dire as France’s. This led to him being easily manipulated by those around him.

The country grew especially hateful towards the queen, Marie Antoinette, nicknamed “Madame Deficit”, as she spent all of France’s money on her own luxurious lifestyle and fashion. Respect for the monarchy was at an all time low, especially when the royal couple did not immediately produce a heir, and rumours started to fly about the king being “unable to fulfil his marital duty” (basically, he didn’t want to have sex) and the queen being overly sexual with… pretty much everything. As France grew deeper into debt, they decided to tax the poor, who were already struggling to make ends meet. This included giving up some of their harvest and having to work a set number of days unpaid!

The population was about ready to explode with anger, so all it took was one more thing to tip them over the edge. A series of harsh summers and winters left the peasants with poor harvest, which meant that food prices increased. Naturally, the rich had plenty of private stock of grain and wheat, so they were untouched by this crisis. Now the poor were really starving and they started to riot - attacking bakeries and even hanging bakers who were suspected of keeping bread for themselves!

Because the king lived separately from his subjects, he saw no problem with what was happening in France, so a crowd decided to remove that barrier and speak with the king themselves. They marched to the royal palace in Versailles and demanded an audience with the king. Some members of the crowd managed to break into the palace with the intention of killing the queen, who narrowly escaped through a secret passage in her bedroom. The angry mob killed several members of the royal guard and raised their heads on pikes, leaving the king with no choice but to come out and speak with his people. He agreed to go to Paris with the crowd, where his royal powers were slowly stripped away by the revolutionary government. The demands kept growing until the king made the decision to seek help from outside of France - luck for him, he was married to an Austrian. However, the king and his family were stopped before reaching the border, and returned to Paris in disgrace. It was clear that he did not support the revolutionary government, and many called him a traitor for trying to abandon his country. This led to his remaining power being taken away, so that he only served as a figure head.

This didn’t satisfy everyone though, and another protest began, demanding for the king’s removal. Fearing what would happen, the military were sent in and fired on the crowd, leading to a massacre of revolutionaries. This revealed a divide in the country - those who wanted to keep the king as a figure head, and those who wanted him gone, or even better still, executed.

On the 10th August 1792, the tension in Paris exploded and a mob stormed the king’s palace. Fighting broke out and the casualties were in the hundreds. The king was forced to flee once more, his status being removed so that he was just a regular citizen. He was taken to a prison cell where he could be closely watched. Many of the upper class and priests were arrested in the thousands, but when France realized that this was the perfect opportunity for them to conspire against the revolution, citizens broke into the prisons during the brutal September 1792 massacres and executed many of the prisoners. There were over 1600 victims - women and children were not spared. After this, King Louis was trialled and found guilty of treason, but his punishment was uncertain, as many wanted to deport him. Maximilien Robespierre, an influential figure in the revolution, said that the movement could only live if the king was dead - they had a vote, and by one vote, Louis was sentenced to the guillotine.

Robespierre went a little over the top with beheading, and started trialling people for even the most minor crimes. Around 40,000 people were executed because of him. On the 16th October 1793, Queen Marie Antoinette, the most hated woman in French history, met her end and was executed just like her husband before her. The following year, Robespierre made his ultimate slip-up and informed his followers that many of them were on the list of enemies that were to be sent to the guillotine next, which naturally led to them turning against him and sentencing him to death instead - he was the final victim of the reign of terror which he helped to create.

The French Revolution continued even after the king and queen were executed, until eventually, Napoleon Bonaparte took power and so began the Napoleonic Era.

#history #history facts #french revolution #king louis XVI #marie antoinette

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Regency

Introduction

The Regency period (officially 1811-1820 but can also refer to various stretches of time) was the period towards the end of the Georgian Era, in which the king of Great Britain and Ireland, George III (1738-1820), was deemed mentally unfit to rule over the kingdom. His eldest son, George IV (1762-1830), governed the country as Prince Regent until the king’s death, upon which George IV succeeded the throne. George III held the record for the longest reign at that time, ruling the country for 59 years and 96 days. His record has since been beaten twice, first by Queen Victoria (63 years and 216 days), then by Britain’s current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II (68 years and 339+ days - and she’s still going strong!) Elizabeth became queen when George VI died on the 6th of February 1952, however, she wasn’t crowned for another 16 months out of respect for her father.

What makes the Regency special?

This time period is recognized for its achievements in architecture, fashion, literature, and the fine arts, as well as being a time of great political, economical, cultural, and social change. The Regency is probably most remembered for the domestic novels that many of us study in school, which weren’t often heard of beforehand. 

One of the most famous authors to date, Jane Austen (1775-1817), left her mark and changed literature forever during the Regency period. Austen was an English novelist known for her six major novels that capture life towards the end of the 18th century in an interesting way. Her novels such as Pride and Prejudice (1813), Sense and Sensibility (1811), and Persuasion (1818) were all published at this time. Austen’s writing stood out because of the use of self-awareness, comedy, and her detailed portrayals of characters and their realistic relationships. Her stories often explored the dependence of women on marriage in order to gain a desired social standing and financial security for the rest of their lives.

Another notable author in the Regency period is Mary Shelley (1797-1851), who wrote her most famous story, the gothic-philosophical-horror novel Frankenstein, and published it in 1818 at just 20 years old. Her bestseller is considered to be an early example of science fiction, and Shelley carved the path for many modern-day authors with her daring new style.

Summary

While “Regency” is mostly used to refer to George IV’s time as Prince Regent, it can also include the reign of George III’s two sons, George IV and William IV, in which case the period would last from around 1795 until 1837. The Georgian Era came after the Restoration Era, when Charles II returned to the throne after the monarchy was abolished, and it was followed by the Victorian Era, under the rule of the famous Queen Victoria and an expanding empire.

#history #history facts #regency #king george iii #king george iv #jane austen #mary shelley

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Angels

By definition, an angel is a supernatural heavenly being, who serves as an assistant and messenger of God. Often, they are also believed to serve as guardians of people on Earth. They are thought to be very beautiful, either glow or have a halo, and of course, they are said to have wings.

Many religions believe in angels, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism. Most of the time, angels are viewed as celestial spirits that are superior to humans, along with their evil counterpart, demons.

The hierarchy of angels in Christian angelology is split into three spheres and is as followed:

First Sphere; Seraphim (caretakers of God’s throne), Cherubim (guard the way to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, and also guard God’s throne), Thrones (living symbols of God’s authority and justice)

Second Sphere; Dominations (regulate the duties of lower angels), Virtues (carry out miracles or signs from God), Powers (basically the warriors)

Third Sphere; Principalities (guide and protect humans), Archangels (messengers), Angels (deal with human affairs), and Personal Guardian Angels (as the name suggests, they watch over individuals on Earth - they are not a separate rank to the regular angel but their duties are slightly different).

A few things to think about when writing angels:

Please, please, whatever you do, don’t write angels in a way that offends or mocks a religion. It isn’t nice to be rude about someone else’s beliefs as that is often something quite personal. Make sure you do your research if you base your angels off a real religion.

An angel’s wings need to be big enough and strong enough to carry their weight when they fly - yes, they are supernatural beings, but physics still applies to them! Of course, you could argue that it is magic that makes them fly rather than their actual wings, but putting everything down to magic can often be mistaken for a lack of development in your world.

Wings are made up of different types of feathers; they have multiple layers of feathers that vary in size and shape. Studying the wings of different birds might help with deciding the appearance of your angel’s wings.

Unlike birds, angels (usually) have arms and shoulders, which will restrict their wing movement depending on where their wings are positioned. Researching angel anatomy might be helpful!

As there is no proof of angels existing, and therefore no concrete evidence of what they look like, your angels can look however you want them to. They are supernatural creatures of ethereal beauty; they can be anything you want them to be and nobody can stop you! However, for writing purposes, it might be wise to develop your version of this species in a way that will make them feel more believable. Maybe they aren’t real, but you want them to sound as if they are, and to do that, it’s important to gather your facts and stick to them, for the sake of consistency.

#writing #angels #angelology #religion

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Cretaceous

Introduction

And finally, there's the Cretaceous period. Although most people recognize the name "Jurassic" or even "Triassic" as being the time of the dinosaurs, the Cretaceous period actually consisted of some of the most famous species of dinosaurs. This is the longest period in the Mesozoic Era, beginning about 145.5 million years ago and ending 66 million years ago.

Different species

Large herds of herbivores, such as Iguanodon, Ankylosaurus, and Triceratops thrived during the early Cretaceous due to the new, lush vegetation. They relied on the safety of a herd to protect them from smaller predators, however, some carnivores had grown too big now to worry about their prey fighting back.

In the last 2 million years of the Cretaceous, the most famous apex predator of the dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex, appeared, specifically evolved to kill other giant dinosaurs. The Tyrannosaurus was unlike any other Therapods.They had tiny arms so their body could support their massive jaw while staying balanced. Despite the way that these merciless predators are often portrayed in films, they could not actually run, as doing so would’ve caused their legs to break under the weight. They could, however, walk pretty quickly, which was how they managed to catch their prey.

Many dinosaur embryos could not survive towards the end of the Cretaceous because of the volcanic environment - the acidic pollution prevented their egg shells from forming properly. On top of this, many dinosaurs struggled with finding food and fertility. Due to the shortage of food, the few young dinosaurs that were born would often be killed by desperate predators, despite the best efforts of their herd to protect them.

Birds existed by the Cretaceous period, as the gigantic Pterosaurs slowly died out, freeing up the skies for new life. Mammals were also still getting by, now able to reach a maximum of 5kg. They were mostly scavengers, which were the only animals that were still thriving in the poisonous world.

The Earth

By the end of this period, the continents were taking on their modern forms. While the climate was typically warm and moist with plenty of greenery, the frequent movement of the tectonic plates beneath the Earth's crust that forced the continents apart also caused a surge in volcanic activity, which created lots of toxic gas and large wastelands. Towards the end of the Cretaceous, life on Earth was slowly choking to death.

Showers of shooting stars were a common occurrence during the night. They might have been a sign of an even larger comet coming, on a collision course with the Earth.

RIP big boys

This is probably the most famous mass extinction in the whole of history - it's the asteroid that hit the Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs forever. The aftermath was so devastating that it took millions of years for life on Earth to recover, and when it did, all traces of dinosaur life had disappeared. The asteroid hit Earth in what is now Mexico, and is estimated to have been 10km (around 6 miles) wide with the impact leaving behind a crater about 180km (110 miles) across. Between 75% and 80% of life on Earth was wiped out, either by the shock-wave that swept around the world or in the aftermath due to their food being destroyed and the atmosphere being toxic. It was mostly small mammals that survived because their diet allowed them to adapt easily.

#history #dinosaurs #dinosaur history #dinosaur facts #cretaceous

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Jurassic

Introduction

The second period in the Mesozoic Era is the Jurassic, probably the most famous of the three because of the blockbuster film series “Jurassic Park”. Despite my own love for the films, they are very inaccurate with little feature from animals that actually lived in the Jurassic. The Jurassic period started around 201 million years ago and ended 145 million years ago, and was the true beginning of the dinosaurs’ reign over our planet. 

Different species

The real dinosaurs have arrived! Some of the largest animals that have ever lived were dinosaurs of the Jurassic period. This was the time of the sauropods, the famous gigantic herbivores with long necks. Despite not being particularly intelligent creatures, the sauropods thrived in the Jurassic period as once they reached a certain size, they had no predators. Their fossils have been found on every continent apart from Antarctica, showing that they truly ruled the world. Other famous dinosaurs of this period included Stegosaurus (a plated back and spiked tail) and the flying Pterosaurs (and this time, they were absolutely huge.)

With such enormous herbivorous prey animals, the predators got larger too. Allosaurus is possibly the most well known carnivore from the Jurassic, with many fossils being found in North America. The Allosaurus was similar in appearance to the later, much more famous, Tyrannosaurus Rex, although the Allosaurus was significantly smaller, with larger forelimbs and the ability to run (which, by the way, the Tyrannosaurus did not have). Allosaurus wasn’t big enough to take down a fully-grown sauropod of the larger species (such as Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus) and would have been foolish to try, however, they were opportunistic and would consume the young, old, sick or injured sauropods. 

Marine life in the Jurassic was also very diverse. The Jurassic was a golden period for giant marine reptiles, before they went extinct with the dinosaurs on land. Plesiosaurs were large marine carnivores that typically had broad bodies, long necks, and four flipper-shaped limbs. While they were not actually dinosaurs, many people label them as so because they existed alongside the dinosaurs. These animals are thought to have given birth to live young, unlike reptiles nowadays that leave the water to lay eggs. All that remains of these glorious marine giants are turtles and sharks.

The Earth

As mentioned in my previous post about the Triassic, the Jurassic period was when the supercontinent Pangaea fully split apart. Laurentia, the northern half, divided into landmasses that would eventually form Asia, Europe, and North America. The southern half, Gondwana, had two segments - the eastern portion later became Antarctica, Australia, Madagascar, and India; the western segment formed what is now Africa and South America. The breakup of the supercontinent and the warmer global temperatures gave way for diversity and dominance of the dinosaurs.

Tropical storms weren’t too common, however, they were absolutely devastating during this time, especially around the smaller islands and across the sea. With 100 mile-an-hour winds, the storms would tear up shallow sea beds, smash corals, and kill thousands of marine animals and pterosaurs in just one go. The murky waters that these storms caused often disoriented the marine animals, causing them to beach themselves much like whales do.

Wow, none of these periods end nicely, huh?

Yes, there was another mass extinction at the end of this period, although this one is regarded as being minor compared to the others. The Jurassic extinction killed dinosaurs such as the Stegosaurus, most of the enormous sauropods, and many marine reptiles. Nobody knows what caused this extinction.

#history #dinosaurs #dinosaur history #dinosaur facts #jurassic

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Mesozoic Era (reminder)

The Mesozoic Era, often referred to as the Age of Dinosaurs or the Age of Reptiles, is divided up into three separate time periods: the Triassic (251.902 million years ago-201.3 million years ago), the Jurassic (201.3 million years ago-145 million years ago), and the Cretaceous (145.5 million years ago-66 million years ago.) The Mesozoic Era came to an end when an asteroid hit the Earth and wiped out most life on our planet. Only a few species, mostly small mammals, managed to survive the mass extinction because of their diet.

Triassic Period

Introduction

The Triassic period is the first of three in the Mesozoic Era and also the shortest, beginning around 252 million years ago and ending 201 million years ago. It followed the great Permian mass extinction at the end of the Paleozoic Era. This period of time was when life on land grew more diverse.

Different species

While dinosaurs didn’t exist yet when the Triassic period started, there were plenty of reptiles, some of which would later evolve into our famous friends. After the Permian extinction, two groups of animals survived to dominate the land. These were Therapsids (mammal-like reptiles) and Archosaurs (more reptilian creatures). At the start of the Triassic, it seemed that the Therapsids would rule this new era, however, by the middle of the Triassic, most of the Therapsids had gone extinct, leaving Archosaurs as the clear winners.

One lineage of the Archosaurs evolved into true dinosaurs by the mid-Triassic. Species such as coelophysis (very small and agile creatures) and plateosaurus (giant herbivores and a close relative of the sauropods) carried the future of the dinosaurs on their backs as they paved the way for the more famous species that followed in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. 

By the late Triassic, another group of Archosaurs had branched into the first pterosaurs. Sharovipteryx (a gliding breed) and icarosaurus (a flying reptile) were tiny compared to what the pterosaurs would become, only being about the size of our modern day flighted birds, but they were fierce predators to the insects.

Yes, funnily enough, some of our insects already existed at this point in time, and they weren’t all that different from how we see them today. Spiders, millipedes, and centipedes are just a few to name that still exist on Earth today, as well as new groups of beetles. The Triassic was also the time when grasshoppers came about.

And lastly, the first mammals evolved near the end of the Triassic period from the almost extinct Therapsids. These early mammals were very small, rarely more than a few inches in length, at least in the time of the late Triassic and early Jurassic. They were mainly herbivores or insectivores, so therefore were not in direct competition with the Archosaurs or later dinosaurs. Many of them were arboreal (lived in trees) and nocturnal (awake at night) to avoid the much larger predators that dominated their world. Despite having fur and suckling their young, they laid eggs, much like today’s platypus. 

The Earth

At the beginning of the Triassic, the continents we know today were still together, forming the supercontinent known as Pangaea. Generally, the climate in Pangaea was dry with very hot summers and cold winters. Although the climate was more moderate farther from the equator, the world was warmer than it is today and there were no polar ice caps.

Late in the Triassic, the Tethys Sea began to spread, leading to a divide between the northern and southern portions of Pangaea. This began the separation of the supercontinent into two large continents known as Laurasia and Gondwana, which became fully divided in the Jurassic period.

A bitter ending

A mass extinction, most likely caused by climate change, marked the ending of the Triassic period and the beginning of the Jurassic. The event is one of the five major mass extinction events of the Earth, killing around 76% of marine and terrestrial creatures. This extinction gave way for dinosaurs to evolve into the more famous species we hear about.

#history #dinosaurs #dinosaur history #dinosaur facts #triassic

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Cleopatra

Who was Cleopatra?

Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 BC-30 BC), often referred to as simply “Cleopatra”, was the last true pharaoh of Egypt. She came from a series of rulers called the Ptolemies, who ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. Her reign stretched over 21 years, from 51 BC until her death.

Why is Cleopatra famous?

Cleopatra was a popular ruler among the people of Egypt because she embraced the Egyptian culture and because the country thrived during her reign. During the time she was Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra influenced Roman politics, which was at a crucial period. It is because of Cleopatra’s unity with the Romans that both Egypt and Rome became so powerful. She is also known for her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.

She married three times, the first two marriages being to her brothers. Her first marriage was to Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator, and they ruled over Egypt together after their father’s death. When Ptolemy XIII drowned at just 15 years old, while attempting to cross the Nile, Cleopatra married her other brother, Ptolemy XIV of Egypt. During this marriage, Cleopatra had an affair with Julius Caesar, which resulted in a son called Caesarion. Cleopatra wanted Caesarion to be the next heir but her husband refused, and so it’s been speculated (although the facts are still uncertain) that Cleopatra poisoned Ptolemy XIV. Her final marriage was to the Roman general Mark Antony. They had three children together; twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II, as well as another son, Ptolemy Philadelphos. Cleopatra and Mark Antony were only married for two years before they died within less than two weeks of each other.

A tragic ending

Julius Caesar’s heir and adopted son Octavian, later known as Augustus, declared war on Egypt and labelled Mark Antony as a traitor of Rome. When Octavian entered Alexandria, Mark Antony decided to commit suicide, as he saw no other way out. Antony stabbed himself with a sword before being taken to Cleopatra to die in her arms. 

After Mark Antony’s death, Cleopatra was captured. When she learnt that Octavian planned to bring her to his Roman triumphal procession (a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome), she poisoned herself - there’s still debate as to whether she consumed poison or whether she was bitten by a venomous snake.

Caesarion was executed by Octavian in the same month that his mother died. Cleopatra’s three remaining children were sent to Rome with their father’s former wife as their guardian. Their fate after that is unknown, apart from the daughter, Cleopatra Selene, who went on to become the Queen of Mauretania.

#history #history facts #ancient egypt #ancient rome #cleopatra #mark antony

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Writing Historical Fiction (part 4.)

Story vs. history book

As I mentioned previously, after doing hours upon hours of research, it is tempting to show off everything that you’ve learnt. You must keep reminding yourself that you are writing a historical novel, not a history book. The reader has chosen your book because of the story. Try to use only the details that belong in your story, or the details that your reader might need to understand what is going on.

Now, you might be thinking - why bother with all that research if I can’t share it? Research is an important part of writing historical fiction. If you didn’t want to do it, you wouldn’t have chosen historical fiction, right? After putting in all that effort, you can now fully imagine the world that your story takes place in, and you are able to share glimpses of that with your reader. If you’ve done your research properly, they will believe that you know what you’re talking about. Which leads onto my final point of this whole tips saga…

While most of what you will write about in this novel is made up, a historical mistake can be quite disastrous. Have you ever read a book or seen a film and noticed a big factual mistake? Once you’ve noticed the screw-up, it’s hard to pay attention to anything else. You, as a reader or viewer, lose trust in the creator. This type of trust is called “suspension of disbelief” and it means that the reader or viewer knows what they’re reading or seeing is only imaginary, but decides to ‘pretend’ that it’s real. Any kind of mistake interrupts this make-believe, which takes the reader out of their imagination and brings out the logical part of their mind instead, which is irritated by the error.

In short: avoid mistakes at all costs, which applies to every type of literature, but perhaps none more than historical fiction. It is absolutely essential to get the facts right so that your readers can sit back and enjoy an imaginary journey to another place and time.

That concludes my series on writing historical fiction! Thank you so much for all the support, I never really expected so many people to be interested in it, which makes me very happy. I plan to do more advice series, the next one being about speculative fiction, but I doubt they will be as long as this one. Who knows? I can talk for a very long time if there’s nobody to shut me up ;)

#history #historical #historical fiction #writing #writing tips #writing advice

[dobermanprocrastinating]

Writing Historical Fiction (part 3.)

Research

Where to look?

Common sources: libraries, archives, historical societies, and of course, the internet. If possible, aim for material that was written during your novel’s time period, such as, newspapers, diaries, and memoirs. Any literature from that time can teach you about the way society thought; people’s values, attitudes, and concerns.

Travel! Of course, this isn’t always an option for many reasons, but if you can, it is well worth taking a trip to the place where your novel is set so that you can get a feel for the atmosphere. By visiting local museums, archives, and residents who hold additional information, you might learn more than what the internet can provide you with!

Searching for experts online might be an option that suits you. University faculties or authors of books set in your chosen time period or place can be a great source of information. On top of that, if you’re writing about recent history, maybe you can even talk to older people who have experienced it first-hand!

What to look for?

What were the current events of that time? Who were important people? What did people talk about? Were there any recent breakthroughs or discoveries?

What was the political situation like? Were the borders different then to how they are now?

What were the attitudes of the time? A few things to think about in particular are: family, marriage, the role of children, gender, race, religion, and so on.

What was the social structure like? How was the wealth divided? How did the different social classes view each other? How did they interact?

How did people dress? What were their hairstyles like? What were their habits in terms of hygiene?

What were people’s homes like? How were they organized? What were the different rooms and what did they contain? Did the household have servants?

What was the physical world like outside of your characters’ homes? Did they live in a city? Near farmland or a forest? What animals and plants would there have been? What kind of crimes were committed? Were there other dangers?

What was medical care like? Who was it available to? What diseases and illnesses were common?

What jobs existed? Who could work? What was the pay like?

What food did they eat? What cutlery was used? What were the eating habits and attitudes towards food? How different was this depending on a person’s wealth?

How did people talk? What kind of vocabulary did they use? (If you write your entire story in their language, people will be less likely to read your work. It is okay to use in dialogue occasionally, especially to give your readers some insight. Be extra careful to avoid modern slag!)

How did people travel? Did they travel often?

What was education like? What knowledge would your characters have? (Remember not to give them knowledge of things that have happened since their time!)

#history #historical #historical fiction #writing #writing tips #writing advice