Original articles
Today, we are used to seeing the ruins of ancient Roman and Greek building like in this picture: a few columns and a broken outer shell, the pieces erected back by modern archaeologists to give us a sense of the ancient grandeur. But what was it like, when those buildings were living, breathing spaces, used […]
This is purely about writing, not about my ability to parallel park (which is excellent, I tell you). Now that I’ve finished self-editing In Victrix (and am still flush with optimistic excitement, at least till the beta’s comments starts rolling in) there are a few things that hit me, in light of previous feedback, which […]
I’ve talked about my writing process (and how to make the muse work for you slash keep track of rabid characters and twisty plots), so now it’s time to talk about editing (and how to keep your sanity). For the curious, there are three reasons why I’m blogging about this: one, it forces me to […]
It’s the time of the year when every Romanophile secretly wonders how they could celebrate Saturnalia, without looking like a weirdo to everyone who celebrates the more acceptable holidays of midwinter in these modern times. Well, fear no more! Here is a tongue-in-cheek list to help you crypto-Romanophiles celebrate the grandest of holidays, without looking […]
Unlike the previous series I reviewed (Chelmsford 123 and Plebs), this is a docudrama. Or rather, dramatised scenes in between documentary commentary by notable historians and classicists. The series is produced by Netflix, and it’s nice to see them tackle real history: this isn’t Starz’ Spartacus, which was very entertaining with all the blood and […]
Some interesting articles about writing in these modern times. (And no, it has nothing to do with NaNoWriMo — though my best wishes to anyone surfacing for air from that 🙂 Instead, this article deals with several aspects of writing — from the story-telling to the actual chicken-scratching-on-dead-trees. First, an inspiring and encouraging piece from […]
The Historical Fantasy Book Club is one of my favourite FB groups (shocking, I know), and back in June they invited me for an “author takeover”. I thought rather than talking about my usual topics (Romans, and their obsession with fantastical beasts and how to cook them), I’d try to create a broader discussion, one […]
I’ve recently finished The New Magic by Joseph Malik (review to come soon — but his first book, Dragon’s Trail, was half of what prompted me to start writing advice on writing action scenes, as an example of how to do them right). Anyway. You often hear the advice about writing fight scenes to “use […]
A character’s name will be the trait most often referred to in a book, so today I’d like to talk about historical and fantastical names, as well as literary usage. We’d start with a quick review of some interesting naming conventions from history (Romans, duh, but also others), then touch on fantasy and science fiction […]
A few things on the agenda today, from ancient Roman wine-making to expensive coins, from functional shields to decorative helmets, and even some ancient military humour! Wines today and in Roman times This article about ancient wine popped up in my feed: We Drink Basically The Same Wine As Ancient Romans — And That’s Not […]
