We’ve touched on sacred objects before, as they’re often integrated with other aspects of religion, but we haven’t looked at them directly. We’re going to do that now not only because it’s a key element of practically every religion, but because these turn out to be the hook upon which cultures have hung some fascinating behaviors! (more…)
I’ve been talking about the preservation of history as a matter of written records, but as a trained archaeologist, I am obliged to note that history also inheres in the materials we leave behind, from the grand — elaborate sarcophagi and ruined temples — to the humble — potsherds, post holes, and the bones of our meals.
Thanks to my research for the upcoming Sea Beyond duology, I became aware of something called the “Alexander Romance.” (more…)
Philosophy is one of those topics where, if you’re intending to explore it in detail in your fiction, you probably already know more about it than I do.
In the beginning, there was the list.
It may seem odd that I’m following up a discussion of segregation on the basis of sex with one on pornography, but bear with me: they’re not as unrelated as they seem. (more…)
Segueing on from eunuchs and the notion of them guarding harems, let’s talk about contexts in which people tend to get separated on the basis of sex. (more…)
As you can imagine, this essay will continue with a frank discussion of genitalia and modifications to same.
Nearly all of the essays for the New Worlds Patreon this month are going to be talking about genitals or other explicit topics, beginning this week with circumcision. You have been warned; now comment over there!
It seems fitting for Halloween that the traditional fifth-Friday New Worlds Patreon theory post should focus on weird critters — but in this case, real ones! Let’s talk about drawing inspiration for science fictional and fantasy species from the aliens we share a planet with: comment over there . . .
How many people have ever been able to afford to retire, and what has “retirement” meant through the ages, anyway? The New Worlds Patreon has some thoughts — comment over there . . .
Insurance is rather a hot-button topic these days, especially (but not only) in the field of healthcare. How did it even get started? That’s the topic this week at the New Worlds Patreon — hint, it involved ships sinking at sea. Comment over there!
I’ll admit up front that I am not the best person to talk about investments and the history thereof in any real depth. But it’s a topic I want the New Worlds Patreon to address, even if only briefly — so comment over there!
For October, my loyal patrons in the New Worlds Patreon have voted for a turn toward the field of economics! Though what we’re talking about this first week could potentially have gone into the “law and crime” category instead, as we’re talking about bribery . . . comment over there!
Every U.S. schoolchild learns about the Bill of Rights, but how many of us remember why the Third Amendment — the one about the quartering of soldiers — was so important to the Founding Fathers? The problems with housing soldiers, in war and in peacetime, is the topic of this week’s New Worlds Patreon essay; comment over there!
As part of its current tour of military topics, the New Worlds Patreon is taking a look at all those other people involved: not the soldiers, but the secondary army of people who support and/or profit off them. Comment over there!
The counterpart to the New Worlds Patreon‘s discussion of supply lines last week is “living off the land” — usually meaning off the backs of the civilian population. Comment over there!
My New Worlds patrons having voted for a set of military topics this month, we’re taking a look at the logistical side of warfare! Not to the depth that an officer or military historian would study it, of course, but we can at least manage a top-level overview of how worldbuilding factors shape the way armies get fed. Comment over there!
In obedience to long-standing tradition, in a month with five Fridays, the New Worlds Patreon turns its attention to matters of theory and craft! This time, we’re taking a look at the worldbuilding on-ramp — which is to say, the vital questions of how much to explain at the start of your story, and how choosing the right entry point can ease the reader’s way in. Comment over there!
This week, the New Worlds Patreon pivots slightly from human migration and cultural contact to the question of how societies respond to crisis — a question whose list of possible answers unfortunately includes “turn on any perceived outsiders” among its historical and present-day options. Comment over there . . .
