Tag: history

A Philosophy of Ice and Fire

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

Season 7 of Game of Thrones premiers in five days (!),  and I for one am stoked. A lot has been made of the philosophies one can glean from these stories, so I wanted to give my own thoughts.

The ongoing argument is that George R.R. Martin is a nihilist and created these stories to beat his readers over the head with tragedy and suffering.

I disagree, and I will use this post to explain why.

Spoilers ahoy! I will be freely discussing spoilerish information from both the books and the show, so if you’ve somehow managed to avoid them to this point, this post is probably not for you. Continue reading “A Philosophy of Ice and Fire” →

Exploring Úr’Dan: Feldings and Uplanders

On By Steven D'AdamoIn The Warden of Everfeld, Writers - Steve D'Adamo2 Comments

In honor of the premier of Planet Earth II back in March, I wrote a post about the northern region of my fantasy world, Úr’Dan. In that post, I wrote about the Hundred Teeth mountain range and the Uplands that make up the northern portion of this subcontinent.

Planet Earth II was fantastic, by the way. If you have not watched it, you’re missing out on some beautiful cinematography and amazing animals.

Anyway, I thought I would continue my “Exploring Úr’Dan” series by discussing the people who actually live in the Uplands, collectively known as Uplanders. Continue reading “Exploring Úr’Dan: Feldings and Uplanders” →

Úr’Dan: Exploring the Alternate Universe

On By Steven D'AdamoIn The Warden of Everfeld, Writers - Steve D'Adamo2 Comments

I have talked about my upcoming novel, The Warden of Everfeld: Memento, in mostly vague terms to this point. That is largely by design.

I tend to hold my own dreams and aspirations near and dear to my heart until I feel like I’m ready to express them to people beyond my most inner circle. But, I think it’s time I actually begin sharing some of the world-building I have been doing over the last several years. Continue reading “Úr’Dan: Exploring the Alternate Universe” →

Friday Write-Day: The Joys of World-Building

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, The Warden of Everfeld, Writers - Steve D'Adamo6 Comments

fwd-joys-of-world-building

My outlining has really taken off in earnest this week. I definitely have some big revisions in mind for The Warden of Everfeld: Memento, and dropping the synopsis on this site a couple days ago was invigorating. However, I’ve decided to let the alpha manuscript of WoEM (mostly) sit tight through National Novel Writing Month so I can focus on other aspects of my grand writing scheme. Continue reading “Friday Write-Day: The Joys of World-Building” →

Friday Write-Day: Top 5 Favorite Books!

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, Writers - Steve D'Adamo5 Comments

fwd-top-5-favorite-books

I was prompted earlier this week to post my top five favorite books of all time by Mr. MLS Weech, a real-live published author and blogger-buddy. So props to you sir, for making me want to write about my favorite books! (His blog is full of insightful pieces on the writing and publishing process – check it out.)

Now then, thinking about my favorite books was surprisingly difficult, because my reading preferences tend to fall into three broad and diverse categories: Continue reading “Friday Write-Day: Top 5 Favorite Books!” →

Book Review: LIONHEART, by Sharon Kay Penman

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Reviews, Writers - Steve D'Adamo4 Comments
Lionheart, Sharon Kay Penman - http://www.amazon.com/Lionheart-Novel-Sharon-Kay-Penman/dp/0345517563
Lionheart, Sharon Kay Penman – http://www.amazon.com/Lionheart-Novel-Sharon-Kay-Penman/dp/0345517563

Medieval British History is my wheelhouse. I’m not an expert by any means, but learning about the English royalty is actually what first sparked my academic interest in history during high school. Who was the Black Prince and how did he get such an awesome moniker? How accurate were the popular tales about Richard I’s crusade? I just wanted to learn more, and I did throughout college.

Popular History

One oft-lamented aspect of the field of history by academics is the prevalence of popular history, particularly in film, television, and non/fiction. Popular history tends to take a wide, mass-appeal approach to the telling of history. The argument against these forms of history is that they are often more focused on a gripping narrative than on actual historical accuracy or objectivity. This is undeniable in many such works. Continue reading “Book Review: LIONHEART, by Sharon Kay Penman” →

Creativity Sessions: Not Seeing the Trees for the Forest

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Creativity Sessions, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

River in the forestLooking at that picture, most people would hear the water chiming over stones and logs, or imagine the animals that may be hidden behind that line of trees. I look at this picture and imagine the mountain spring that flows down into this river, or the wide expanse of the forest. Continue reading “Creativity Sessions: Not Seeing the Trees for the Forest” →

Quick Rip: THE REVENANT and Leo’s Oscar Hopes

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Storytelling, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

I saw The Revenant over the weekend with a friend. He had already seen it, and he raved about it on our way to the theater. I generally become more critical of films when I hear a lot of hype leading up to me seeing them. The stakes for The Revenant were already high. Continue reading “Quick Rip: THE REVENANT and Leo’s Oscar Hopes” →

Creativity Sessions: Thoughts on Storytelling

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Creativity Sessions, Writers - Steve D'Adamo3 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about storytelling recently. Okay, I kind of think about storytelling all the time anyway. But binge-watching Louis on Netflix makes me reflect on the way we tell our own stories. Continue reading “Creativity Sessions: Thoughts on Storytelling” →

Haiku Sunday NaNo Edition – Tattoo

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Poetry, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

“Tattoo”

Layers of green blood,
Windswept lines twisting, curling,
Stains of history

Author’s Note: I love tattoos. I only have one myself, mostly because of cost, but I also love the history of tattoos across the world. Many cultures use tattoos to tell the histories of their people, their families. Tattoos play varying roles for many of the cultures of Ur’Dan. For Feldings, tattoos are traditionally used as a coming-of-age symbol, a mark earned by the bearer and recognized by their comrades, especially warriors. Felding tattoos are made up of swirling lines of dark green ink, beginning at the wrist and sweeping up the arm. The higher the tattoos go, the more respected the warrior is, and the more likely their names will be remembered.

Steve D