Category Archives: research

Skinning your Own Apes: Researching from Primary Sources

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

An article in the Stanford magazine this month talks about a new method of teaching history to high schoolers using primary source material, having the teens read several documents about an incident and draw their own conclusions based on the … Continue reading →

Posted in books, fiction, historical medicine, history, medieval, research, worldbuilding, writing advice | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hack Writers and Falconry: What’s the connection?

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

One of the most popular sports of the Middle Ages was falconry, the art of training a bird of prey to hunt on its master’s behalf. There are places today, like the New Hampshire School of Falconry, where you can … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, history, medieval, research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Deleted Scenes and Settings: St. Catherine’s Oratory, Chale, Isle of Wight

Posted on December 26, 2012 by

Every so often in my research I come upon a place or an idea so compelling that I must learn more.  Some of these places eventually become scenes, and some of those scenes, alas, end up on the cutting room floor.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Deleted scenes and settings, history, medieval, medieval technology, research, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Infernal Politics: Dante and the Separation of Church and State

Posted on December 19, 2012 by

So I am reading up on 14th century Rome, as noted earlier, and also listening to a course on tape about epics, and both have suddenly converged on a curious note:  the Medieval origins of the separation of church and … Continue reading →

Posted in medieval, religion, research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bilbo Baggins’ Bathrobe: an example of poor world-building

Posted on December 14, 2012 by

Like many of you, I am excited to see the new film(s) based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.  I’ve been following its production from a distance, and was interested to read the Wall Street Journal review of the … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, fantasy, history, medieval, medieval technology, movies, research, worldbuilding | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Street View: Historical Style

Posted on May 30, 2012 by

I am fortunate to have been able to take a research jaunt to Germany and Avignon last year about this time, and to have brought home a couple thousand photos (I remember when that would have taken my entire carry-on full … Continue reading →

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Forms of Address: What’s in a Name?

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

I recently had cause to research how to address the Holy Roman Emperor (in my period, there are actually two of them!) and came  across this post on the Edward II blog.  I am a fan of this blog, and … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, fiction, history, medieval, research | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Medieval Fantasy Author’s Must-see

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

Okay, if you’re a fantasy writer, doing anything remotely inspired by medieval history, you should be getting on a plane to Kalamazoo, Michigan–right now!   At the very least, you should know *why* I would urge you to Kalamazoo.  Sadly, the flights … Continue reading →

Posted in history, magic, medieval, medieval technology, research | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Smarten up, Museums–don’t Dumb it Down!

Posted on March 16, 2012 by

One thing that pisses me off about museums and historical sites is when they don’t have any documentation of the truly unique aspects of their collection.  No catalogs, monographs, research or historical books in a gift store filled with stuff for … Continue reading →

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Folding, Spindling, and Mutilating History

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

Why can’t history just do what I want it to, sometimes?  It’s like it’s set in stone or something.  I wonder if there are time travel stories about authors going back to try to get things to turn out right … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, fiction, history, medieval, research, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments