Category: Writing

  • The Lord of the Rings Explained – A Conspiracy Unmasked

    The Lord of the Rings Explained – A Conspiracy Unmasked

    Welcome to my series of posts exploring how J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings differs from its film adaptations.  As one might expect of such a long book, it is considerably more complex than even a twelve-hour movie could hope to get across.  Movies are rarely as good as the book, and The…

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  • The Lord of the Rings Explained – What Moviegoers Missed

    The Lord of the Rings Explained – What Moviegoers Missed

    We’re all stuck inside hoping we don’t get the current plague, and to give myself something to do, I’ve decided to write a series of articles about my favourite book: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Because as great as the movies are, there’s so much to this story that people who’ve only…

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  • Write the Sounds of Your Fictional Language

    Write the Sounds of Your Fictional Language

    My latest article will teach you the basics of how to use the International Phonetic Alphabet.  Geared towards fantasy writers who want to craft better names for their characters, this article covers the basic types of consonants and vowels, including places and manners of articulation for consonants and some of the more common vowel qualities.…

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  • Learn to Craft Character Names

    Learn to Craft Character Names

    For several years, hmturnbull.com was focused mainly on reviewing books, movies and television.  Since then, a number of things have changed in my life, and my goal of writing fiction has become more of a priority. For a long time, I’ve wanted to shift the focus of this website towards not only my own work,…

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  • Top 10 Worst Fantasy Stories 2019

    Top 10 Worst Fantasy Stories 2019

    This is the original version of an article that I’ve since updated.  I highly recommend you check out the up-to-date version, where I’ve added new entries and adjusted the order. It’s time to take a look at some fantasy stories: specifically the worst fantasy stories I know of. When J. R. R. Tolkien published The…

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  • Making a Fantasy Map: Text Labels

    Making a Fantasy Map: Text Labels

    If you want to learn how to make a map in more detail—or you’d like to make one but can’t due to Affinity’s pricetag—then take a look at my new eBook: How to Make a Fantasy Map: A Writer’s Guide to Otherworldly Cartography. You’ll learn more advanced techniques for making a fantasy map (including how…

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  • Making a Fantasy Map: Settlements

    Making a Fantasy Map: Settlements

    If you want to learn how to make a map in more detail—or you’d like to make one but can’t due to Affinity’s pricetag—then take a look at my new eBook: How to Make a Fantasy Map: A Writer’s Guide to Otherworldly Cartography. You’ll learn more advanced techniques for making a fantasy map (including how…

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  • Making a Fantasy Map: Forests

    Making a Fantasy Map: Forests

    If you want to learn how to make a map in more detail—or you’d like to make one but can’t due to Affinity’s pricetag—then take a look at my new eBook: How to Make a Fantasy Map: A Writer’s Guide to Otherworldly Cartography. You’ll learn more advanced techniques for making a fantasy map (including how…

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  • Making a Fantasy Map: Rivers

    Making a Fantasy Map: Rivers

    Now that we’ve drawn a continent with mountains, it’s time to give it some rivers.  But before we begin I’d like to mention that I’ve written a book on the subject of making fantasy maps. If you want to learn how to make a map in more detail—or you’d like to make one but can’t…

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  • Making a Fantasy Map: Mountain Ranges

    Making a Fantasy Map: Mountain Ranges

    If you want to learn how to make a map in more detail—or you’d like to make one but can’t due to Affinity’s pricetag—then take a look at my new eBook: How to Make a Fantasy Map: A Writer’s Guide to Otherworldly Cartography. You’ll learn more advanced techniques for making a fantasy map (including how…

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