an incredible look into how the cumulative and compounding effects of small details, oft unnoticed, can impact how we percieve a world. Either we immerse in it, or always feel that something is not quite right. Excellent insight as always Ian!
Thanks so much, Mohammed! This is the stuff I believe most strongly in, but in genres like fantasy it's hard to articulate their value. I'm glad to see others finding the merit in sweating the small stuff!
I'm an avid reader of fantasy and fiction. Often times ill find myself unsatisfied with the continuity or internal logic of a world and not drawn in for obvious reasons, and others I will feel unease with it but without being able to identify why.
what you highlighted here hits that square on the head. i ws internalizing small inconsistencies that made me unconsiously feel that something was off, without fully understanding. well done Ian!
See, it’s interesting, I can see in the costumes and set design… the showrunners cared. I know many think they didn’t (allegations of AI writing etc etc), but I believe the showrunners did, and do, care.
What I think they didn’t do is take stuff like this seriously enough, which happens all too often in many genres, but especially fantasy.
Not even 9:00 AM and have already read the most delightfully unhinged post I'm likely to find today This is absolutely fantastic and you should probably also talk to somebody about these feelings you have about art design. :D
I love this post so much 😊 this is the kind of conversation I have as a writer all the time. "If we made this moment more realistic, how could we use it to add character moments or setting moments?" It's such a wonderful trove of ways to deepen your story! If this is the way you habitually watch TV you'd be welcome to come watch with me and my husband any time 😂😂😂
I'm so glad I'm not alone! This is frequently how I write, too. I often say that carte blanche is harder for me than having constraints, because constraints become like handholds on a climbing wall that you can depend upon.
And yes, I am also very annoying to watch TV with and we should have a watch party!
Oh man, I’ve heard of that one. I have a protracted argument running with some friends of mine regarding whether stealth is even theoretically possible in space. I’ve gotta watch that or read the book, I hear it’s good.
I found both the first book and the first season of the show a little draggy for my taste - I struggle w police procedurals and that's a big part of the plot of that first story - but overall, it's a beautifully realized deep world. It started life as an RPG world and it shows. I'm finishing the final book as an audiobook right now. My one piece of nitpicker advice is if you have a hard time with PC protagonists who just happen to find themselves on the front lines of history at every major event for 30 years, this may not be your series 😂
Great essay, you did make those dang wheels worthwhile.
Also great footnote about Miyazaki. Having realistic/historical details in a work of high fantasy is like adding salt to beef-- it brings out the full, rich flavor of the setting, grounds it, makes it less like a museum or a caricature of reality, and more immersive.
On a similar note, Miyazaki likes to tell such stories with ordinary, human main characters and personal stakes, that get wrapped up into the whimsy, the beauty, and the horror. Many fantasies ditch the lead's "ordinariness" as soon as possible to indulge in power fantasy, or worse, "realistic" grimdark misery porn. But-- like the wheels for the setting-- that's at the cost of depth and value for the character.
I see a wizard level a city with a word, but without seeing any of the ordinary people living there, with their own dreams and problems and families that they love and struggle with... well, frankly, why should I care? And then we get kinda desensitized to it, and the same media goes ever bigger and louder, trying to sell itself on shock value instead of depth and truth.
The personal, the practical, the ordinary, the human-- these are what highlight the epic, the extraordinary, and the alien in a work of fantasy or scifi. Too much of the latter without the former, and you forget the meaning of such words.
PS a good example of this is in the newest Dune films. You only truly feel in awe of those massive sandworms after seeing a regular person look up to them, and while that music plays ofc.
Such fantastic points you’ve made here, Mosnar! I agree with everything you’ve said. I try and summarize it to people by saying that wonder and awe begin from the ground up. If you can’t look into the mundane and find the magical, then even your magic is likewise doomed to feel mundane.
The same exact rant can be had about excess handwavium in science fiction.
In fact your friends who love Star Wars but hate fantasy are self-contradictory, because Star Wars is space fantasy. It's not remotely science fiction. It's lovely as space fantasy, mind you, but if they scoff at wizards and dragons I can't imagine why space wizards and space dragons are better.
I completely agree, and I’ve actually pointed out that exact fact to them. What’s even more astonishing is they don’t disagree at all — they readily admit that Star Wars is space fantasy, but will still say that they can tolerate rancors but not dragons. They’re aware of the contradiction but nonetheless live by it.
Many years ago, my dad accompanied my older brother (an unemployed engineer at the time) to the hardware store to get a part required for a home repair job. After trying (and failing) to convince my brother he could accomplish the desired task with a couple of simple items readily available then watching my brother walk away to continue his quest for ‘replacement part required,’ the hardware store owner turned to my dad and said, “That boy ain’t got enough to do.”
Ian, completely agree with about 99 percent of what you have here, and I think your point about world building enhancing story is really well made.
My only quibble is that I don't think you considered an important factor in your comments about the wheel: manufacture.
My understanding is that the process of making the wheel, creating the felloes in particular, can take a certain level of specialized skill and tools that might not always be available. Thus, the solid design, especially the plank design, while far from optimal, might be easier to make if all you have is an ax and saw and need to get your cart moving for another couple of miles, or if you can't afford to get actually good wheels.
I also wonder if, for a lot of medieval peasant hauling work, the issue was less about moving weight (stones, lumber, siege equipment) and more about moving volume (firewood, hay, grain). If it's more about volume, then maybe a simple plank wheel with cross pinning might be functional enough? Thus why a lot of medieval paintings show the spoke, because the painters 1) are richer, 2) aren't watching peasants at work in the fields so much, 3) see mostly spoked wheels, so that's what they paint.
In other words, 'does it work' is only half the question for a lot of this, but also, how hard is it to build or buy, and I am wondering how that factors into this discussion of the wheels.
This is a question, I honestly don't know anything about this, and would love to hear your thoughts.
(Nothing here should be taken as in anyway a defense of RoP or anything similar).
But really good analysis of how worldbuilding works with storytelling, and looking forward to reading more!
Maybe it’s the medieval spare tire? Spoke wheels take skill and craftsmanship. Anyone can bang a few planks together when their spoke wheel breaks. When the plank wheel breaks, just cobble another one together.
Seriously though, I spotted the wheels instantly when I saw the picture. I haven’t seen the show. I would have been right there with you complaining.
I saw the covered wagon too. I think it’s meant to be a medieval RV. To show that the traveler was from far away and wouldn’t be missed.
If they really needed an enclosed wagon, they could have went with spoked wheels and hard tops. Or wicker like Gandalf’s wagon. That would have made it feel less Western. Instead it looks like broke down Western–not medieval.
But also, I bet that was an expensive prop that never needed to be built.
Totally agree! And part of the reason why it’s such a shame is because the budget is obvious. A team absolutely spent a lot of time and money on that prop; they just focused on the wrong stuff.
Haven't watched the show and don't plan to, but I loved this! I tend to fall down deep research rabbit holes for details that end up barely mentioned in the story, but somehow putting in that time to figure out just what kind of bag my traveler would have actually packed in makes the time period (or generally evoked time period) come so much more alive! And then working those details in in a natural way that adds to the story rather than just being shallow window dressing that screams "hey, look, time period!" is an art form in itself. 😄
I think if you're writing fantasy, but especially historical fantasy/magical realism, you owe it to the reader to be as accurate as you can. You have to ask yourself the obvious questions: ie, what did they use for windows? How were they dressed? What was the social hierarchy? How many people could actually find refuge in a castle under siege? If you don't seek out the answers to these questions, your story is going to fail. People won't want to read it because the "realism" part of Magical Realism, has to be that: Real.
Plus I think in a post apocalyptic world, we’re going to need some of that good old world tech. That’s where Historians and Engineers will shine.
With barely any modifications, those staves become an impromptu boat, or a shelter.
Would it be weird to see a travois in a different century/culture. No.
One of my favroite Doctor Who episodes, Genesis of the Daleks, pointed out that a conflict had been going on for centuries based on the fact that the attire of a fallen soldier incorporated many anachronistic gear. It reflected how brutal and relentless the people of Skaro were.
I also think it was somehow related to the EInstein attributed quote.
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones".
I’m currently on a quest to write a Science Fiction/Fantasy hybrid where our present is the past, and many things have been forgotten, reinvented, or discovered.
In my fanfic writing days, the fandom I was in called this “breaking the suspenders of disbelief”. I had royal guards in the second book of my series (at least I don’t remember them in the first book) and by the end of the first draft, I’m wondering, wait, why are there royal guards? Who are they guarding and from whom? Especially when everyone turns into a sea serpent-dragon the minute they step out of the underwater city? Why are they needed? That will become a story, one day.
I'd steeped myself in political thinkpieces all day and then stumbled upon this. What a relief to sink into a nitpicky, hair-splitting world of creating fiction! I'm not a fantasy writer (or reader...or watcher), but I do love nerding out to technique, and this piece was like a lovely palate cleanser after the mess of L.A. riots-based pieces.
an incredible look into how the cumulative and compounding effects of small details, oft unnoticed, can impact how we percieve a world. Either we immerse in it, or always feel that something is not quite right. Excellent insight as always Ian!
Thanks so much, Mohammed! This is the stuff I believe most strongly in, but in genres like fantasy it's hard to articulate their value. I'm glad to see others finding the merit in sweating the small stuff!
I'm an avid reader of fantasy and fiction. Often times ill find myself unsatisfied with the continuity or internal logic of a world and not drawn in for obvious reasons, and others I will feel unease with it but without being able to identify why.
what you highlighted here hits that square on the head. i ws internalizing small inconsistencies that made me unconsiously feel that something was off, without fully understanding. well done Ian!
Hoo boy, if you think the wagon wheels are bad, you should see some of the "armor" they slap on these characters.
Oh trust me, I passed up many, many opportunities for this kind of treatment. That show is a target-rich environment.
I'm far from the consummate writer/historian, but that darn show is so low effort.
See, it’s interesting, I can see in the costumes and set design… the showrunners cared. I know many think they didn’t (allegations of AI writing etc etc), but I believe the showrunners did, and do, care.
What I think they didn’t do is take stuff like this seriously enough, which happens all too often in many genres, but especially fantasy.
Not even 9:00 AM and have already read the most delightfully unhinged post I'm likely to find today This is absolutely fantastic and you should probably also talk to somebody about these feelings you have about art design. :D
Thanks, Greg! I’ll take it 😆
I love this post so much 😊 this is the kind of conversation I have as a writer all the time. "If we made this moment more realistic, how could we use it to add character moments or setting moments?" It's such a wonderful trove of ways to deepen your story! If this is the way you habitually watch TV you'd be welcome to come watch with me and my husband any time 😂😂😂
I'm so glad I'm not alone! This is frequently how I write, too. I often say that carte blanche is harder for me than having constraints, because constraints become like handholds on a climbing wall that you can depend upon.
And yes, I am also very annoying to watch TV with and we should have a watch party!
We just finished The Expanse and were constantly pausing to comment on the subtle world building
Oh man, I’ve heard of that one. I have a protracted argument running with some friends of mine regarding whether stealth is even theoretically possible in space. I’ve gotta watch that or read the book, I hear it’s good.
I found both the first book and the first season of the show a little draggy for my taste - I struggle w police procedurals and that's a big part of the plot of that first story - but overall, it's a beautifully realized deep world. It started life as an RPG world and it shows. I'm finishing the final book as an audiobook right now. My one piece of nitpicker advice is if you have a hard time with PC protagonists who just happen to find themselves on the front lines of history at every major event for 30 years, this may not be your series 😂
Great essay, you did make those dang wheels worthwhile.
Also great footnote about Miyazaki. Having realistic/historical details in a work of high fantasy is like adding salt to beef-- it brings out the full, rich flavor of the setting, grounds it, makes it less like a museum or a caricature of reality, and more immersive.
On a similar note, Miyazaki likes to tell such stories with ordinary, human main characters and personal stakes, that get wrapped up into the whimsy, the beauty, and the horror. Many fantasies ditch the lead's "ordinariness" as soon as possible to indulge in power fantasy, or worse, "realistic" grimdark misery porn. But-- like the wheels for the setting-- that's at the cost of depth and value for the character.
I see a wizard level a city with a word, but without seeing any of the ordinary people living there, with their own dreams and problems and families that they love and struggle with... well, frankly, why should I care? And then we get kinda desensitized to it, and the same media goes ever bigger and louder, trying to sell itself on shock value instead of depth and truth.
The personal, the practical, the ordinary, the human-- these are what highlight the epic, the extraordinary, and the alien in a work of fantasy or scifi. Too much of the latter without the former, and you forget the meaning of such words.
PS a good example of this is in the newest Dune films. You only truly feel in awe of those massive sandworms after seeing a regular person look up to them, and while that music plays ofc.
Such fantastic points you’ve made here, Mosnar! I agree with everything you’ve said. I try and summarize it to people by saying that wonder and awe begin from the ground up. If you can’t look into the mundane and find the magical, then even your magic is likewise doomed to feel mundane.
An excellent way to put it
i had never given the spoke wheel a single thought before this article. wow. mind blown.
Glad you liked it! I love this stuff a little too much — sometimes it gets too nitty gritty, but at other times it can yield fantastic results!
The same exact rant can be had about excess handwavium in science fiction.
In fact your friends who love Star Wars but hate fantasy are self-contradictory, because Star Wars is space fantasy. It's not remotely science fiction. It's lovely as space fantasy, mind you, but if they scoff at wizards and dragons I can't imagine why space wizards and space dragons are better.
I completely agree, and I’ve actually pointed out that exact fact to them. What’s even more astonishing is they don’t disagree at all — they readily admit that Star Wars is space fantasy, but will still say that they can tolerate rancors but not dragons. They’re aware of the contradiction but nonetheless live by it.
Many years ago, my dad accompanied my older brother (an unemployed engineer at the time) to the hardware store to get a part required for a home repair job. After trying (and failing) to convince my brother he could accomplish the desired task with a couple of simple items readily available then watching my brother walk away to continue his quest for ‘replacement part required,’ the hardware store owner turned to my dad and said, “That boy ain’t got enough to do.”
Ian, completely agree with about 99 percent of what you have here, and I think your point about world building enhancing story is really well made.
My only quibble is that I don't think you considered an important factor in your comments about the wheel: manufacture.
My understanding is that the process of making the wheel, creating the felloes in particular, can take a certain level of specialized skill and tools that might not always be available. Thus, the solid design, especially the plank design, while far from optimal, might be easier to make if all you have is an ax and saw and need to get your cart moving for another couple of miles, or if you can't afford to get actually good wheels.
I also wonder if, for a lot of medieval peasant hauling work, the issue was less about moving weight (stones, lumber, siege equipment) and more about moving volume (firewood, hay, grain). If it's more about volume, then maybe a simple plank wheel with cross pinning might be functional enough? Thus why a lot of medieval paintings show the spoke, because the painters 1) are richer, 2) aren't watching peasants at work in the fields so much, 3) see mostly spoked wheels, so that's what they paint.
In other words, 'does it work' is only half the question for a lot of this, but also, how hard is it to build or buy, and I am wondering how that factors into this discussion of the wheels.
This is a question, I honestly don't know anything about this, and would love to hear your thoughts.
(Nothing here should be taken as in anyway a defense of RoP or anything similar).
But really good analysis of how worldbuilding works with storytelling, and looking forward to reading more!
Maybe it’s the medieval spare tire? Spoke wheels take skill and craftsmanship. Anyone can bang a few planks together when their spoke wheel breaks. When the plank wheel breaks, just cobble another one together.
Seriously though, I spotted the wheels instantly when I saw the picture. I haven’t seen the show. I would have been right there with you complaining.
I saw the covered wagon too. I think it’s meant to be a medieval RV. To show that the traveler was from far away and wouldn’t be missed.
If they really needed an enclosed wagon, they could have went with spoked wheels and hard tops. Or wicker like Gandalf’s wagon. That would have made it feel less Western. Instead it looks like broke down Western–not medieval.
But also, I bet that was an expensive prop that never needed to be built.
Totally agree! And part of the reason why it’s such a shame is because the budget is obvious. A team absolutely spent a lot of time and money on that prop; they just focused on the wrong stuff.
Haven't watched the show and don't plan to, but I loved this! I tend to fall down deep research rabbit holes for details that end up barely mentioned in the story, but somehow putting in that time to figure out just what kind of bag my traveler would have actually packed in makes the time period (or generally evoked time period) come so much more alive! And then working those details in in a natural way that adds to the story rather than just being shallow window dressing that screams "hey, look, time period!" is an art form in itself. 😄
So true! Go down those rabbit holes, they’re the stuff that stories are made of!
Ah, yes, thanks for the explanation of why this wagon bugged me! And more importantly, for the deep dive into why small details matter
Of course! I'm glad others have enjoyed this fastidious little exploration of mine!
I think if you're writing fantasy, but especially historical fantasy/magical realism, you owe it to the reader to be as accurate as you can. You have to ask yourself the obvious questions: ie, what did they use for windows? How were they dressed? What was the social hierarchy? How many people could actually find refuge in a castle under siege? If you don't seek out the answers to these questions, your story is going to fail. People won't want to read it because the "realism" part of Magical Realism, has to be that: Real.
It's like the reason we become Writers is because we could do it better.
I love travois' BTW. Very practical.
I agree! If I were in that situation, I’d use a travois.
Oh Travois for days.
Plus I think in a post apocalyptic world, we’re going to need some of that good old world tech. That’s where Historians and Engineers will shine.
With barely any modifications, those staves become an impromptu boat, or a shelter.
Would it be weird to see a travois in a different century/culture. No.
One of my favroite Doctor Who episodes, Genesis of the Daleks, pointed out that a conflict had been going on for centuries based on the fact that the attire of a fallen soldier incorporated many anachronistic gear. It reflected how brutal and relentless the people of Skaro were.
I also think it was somehow related to the EInstein attributed quote.
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones".
I’m currently on a quest to write a Science Fiction/Fantasy hybrid where our present is the past, and many things have been forgotten, reinvented, or discovered.
In my fanfic writing days, the fandom I was in called this “breaking the suspenders of disbelief”. I had royal guards in the second book of my series (at least I don’t remember them in the first book) and by the end of the first draft, I’m wondering, wait, why are there royal guards? Who are they guarding and from whom? Especially when everyone turns into a sea serpent-dragon the minute they step out of the underwater city? Why are they needed? That will become a story, one day.
That is a fantastic example! And thinking through those things can lead to the most wonderful discoveries!
I'd steeped myself in political thinkpieces all day and then stumbled upon this. What a relief to sink into a nitpicky, hair-splitting world of creating fiction! I'm not a fantasy writer (or reader...or watcher), but I do love nerding out to technique, and this piece was like a lovely palate cleanser after the mess of L.A. riots-based pieces.
Happy to provide a palate-cleanser, Rosalind!