1. Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions – I’m taking a class on writing Regency romance via the Beau Monde chapter of the RWA, and instructor Judith Laik passed along this link of questions/issues to consider as you build your world in whatever kind of story you are writing.

2. Regency Skeleton Suits (No, Not Halloween Costumes) – It’s fascinating to me to consider how people have dressed throughout different time periods. Here’s a nice summation of the kinds of clothing little boys wore, and how graduating from dresses to skeleton suits (“breeching”) was often a big deal for a boy and his family.

3. Can Thoughts and Intentions Alter the Physical World? – As the comments on this link show, there’s a wide variety of reactions to this “rice experiment.” Some absolutely believe in it, others call it bunk. But hey, we humans aren’t rice, and it makes perfect sense to me that speaking kind, loving words to each other (AND OURSELVES) will result in a buoyant, happy spirit. Speaking negatively only produces more black. Decide for yourselves.

4. The Missing Tudors: Black People in 16th Century England – I admit when I notice non-Caucasians in early art, it catches my eye, in part because it seems so rare. This article reveals how interwoven black people (and presumably people of other ‘races’) were in Tudor society, a fact that often is overlooked in modern representations of the period.

5. The Definite Stereotype Map of Britain and Ireland – Hey, I didn’t make it. But it did evoke some chuckles. What do you think?

6. The Snowflake Method for Designing a Novel – Several members of my beloved Shenandoah Valley Writers swear by this method for crafting a novel. I fully intend to give it a try, but meanwhile I’m sharing it with you. Have you tried this method? What do you think?

1. 11 Grammatical Words and Terms That Sound Dirty – Language-isms mixed with raunchy innuendos? Sign me up! (You’ll never think of conjugate in the same way again.)

2. The Official Ranking of Jane Austen’s 14 Leading Men – Do you agree? Whom do you think should be in the top spot? I don’t know if this is the order I would have chosen, but it does make me itch to read / watch Jane Austen’s stories again.

3. 14 Words That Are Their Own Opposites – More word fun! Does it get any better than this?

4. Jane Austen and the Art of Letter-Writing – There’s never enough Austen, right? Here’s a great look at Austen’s letter writing and how it sheds insight into her character – even though only a small portion of the letters she wrote survive.

5. Writing Numbers in Fiction – Do you know when to write a number out rather than just using number characters? Now you will. I can tell you I’m forty-two years old, but sometimes it feels like 1,000. (Apparently the rules enumerated here don’t apply to blog post titles, as evidenced by the ones mentioned above.)

6. 10 Words to Cut From Your Writing – They’ve got really quite amazing stuff here. Literally. Do you agree with their selections? Which would you add?

7. Black Death NOT Spread by Rat Fleas? – Say what? In truth, whether spread by fleas or airborne, the plague was horrific – but so, apparently, was the state of life for many 14th century Londoners.