When I was much younger, in my teens, I used to think that I had no need for extensive planning. I’d just sit down and let it all flow from my mind, connect those plots together using nothing but my raw natural talent. Like most things that rely on “raw natural talent”, this was an exceptionally bad idea and I should have never been so thoughtless. Plans are cool, and the more you plan the cooler you will be.

My good friends at Lee’s Lists have a Kickstarter going: 100 Deluxe Dungeons, a book full of a hundred of the most interesting and unique adventure sites for use in your favourite tabletop games of fantasy or fantasy-equivalent.

When I first heard the term “semiotics” (many years ago) it put me in mind of some sort of medicine. In a way, that’s sort of what you can think of it: medicine for your stories. Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols, such as why we associate the colour red with passion and aggression, and it can extend into the written word. It’s an interesting topic to study, and it can help a budding writer put hidden depth into their work.

Our newest, and first, story here at Plunder Press is the science fiction piece Izzy Hartley and the Luminal Magnifier, the first instalment in an ongoing series about the world’s greatest inventor, and what happens when her fantastical inventions have to be put to the test.