History is hard. For a long time it was a very large thorn in my metaphysical side. I was pretty much just throwing in random wars, maybe a revolution or two, possibly some…random story about a hero? Usually, these were added when the story "needed" something—you can't have soldiers without reason. So throw in a…war… that happened….for reasons. Maybe I make up some politics that happened…for reasons TBD (but it never is).

To say I was dissatisfied is like saying I'm dissatisfied with this freaking knife buried in the side of my head. It all felt incredibly contrived. And yes, I know, it's all made up. But it shouldn't feel made up. It should feel natural, inevitable even. History isn't just random events scattered along a timeline. It flows. To the people experiencing history, everything feels inevitable. Just throwing in random wars and events on a timeline…is not that.

I'm doing this all wrong.

I should be writing a compelling story chapter by chapter, each one ending in cliffhangers to keep you coming back. Most authors do this, filling in lore and world-building details as they go along. If I was smart, that's what I'd do. Instead, I'm not even writing chapters...yet…