Uncategorized – The Wizard’s Inkwell

New Site

We are still “The Wizard’s Inkwell,” but we’ve had an upgrade. This is no longer my personal blog about fantasy world building and fantasy fiction. Instead, as of 5/16/2025, I’m here to sell my writing skills to anyone in need of content or other kinds of writing. I write blog posts, emails, newsletters, general adsContinue reading “New Site”

12/9/2024 – ANNOUNCEMENT

Hi, all! Just making an announcement. I am closing this site down … sort of. To be more accurate, I am rebranding and reinventing it as a serious business endeavor to market my writing skills throughout Plattsburgh, NY; Burlington, VT; and the surrounding areas, as well as the Internet as a whole. I mean, I’mContinue reading “12/9/2024 – ANNOUNCEMENT”

What To Replace Fiends With?

Regardless of what you are worldbuilding, whether it’s for a novel or an RPG game, you often need an end-stage villain like a Fiend (demons, devils, or what-have-you). But as I’ve mentioned in prior posts, you might want to shy away from using “real-life” Fiends. You might want to avoid using “entities” that can be tracedContinue reading “What To Replace Fiends With?”

8 Important Traits of Vampires

Vampires are one of my favorite creatures of myth and legend. I’m not sure exactly why. I, by far, prefer the traditional sinister quasi-demonic type of vampire over the more modern “romantic” vampires of Twilight or even the brooding vampires of Anne Rice’s works. Regardless, the vampire as a powerful evil undead is a farContinue reading “8 Important Traits of Vampires”

Using Fiends as Monsters in Fantasy RPGs

I mentioned in a previous post that back in the 1990’s Tipper Gore got all bent out of shape because D&D used demons and devils as types of monsters. At the time, I dismissed her concerns. Nowadays, some 25ish years later, I think she may have had a legitimate concern. In the intervening years, DContinue reading “Using Fiends as Monsters in Fantasy RPGs”

Introduction

Greetings all! It’s me, Matthew D. Ryan, author of “Drasmyr” and the series “From the Ashes of Ruin.” Once upon a time, I had a website and a blog entitled “A Toast to Dragons.” I closed that down a while back, for a variety of reasons. I am starting this new site and christening thisContinue reading “Introduction”