C. Wesley Clough
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C. Wesley Clough
@cwesleyclough.bsky.social
72 followers 58 following 130 posts
Speculative Fiction Writer, Truth Seeker, Mystery Delver, and Connoisseur of History and Past Material Cultures
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C. Wesley Clough @cwesleyclough.bsky.social · Nov 18
Have you read my blog? It is full of advice for fellow writers, as well as posts about my other interests such as the paranormal and historical mysteries. Updated twice a week. Check it out if you get a chance! #blog
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C. Wesley Clough
Crafter of Dreams
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New blog post today, we continue our journey into the horror of knowledge, check it out! #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2026/02/06/y...
You Can’t Unsee It: Writing the Moment Knowledge Becomes Irreversible
In horror, fear rarely arrives all at once. It accumulates. It gathers quietly, in fragments and half-noticed details, until a single realization snaps those fragments into a shape the mind can no …
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February 6, 2026 at 6:56 PM
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With the first post of February the blog starts a new series with a focus on horror, if you like to read or write horror, why not take a look? #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2026/02/02/t...
The Horror of Knowing: When Answers Are the Real Threat
Horror is often considered a genre of darkness, violence, or shock. In reality, it is more frequently a genre of revelation. The most enduring horror stories are not built around what characters en…
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February 2, 2026 at 4:32 PM
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We close out our golden age fall and rebuilding month on the blog today, why not take a look? #blog
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Scarred by Wonder: Magic as Memory, Not a Reset Button
Magic often sits at the center of fantasy collapse, and too often, it becomes the solution to rebuilding as well. Ancient spells are rediscovered. Old power returns. The world heals as if nothing w…
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January 30, 2026 at 5:27 PM
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Continuing this month's theme on the blog, we take a look at why saving the world is the easy part! #blog
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Building on Ruins: Why Rebuilding Is Harder Than Saving the World
Fantasy is full of endings where the war is won, the villain defeated, and the future quietly improves off-screen. Rebuilding is implied, not explored. The story closes before the hardest work begi…
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January 26, 2026 at 4:11 PM
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Today the blog continues on with the theme of falling fantasy worlds, take a look if you have time! #blog
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From Golden Ages to Ashes: Why Fantasy Worlds Fall
Fantasy loves its ruins. Crumbling towers, broken roads, abandoned capitals, these images communicate age, loss, and forgotten greatness at a glance. But too often, decline is treated as mystery ra…
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January 23, 2026 at 7:26 PM
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Today the blog continues its theme of the fall of the golden age and rebuilding afterwards in fantasy writing, why not check it out? #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2026/01/19/t...
The Cost of Wonder: Magic, Decline, and the Scars That Shape Rebuilding
Fantasy worlds rarely fall by accident. Empires collapse, civilizations fracture, and golden ages fade not because magic exists, but because of how it is used, remembered, and misunderstood. When m…
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January 19, 2026 at 4:41 PM
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New blog post today, have you made any of these "mistakes" while writing about the religions in your fantasy stories? #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2026/01/16/8...
8 Common Mistakes When Writing Fantasy Religions
Religion is one of the most powerful tools in fantasy worldbuilding. It shapes morality, politics, art, daily rituals, and how characters understand their place in the universe. Done well, it adds …
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January 16, 2026 at 10:49 PM
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Fantasy January rolls along on the blog, with this next post about sacred spaces in your fantasy stories. Take a look if you find the time! #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2026/01/12/s...
Sacred Spaces and Profane Acts: Temples, Shrines, and Desecration in Fantasy
Few elements in fantasy carry as much quiet power as sacred space. Temples rising above city streets, shrines hidden in forests, circles of stone worn smooth by centuries of prayer, these locations…
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January 12, 2026 at 4:09 PM
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Today's blog post has some reasons for your fictional fantasy characters to take action that doesn't involve saving the world. If you are thinking of writing a lower stakes fantasy story, take a look! #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2026/01/09/8...
8 Fantasy Conflicts That Don’t Involve Saving the World
Fantasy is often associated with apocalyptic stakes. Dark lords rise, ancient evils awaken, and the fate of the entire world hangs in the balance. While these stories can be thrilling, they are far…
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January 9, 2026 at 5:03 PM
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Continuing on from the last post, today the blog examines writing about rebuilding after the collapse of the golden age, check it out! #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2026/01/05/r...
Rebuilding After the Fall: Writing Renewal Without Easy Hope
Fantasy is comfortable with ruins. Cracked towers, broken roads, abandoned capitals, these are familiar images, instantly communicating age and loss. What fantasy often struggles with, however, is …
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January 5, 2026 at 4:29 PM
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There is a new post up on my blog, if you write fantasy stories why not check it out? #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2026/01/02/t...
The Illusion of the Golden Age: Writing Declining Worlds Without Nostalgia Traps
Fantasy is deeply enamored with the idea of decline. Lost empires, crumbling cities, forgotten magic, and the long shadow of a better yesterday are staples of the genre. From ancient ruins half-swa…
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January 2, 2026 at 4:44 PM
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Merry Christmas to everyone out there that celebrates it, and if you celebrate a different holiday this season, or none at all, I hope you have a great day too.
December 25, 2025 at 4:02 PM
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Today we look at Krampus on the blog, why not check it out? #blog
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Krampus: Santa’s Dark Counterpart
Krampus, the horned and fearsome counterpart to Saint Nicholas, occupies a unique and enduring place in Central European folklore. Unlike many wintertime figures who offer comfort, generosity, or m…
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December 5, 2025 at 5:55 PM
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Today's blog posts looks at horror involving animals, take a look! #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/12/01/a...
Animal Terror: When Nature Turns Hostile
From the first time humans huddled around campfires and listened to the night rustle with unseen life, we’ve feared the wild. A crack of branches could mean a predator. A distant howl could signal …
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December 1, 2025 at 5:04 PM
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We end Sci-Fi November on the blog with some advice for those just getting started writing in the genre, why not take a look? #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/11/28/7...
7 Common Mistakes New Sci-Fi Writers Make (and How to Avoid Them)
Science fiction is one of the most imaginative genres, but that freedom can also make it deceptively tricky to write. New sci-fi authors often fall into certain patterns: too much exposition, not e…
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November 28, 2025 at 4:10 PM
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Happy Thanksgiving to all my U.S. friends and followers, and if you aren't from the U.S. I hope you have a great day as well!
November 27, 2025 at 5:30 PM
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Sci-fi month ventures into personal territory on the blog today, check it out! #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/11/24/h...
How a Rated R Movie I Watched When I Was 11 Opened My Mind to New Possibilities
I was eleven years old the first time my parents wrote me a note so I could see an R-rated movie.That movie was Lifeforce (1985). Even at the time, that felt a little strange, most of my friends we…
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November 24, 2025 at 5:27 PM
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As Sci-Fi month rolls along here on the blog we turn to some thoughts on Time Travel, why not check it out? #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/11/21/m...
Making Time Travel Make Sense (or at Least Feel Like It Does)
Time travel is one of science fiction’s most beloved narrative devices, and one of its most treacherous. Few concepts offer as much storytelling potential: you can rewrite history, confront paradox…
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November 21, 2025 at 9:46 PM
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As science fiction month rolls on, today the blog turns to real scientific ideas that might just spark your next story idea. Why not take a look? #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/11/17/1...
10 Real Scientific Concepts That Could Inspire Your Next Story
Science fiction doesn’t need to invent everything from scratch. In fact, some of the most compelling speculative stories begin with real science, discoveries or theories that already exist, waiting…
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November 17, 2025 at 6:03 PM
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This week the blog gives some love to gamer followers with advice on using fantasy adventures in your Sci-Fi TTRPG. #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/11/14/r...
Reforging the Past: How to Reskin a Fantasy Adventure Module for Science Fiction RPGs
Tabletop roleplaying has never suffered from a shortage of fantasy adventures. Shelves groan under the weight of Dungeons & Dragons modules, Pathfinder scenarios, and countless indie quests tha…
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November 14, 2025 at 4:14 PM
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Today's blog post reflects on the sci-fi staple of dystopias, why not check it out? #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/t...
The Future Is Fragmented: Dystopia as Mirror, Not Prediction
When we imagine the future, we rarely see it clearly. Even the most visionary science fiction writers aren’t prophets; they’re cartographers of the present, sketching tomorrow with the ink of today…
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November 10, 2025 at 4:51 PM
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Sci-fi month continues on my blog, why not take a look? #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/11/07/7...
7 Overused Sci-Fi Tropes (and How to Reinvent Them)
Science fiction thrives on imagination and yet even the most visionary genres can fall into familiar ruts. From dystopian wastelands to chosen-one rebels, readers have seen many of the same ideas r…
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November 7, 2025 at 8:06 PM
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This month my blog turns to science fiction, so if you read or write sci-fi, come on over and take a look! #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/11/03/t...
The Ethics of Invention: When Innovation Crosses a Moral Line
Every act of invention begins with hope. Whether it’s a scientist building a better world, an engineer chasing efficiency, or a writer imagining the next great leap for humankind, innovation carrie…
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November 3, 2025 at 4:44 PM
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From the C. Wesley Clough: Crafter of Dreams blog to all of you! #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/h...
Happy Halloween
I hope everybody has a wonderful and safe time on this spooktacular holiday! (And remember, keep writing!) C. Wesley Clough Image by cristian vanegas salcedo from Pixabay
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October 31, 2025 at 3:44 PM
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The horror continues for October with today's blog posts about the horror of recognition. Take a look! #blog
cwesleyclough.wordpress.com/2025/10/27/w...
When the Monster Looks Too Much Like Us
What truly terrifies us is not always the alien or the grotesque, sometimes it’s the familiar. The reflection that moves when we don’t. The voice that sounds like ours but whispers different words.…
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October 27, 2025 at 3:01 PM