The studio notebook
Ideas with a practical next step.
Start with a real task, choose a useful guide, and make it your own.
Old English, Middle English and Early Modern English: what each one is
A plain guide to the three older stages of English: Anglo-Saxon, Chaucer’s Middle English and Shakespeare’s Early Modern English, with rough dates and one word in all three.
Thou, thee, thy and thine: how the old pronouns work
What thou, thee, thy, thine and ye actually mean, how verbs change after them, and the mistakes that make fake old English look wrong.
Shakespeare’s words that changed meaning: wherefore, anon and more
Wherefore means why, not where. Learn that and a short list of other Shakespearean words that look familiar or foreign, and what they meant to his audience.
How to write a convincing medieval or fantasy letter or toast
Practical steps for party invitations, game messages and toasts in a playful medieval voice: the opening, thee and thou, concrete words, and what to avoid.
Reading Chaucer: how Middle English spelling works
Why Middle English looks so strange, which letters and silent-looking spellings you will meet, and a simple method for reading a line of Chaucer.
Old English letters: æ, þ, ð and ƿ, and how to type them
What the four special Old English letters are, how they sound, why modern editions change them, and ways to type each one on Windows, Mac and phones.