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If you've ever spent hours reading fan theories about your favorite fictional world, if you've wondered why some books spawn massive fandoms while equally well-written stories get read once and forgotten, if you're a creator who wants to build worlds that refuse to let readers go—you're in the right place.
What We're Doing Here
Deep Lore exists to answer a specific question: What makes certain fictional worlds create obsessive engagement across multiple formats?
We're not just another writing craft blog. We're not purely academic transmedia theory. We're something different: a practical exploration of how the best worldbuilders create universes that inspire fanfiction, games, adaptations, and devoted communities that last for decades.
The Three Pillars
Through analyzing everything from Dune to Baldur's Gate 3, from Brandon Sanderson's magic systems to the environmental storytelling in Fallout, we've identified three structural elements that separate stories people read from stories people live in:
Mystery - Strategic gaps that invite exploration rather than confusion
Agency - Readers feel they could navigate and influence these worlds
Expandability - The universe feels bigger than any single story
Every piece of content we create—podcast episodes, blog posts, newsletters—connects back to this framework while giving you actionable insights for your own creative work.
Who This Is For
Aspiring Authors who want to create "franchise-worthy" fiction that could work across multiple media. You're not just writing a book—you're building a world that could sustain games, adaptations, and devoted fan communities.
Indie Creators struggling to build engaged readerships. You've mastered the craft basics, but you want to understand why some stories create passionate fans while others fade into obscurity.
Cross-Media Creators interested in how storytelling principles translate between books, games, and visual media. You recognize that modern audiences expect sophisticated worldbuilding regardless of format.
Devoted Fans who want to understand why you're obsessed with certain fictional worlds. You're the person who reads every codex entry, watches theory videos, and creates fan content—and you want to decode what makes these worlds so compelling.
What You'll Get
Weekly Podcast Episodes analyzing specific examples of transmedia-worthy worldbuilding, with practical applications for creators
In-Depth Blog Posts exploring craft techniques, industry trends, and case studies of successful (and unsuccessful) universe building
The Deep Lore Newsletter delivering curated insights, creator spotlights, and actionable frameworks directly to your inbox
A Community of creators and fans who understand that great worldbuilding isn't just about pretty maps and detailed histories—it's about creating systematic depth that invites endless exploration
Start Here
Ready to dive deep?
Start by subscribing to this newsletter below, and stay tuned for our first episode of the podcast to drop.
The best fictional universes make us want to live inside them, explore their secrets, and contribute to their ongoing stories. Understanding how they work makes us better creators and more insightful fans.
So, let's dive into the Deepest Lore of your favorite stories together. <3
Blake Reichenbach is a fantasy writer, essayist, and the host of Deep Lore. He's spent years analyzing why certain stories create obsessive engagement while others don't, combining insights from gaming, publishing, and transmedia theory to help creators build worlds that last.
