Original Worlds

[Guest Agaib]

World creation is usually a long but rewarding process for those who partake in it. There are many different strategies when it comes to making your own. Which is yours?

Some people like to use the "Start small then get big" strategy. They'll create a town/city/metropolis for a character and then build the world into a larger one as nessisary.

Others prefer the "Start big, add details" strategy. I personally like to use this one, because it tends to create a more consistent world. It involves thinking of the general idea of your world, and then adding details as needed.

[Guest Evil_Labs]

Start out with what you need, then go back and decide what was necessary to put things in the position they're in at the present time. This includes events, other necessary people, and places. It tends to balloon outwards really fast once you start asking 'well, why is he here?'

[Guest theladybailey]

I start with little things in a big world, and everything just kind of fills its self out for me. Before i write I tend to mentally map - places, people, a coin in the floor - and then go to town on it. The world tends to get a pretty strong structure, for me at least, I can't speak for anyone who reads my stuff; I wouldn't know.

[StoryJunkie]

IN my fanfic, everything was there, which I actually found extremely convenient, now that you mention it. In my original, the world kind of is made up as I go along, but I have a rough idea at the beginning of the distances between realms. (Its sounds like I do this alot, but really, that was for only one story.) Other stories are written from places I've been kind of mish-mashed together with vague references.

[Guest ChibiShiva]

I love creating worlds. So far, I've created one for my Take Me Away story, and I've got a city planned for my next story.

For the first one, I had been working on it for a good 3-4 years before deciding to change almost everything, adding new things (other countries, religions, politics between them), cutting others (the language I had tried to made up particularly). And now I look back at it, and it's not really what I had imagined back then *laughs.*

Eventually other things were added as I went through, usually architectural design within the countries (one has a more European/Asian style, the other has Arabic, and so on). I went far into it... and I love it.

[redsliver]

When I created my world, I started small, went big, and then filled in the middle. I made the church first, defined the plot devices I'd need and set them in stone (well not quite but the rules that surround them are unalterable) Then I created Rosalie. Now that I had a starting point I went big, defining the world and customs rather than characters and scenery. I knew what problems I wanted to discuss so this made the whole thing a lot more directed and in truth more fun.

As I work in the smaller details, (like naming, I hate naming characters) I'm required to more research. (And since I'm easily distracted I'll start with archery and then perhaps end up reading the mating habits of raccoons.) Anyway, it doesn't seem so much as I'm building a world anymore but learning about it, and that is an amazing feeling.

[Guest Mike256bit]

Agreed. I go local to global. Though, I've been discovering that foresight helps in building up future events -- that is, it's a good idea to keep in mind the full scope of what you're trying to achieve. Otherwise, it's easy to risk getting contrived and convenient, I feel (I suppose that's where a good bit of editing helps). Typically, I have an idea of the end and a world's limitations, but I explore the entirety of the space as it becomes available. I also try to approach it non-linearly, so as to not create that "video game" feeling.

[Guest ShinigamiShimai]

It depends. While my Shadowlander's series I thought out everything I could because it deals with several realms and worlds. So I had to fingure out the structure of each world and the creatures that live there then all the gods and supernatural beast that roam those worlds. Then needed to figure out how world of wandering dreams, The corridor of death, the land of shadows and the inbetween interconnected. There is so much going on behind the scenes of that series that I need to keep track of all the happenings in each world. Makes for a rather in depth but confusing world to work with, but interesting seeing as dreams have no real rules so if I find a problem with something down the line it is easily fixed.

In my other stories I only focus on a town or city and not much else so the rest does not need as much detail. If I need more I add it in, but if it is not questioned by the characters I usually don't bother explaining it *shrugs*

Kat Williams

[Guest Reika]

I guess I start big and add detail, it gives a more sense of the world as a world. After drawing inspiration for some sort of conflict in that world I build around it and create the region's history, its system of organization, how the populous is in the world, etc.

I think I usually start with a world-wide conflict though. Whether it be a war between two regions or some sort of racism (in fantasy, it could be racism towards elves by humans for example).

I like stories that bring in a world of its own, where not just what directly concerns the local area a character roams. It adds environment and mood to the setting, which I think some people forget to create or focus on.

[Azuru]

I suppose whichever way I go, it would depend on what the theme and point of the story is... Though I have to admit, I've never thought about it quite this way before.

Hm... I guess on a normal basis, I would start off small, and then enlarge it as the protagonists journeys to find whatever it is he/she is looking for. Ehh but what exactly goes on in each country and the customs and yada yada.... I've... never quite gotten into. Admittedly, I start Battle Cafe (my 2nd orific) in order to toy around with my 'world making skills', if you could call it that. XD fuuu, I have a long way to go....

[Guest WFK]

I'd say, go with what you know, and then build upon it with what you'd like/what you'd like changed about THIS world/what should NEVER be changed...

Any society in it's rawest form...is usually similar, to any other society. There's social classes, roles, status, in respects to importance/rarity/availability etc.

[Leonhart29]

The world in my original fic came fully formed from a dream. As a matter of fact the whole story came from a dream. It's the only story I've ever written that I know what everything looks like, what my characters look and sound like, and where everyone is going.

I usually start out small (a room or place or just the inside of a character's head) and go from there, building on it little by little until I can see the entire world in a universe full of new and interesting stars.

[Guest WFK]

That's always a good way. Dreams are always a good way to go.