1LShelby
I got this new story idea a while back, and it just doesn't fit in any of my existing worlds. (Too magic heavy.)
Which means I need to create a new world for it, which I'm kind of reluctant to do since I figure I have enough worlds already. Besides, creating a world is a lot of work when I've only got one story to set in it so far, and that story only physically needs to span a handful of city-states.
Maybe the problem is that I tend to be a bit too thorough when I build worlds. This seems to be my daughter's take on the subject after asking me how to make a "court intrigue world" and having me respond with "First you randomize some tectonic plates and bang them together..."
What do y'all think? Is there a better way to go about it? (Or at any rate, a different way to go about it?)
Which means I need to create a new world for it, which I'm kind of reluctant to do since I figure I have enough worlds already. Besides, creating a world is a lot of work when I've only got one story to set in it so far, and that story only physically needs to span a handful of city-states.
Maybe the problem is that I tend to be a bit too thorough when I build worlds. This seems to be my daughter's take on the subject after asking me how to make a "court intrigue world" and having me respond with "First you randomize some tectonic plates and bang them together..."
What do y'all think? Is there a better way to go about it? (Or at any rate, a different way to go about it?)
2paradoxosalpha
https://youtu.be/fDWV-570oXo
You could leverage an existing continuity by having the story written imaginatively by a denizen of one of your existing worlds--a writer of less exacting world-building methods than your own?
You could leverage an existing continuity by having the story written imaginatively by a denizen of one of your existing worlds--a writer of less exacting world-building methods than your own?
3LShelby
That is a fascinating concept.
The new story idea has a very intricate/difficult back-story, so I worry that inserting a frame around the story would one too many complications. But this is sparking my "there's a story in that somewhere" feeling anyway.
Hmm....
The magic I need for this particular story is almost compatible with one of my existing worlds -- it's really just the power level that's off, so maybe I should be trying harder to find some way to connect the two, as you suggest.
The basic concept of my new story is that time has already been magically rewound a dozen times by someone using an ancient mystic artifact -- its his thirteenth and last try at achieving his goal. On my existing world the gods have that kind of power but there's no reason for them to make such an artifact and leave it lying around for some random mortal to make use of. (I suppose this is the downside of already knowing so much about the history my worlds -- but I just seem to need to know the hows and whys of things to write. History is the why of societies.)
But that world is already smaller than a regular planet, and flat.
What if the new story takes place in an even smaller "world" in the same universe? A toy world, or a broken off fragment of a world, or something like that? Not a mortal character creating a story setting, but a god character creating a sandbox?
...Although I'm actually leaning toward a "broken off fragment" world. A tiny inhabited asteroid-sized world fragment, saved by a god's magic from a cosmic disaster.
I haven't done anything post-apocalyptic before. :)
The new story idea has a very intricate/difficult back-story, so I worry that inserting a frame around the story would one too many complications. But this is sparking my "there's a story in that somewhere" feeling anyway.
Hmm....
The magic I need for this particular story is almost compatible with one of my existing worlds -- it's really just the power level that's off, so maybe I should be trying harder to find some way to connect the two, as you suggest.
The basic concept of my new story is that time has already been magically rewound a dozen times by someone using an ancient mystic artifact -- its his thirteenth and last try at achieving his goal. On my existing world the gods have that kind of power but there's no reason for them to make such an artifact and leave it lying around for some random mortal to make use of. (I suppose this is the downside of already knowing so much about the history my worlds -- but I just seem to need to know the hows and whys of things to write. History is the why of societies.)
But that world is already smaller than a regular planet, and flat.
What if the new story takes place in an even smaller "world" in the same universe? A toy world, or a broken off fragment of a world, or something like that? Not a mortal character creating a story setting, but a god character creating a sandbox?
...Although I'm actually leaning toward a "broken off fragment" world. A tiny inhabited asteroid-sized world fragment, saved by a god's magic from a cosmic disaster.
I haven't done anything post-apocalyptic before. :)
4WholeHouseLibrary
Perhaps, you might consider a consultation with Sartiblartfast. He won an award for his fjords, you know.
5gilroy
Maybe you want to check out this thread in the Green Dragon:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/348399
https://www.librarything.com/topic/348399
6reading_fox
>3 LShelby: - if it's mostly compatible than set it as a deep prelude/future where the rules are slightly different. LeGuin did this a bit with some of Earthsea.
Otherwise just go ahead and create a full world, and save space in it for other stories/sequels/ etc that will burble up when inspiration strikes and you'll have somewhere to put them.
Otherwise just go ahead and create a full world, and save space in it for other stories/sequels/ etc that will burble up when inspiration strikes and you'll have somewhere to put them.
7LShelby
>4 WholeHouseLibrary:
And a well deserved award it was, but Sartiblartfast has a horrible habit of not responding to emails.
>5 gilroy:
I checked it out, and I think it belongs here rather than in the Green Dragon, but I'm willing to talk about world-building wherever, so thanks for pointing me at it!. :)
>6 reading_fox:
I suppose I could do a deep future...
...
I have been running the plot as it exists so far through my head, and I would need to a wasteland area that I'm having trouble finding a place for on the current map. I can do some post-creation rearranging of course, but that circles me back around to my earlier thoughts -- I could destroy my *current* world in its distant future...
But if I have to re-do the map, create a whole bunch of new history, etc, Am I actually saving myself much work by using the same world?
Also, I think I would find destroying a world I have already built a bit depressing. It would be more fun for me to build something new. :)
So my next thought is... could I make a world where there are a lot of smaller areas that could be isolated from each other somehow?
An island world only with deadlier seas than ours?
Or really deep chasms? With lava at the bottom? How would that interact with water/oceans, though?
(I'm not sure I like this idea better than my asteroid-sized world idea, but its fun to think about.)
And a well deserved award it was, but Sartiblartfast has a horrible habit of not responding to emails.
>5 gilroy:
I checked it out, and I think it belongs here rather than in the Green Dragon, but I'm willing to talk about world-building wherever, so thanks for pointing me at it!. :)
>6 reading_fox:
I suppose I could do a deep future...
...
I have been running the plot as it exists so far through my head, and I would need to a wasteland area that I'm having trouble finding a place for on the current map. I can do some post-creation rearranging of course, but that circles me back around to my earlier thoughts -- I could destroy my *current* world in its distant future...
But if I have to re-do the map, create a whole bunch of new history, etc, Am I actually saving myself much work by using the same world?
Also, I think I would find destroying a world I have already built a bit depressing. It would be more fun for me to build something new. :)
So my next thought is... could I make a world where there are a lot of smaller areas that could be isolated from each other somehow?
An island world only with deadlier seas than ours?
Or really deep chasms? With lava at the bottom? How would that interact with water/oceans, though?
(I'm not sure I like this idea better than my asteroid-sized world idea, but its fun to think about.)
8gilroy
>7 LShelby: I thought the same thing and they poo pooed me.
9LShelby
>8 gilroy: : Once upon a time, a long time ago, I tried to join discussions in the Fantasy Fans group, (back when they actually had some) and I found it didn't work too well.
I just seemed to approach the subject of story from a different angle than the average reader.
Like it's a car discussion group, and they want to compare models and admire or diss the seats and the chrome, and I keep trying to talk about how to make internal combustion engines more efficient, or something?
I just seemed to approach the subject of story from a different angle than the average reader.
Like it's a car discussion group, and they want to compare models and admire or diss the seats and the chrome, and I keep trying to talk about how to make internal combustion engines more efficient, or something?
10gilroy
>9 LShelby: My problem always got to be the people who declared the one model is the only way and all other ways were wrong. And older was ALWAYS better. Like the literati had taken over the Fantasy and the Science Fiction groups. Mostly why I watch and don't interact there any more. Probably why I moved to the Dragon.
11LShelby
>10 gilroy:
I think its sad that there is hardly any discussion there at all anymore. Even after I stopped trying to participate I liked to read what other people were saying.
But maybe you weren't the only one who thought that one view had taken over? Discussion tends to be more interesting when there are multiple viewpoints.
I think its sad that there is hardly any discussion there at all anymore. Even after I stopped trying to participate I liked to read what other people were saying.
But maybe you weren't the only one who thought that one view had taken over? Discussion tends to be more interesting when there are multiple viewpoints.
