A simple idea tore down the dam holding back a world I never knew existed. As ideas flowed forth of demons and magic, angels and war, teleportation and necromancy; I stared at the poor notes app on my iPhone. What had I done? What had come from the simple idea of mashing all my stories into one? A world of beauty and depth, one I didn’t know I had in me.
I made the decision while I was away on holidays to convert all of my story ideas into a singular world. This meant a story idea in which the USA created an enemy the whole world would have to unite against in a science fiction setting had to become fantasy. Short stories set in the modern day were suddenly thrust into the middle ages. Characters who depended on technology now were inventors, dependant on their intelligence. When the notes began to come together, it felt incredible.
I don’t expect everyone (or anyone perhaps) to understand the feeling I have for this world. It is my world, and not everyone will like it. Not that it matters to me. I’ve always wondered how these fantastic writers build their stories and worlds. Do you populate a world and tell a story in it? Or does one write a story and then build the world as they need it? I am in the latter category. I began writing Jefferson with five plot points in mind. As I wrote, I felt some characters would die, so I introduced new ones. I made new towns with new friends and new experiences. The whole time I was being led by my characters through the world as they experienced it. This meant if a character was deep in thought or distracted, you as a reader have no idea of the world around them. Unlucky for the reader, my protagonist spends much of his time fighting to survive and not so much smelling the freshly baked apple cinnamon pies from Floria or sampling the watermelon cotton candy of Villenoire’s famous carnival.
The more I write into the history of this world the more I sense a richness flowing from its veins. Using Jefferson’s story itself as a historical backbone, the tale of magic and its history are built from there. Because of Jefferson we know why magic exists. Through his actions we know how Gods grow stronger. We find the most powerful kinds of magic through his trilogy. Then, suddenly he is built into this new world as a legend. His name is butchered through the years. Jehovah? Jeremiah? Who knows. I don’t yet, but I plan on finding out.
World building is almost more fun than the writing itself as the world grows richer with every short story or idea. Fables grow into fact. Lore becomes reality. A neat concept becomes a required part of the quest. As I write it, the world begins to tell me its own stories. The merchants guild is in with the thieves guild, to not only avoid being robbed but for save passage through hostile areas. The thieves guild has grown their own city. A kingdom is abandoned as undead overrun it. Five realms are united under a single king through arranged marriages, leaving another five ripe for the conquering; whatever will they do?
I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling; allowing the world to unfold before my eyes. Perhaps it is time I gave writing the focus it deserves and begs me for. Why am I investing my time into things that might be fun at the time, while I could be creating something not unlike Star Wars. If I were to write three novels right now from my newly compiled world, then I already have three stories about the origins of magic and how the different arts came into being. It wouldn’t be hard to write more after that.
It is good to be back on the computer and typing away. I’ve been asked to write a post and I’ve finally received my inspirational macbook case: a BookBook Rutledge case by TwelveSouth. Maybe these are signs. Maybe they’re not. But I won’t know what they are if I never follow them!
In closing, I need you all to answer a single question for me:
Did your chicken (story) come before the egg (world), or vice versa?
It’s so cool to look at your world and realize you’ve created something with depth and life, isn’t it? One of the best feelings in the world, if you ask me 🙂
For me I think it was technically the egg before the chicken. I came up with the world when I was seven or eight, but when I actually started writing stories, the stories shaped the world enormously into what it is today. But then at the same time, the world I had created determined what stories I wanted to write. So maybe a bit of both?
See, now for me it seems to be that I have a million “fragments”. All of these wonderful scenes, ideas, concepts, characters who all remain homeless or have very different home stories. Also I am weak with description. I’ve said it a million times but my problem is fitting it in. In a quick survey of the room that takes a split second, I can spot ten things to tell you. In a story, that comes across too in depth. Then I find when I use a description like “The room was far from clean, but at least the bed was made and the worn wooden floor peeked out from beneath organised piles of clothing.” That can come across as not enough. You want to give the reader enough to be there with you, but also give them that space where their ideas are their own but similar for the story purposes.
Mmm, I’ve had that problem before, where there were too many fragments running around in my head. That was why I got into writing short stories for fun a little while back. Ohh, I hear you about the description. It’s such a delicate balance… but even then I think there are people who will tell you you’ve done it wrong while others say it’s perfect. I know that for me, I tend to be very selective with what I notice around me. Walking down the street, I pick out one or two things that really pop out at me. So when I’m reading, it’s hard for me to focus on description that isn’t specific and vivid. I think description’s probably a very personal preference in the end. Hopefully you’ll find your balance 🙂
The problem is I find that the human mind experiences many things at once where as description is slowly fed to a reader line by line. When I look at my TV stand I see a blur of comics and silk bound books, game consoles and dust within the chestnut colored cabinet. As sad as it is to say, that is probably the best description I’ve given of anything with enough detail to make it interesting but still more to say about it. Description is very much personal preference I think, but if the story is good enough, people will enjoy all the details I’d like to think.
Mm that’s true… Really, description’s just hard to get “right” 😛 It’s probably something writers develop over a long period of time, practising and refining until they find their groove. But I agree–with a solid story, everything comes together nicely 🙂
That’s so crazy it’s awesome! I often wonder if I have the skills to make a huge, detailed world like that. Good luck with it!
My chickens always seem to come first. 😉
I’d say it’s not necessarily the skills, but the patience involved. At least now every new idea makes the original one richer!
My world came first, but as I listened to the story, my understanding of the world changed a bit. I’m looking forward to spending time in your world. Write those books!
I was hoping someone would say world! When you created your world how in depth did you go? I have so many layers at this point which can actually have weight in the story… but if I leave them out it keeps it on point clearer. I keep getting temped to explain the magics and how they came into be in my world but I want them to be experienced by the protagonist!
I’m a super lazy writer, so I try to get away with the bare minimum. I wrote a whole draft that way and then realized that when I read books I have so many questions about the universe and I should give my readers a universe in which their questions can be answered. So I fleshed it out more and my characters are literally going exploring. It’s about a girl living in a settlement which she can’t leave and so she’s SO curious about “the Outside,” which makes it easy to explain things as she learns them, and easy to contrast what’s different about her world from the world of other people in the Universe. I think it’s a good first novel for me since I am so lazy with description and setting and universe because the characters demand that I know their world. It’s unfolding chapter by chapter which is really fun.
Hmmm, clever way to force yourself to describe the world. I’m not lazy when it comes to the world, but in my opinion when it comes to life or death… do you remember what the road to the next town smelled like? Some things just seem out of place and explaining my character’s thoughts have always been more important to me than the color of a door unless that door has meaning. I’m torn though because I too want that universe that answers all of your questions… quite the predicament.
Sometimes I also think I feel pressure to put in SO MUCH DETAIL and description because I worry that the reader can’t see what I see in my head. Then today I was ready and I realized that after one hundred pages the narrator hadn’t been described AT ALL. Not one word of description had been dedicated to this person through whom we were witnessing everything. And it didn’t hold me back one bit from the experience. So yeah, I’m with you – I think if it seems out of place it’s superfluous.
I know what you mean. I’ve always felt Tolkien gave too much information, but it helps give a proper image to the reader. Makes it harder for the reader to make it their own though. But too little information and it’s too vague and not real enough. That has always been my struggle, the balance between too much versus too little. I’ll get there sometime!
Yes you will!