World Building

[Laurelle Leaf]

What are the steps you take when you create a universe to throw your characters into?What considerations do you take and what do you base it on? How realistic is it compared to Tera (Earth)?

How I do it.
one way to tackle a universe

1. When I make a world I usualy start with characters and then a breif history of their life stopping just before the story begins.

2. a) I create the physical depiction of their race.

2. b) I create the social and religious and polotical structures behind their race.

3. a) Decide if there are other sentiant races in the area.

3. b) If so repeat steps 2-3b

4. Think about the world itself, draw a map of their local area, continent/country depending on the polotics involved) and then if I am feeling daring the planet, and on occasion when it's Sci-Fi and space travel is involved I make a relation map about where planets are.

5. design each character specifically (repeat step 1 for each main and sub main character)

6. revise and edit all of the information I now have.

also:

Angua von Uberwald in the writing links stickey
Suggested by Penden:

A Way With Worlds-- World Creation Column "a weekly column on creating solid continuities and settings in fiction." It's no longer updated, but the information there is still very useful.

found in the Writing and publication links

[I z u m i K a i]

well... i have created a fantasy world... so my steps were:

1. thought of a name
2. thought of peoples
3. thought of countries
4. thought of description of all peoples
5. thought of of history of all countries
6. thought of peoples and countries cultures
7. thought of goverments
8. created a map
9. then i created my characters, i described them all, wrote their bio, etc.
10. i started my story
11. i am waiting to finish my story...

[Bookie]

1. Write some strange words
2. Put them into strange sentances
3. Use both to write a little textbook-like exceprt
4. Use the excerpt to imagine up a map
5. Put in folklore
6. Add any extra details when needed.

I always come up with the why and how first, then start thinking about the more specific aspects of a world.

[Kain Odium]

Okay, why waste your time with half of this crap? How much of the characters history is going to be mentioned in the actual story? Hmm? How much of the world are you going to see? How many of the cities? It is unbelievably fruitless to plan such things out. You only need to plan for what you're going to use. That is why I don't have "character sheets" and "layouts" for any of my stories. The best way you can write is just off the top of your head, it doesn't take that much effort to pump out a story.

[Bookie]

I don't make worlds to write stories. I make them because it's a fun brainstorming process, and because I enjoy taking my study of mythology and integrating concepts into a new form.

As a side effect, I have written many stories based on world I have worked to flesh out, but the story comes first.

[Aoshi-san]

I normally just start out for names for my characters, places and ect...
Then I will write a brief summary of history and reilgion in my book to give the reader some info before making dive straight into a book and world that I know like the back of my hand but they have no clue whats the world is like.

[Dev Kimiko]

Kain Odium

Okay, why waste your time with half of this crap? How much of the characters history is going to be mentioned in the actual story? Hmm? How much of the world are you going to see? How many of the cities? It is unbelievably fruitless to plan such things out. You only need to plan for what you're going to use. That is why I don't have "character sheets" and "layouts" for any of my stories. The best way you can write is just off the top of your head, it doesn't take that much effort to pump out a story.

Maybe because it adds depth and believability to ones story? Unless you're Tolkien, you can't just jump headlong into a fantary realm and start writing. That a characters back-story isn't mentioned in the actual writing is irrelevant. It acts as a point of reference for the writer to base the characters actions on, therefore making them more deep and realistic. If an author can vividly imagine all aspects of their world when writing, they then will be able to relate that better to the audience. I started writing my story from the very beginning, before I'd figured out all aspects of its world (And I still haven't even after three years). But when the world began to evolve I had to go back and re-work a lot of things. In fantasy, a lot of aspects can and do revolve around their setting. Understanding that setting and the characters in it, even if they don't make their was fully into the story, is what sepperates a trite, cliche'd piece of fantasy from truly engaging works. So don't knock it xp

[Syndrama]

Kain Odium

Okay, why waste your time with half of this crap? How much of the characters history is going to be mentioned in the actual story? Hmm? How much of the world are you going to see? How many of the cities? It is unbelievably fruitless to plan such things out. You only need to plan for what you're going to use. That is why I don't have "character sheets" and "layouts" for any of my stories. The best way you can write is just off the top of your head, it doesn't take that much effort to pump out a story.

You may find this hard to believe, but 'writing off the top of your head' will not get you published. It'll get you stories that ramble on and never stay consistant. A large novel written that way won't get published, and if it does, you'll likely not get a lot of readers.

The reason there are links for building a world and deepening your characters with a long history is that it is ADVICEfrom authors who have been published. It is what people like Dean Koontz and Anne Rice and Elizabeth Hayden and Terry Goodkind all do to make their books believeable. People will not read a fantasy story that doesn't follow a planned world or history.

Even Star Wars was not 'written off the top' of George Lucas' head. All 9 (yes 9, there are supposed to be 3 after Return of the Jedi) episodes were planned out in the 70s.

[IvyIris]

Quote:

Okay, why waste your time with half of this crap? How much of the characters history is going to be mentioned in the actual story? Hmm? How much of the world are you going to see? How many of the cities? It is unbelievably fruitless to plan such things out. You only need to plan for what you're going to use. That is why I don't have "character sheets" and "layouts" for any of my stories. The best way you can write is just off the top of your head, it doesn't take that much effort to pump out a story.

Even authors who don't have entire worlds to create do things like this. J.K. Rowling has all seven books of the Harry Potter series planned out, and waaaaaaaaaay more information than she'll ever use on all of the characters.
I know that even in my story, which only has one other "world," which pretty much parallels our world until the very end, I have more information than I need for my characters and settings.

[I Feel Toast]

I don't take steps.

My mind is very unorganized. Picture a few grocery carts being thrown down a staircase, and turn the volume of your vision up all the way.

Without a set way of doing it, it takes a whole lot longer. I add ideas as they come, change things when they need to be changed...And eventually I'll put them into some sort of order.

I've only really begun to create one world. No signs of it ever being done...

It's my life's work.

I don't believe I'll ever actually get it on paper.

But if I can get it finished in my head, then I suppose I can rest in peace.

[Blatherby]

Ok well all my stories are writen in the world that i am slowly createing. it called maleve and it contains all i need to wright what i want to ... soon i shall have a compleated map of the entire area as well as detailed decriptions and if i get better at drawing picture of certian importan areas and features..

[Kain Odium]

Even authors who don't have entire worlds to create do things like this. J.K. Rowling has all seven books of the Harry Potter series planned out, and waaaaaaaaaay more information than she'll ever use on all of the characters.
I know that even in my story, which only has one other "world," which pretty much parallels our world until the very end, I have more information than I need for my characters and settings.

Okay, to start off, J.K. Rowling blows. Second, why are you guy's still wasting your time? What the hell? Do something better with your creativity like put more effort into the plot so you wont b***h and moan about "writers block".

[Psyche-Stress]

I Feel Toast

I don't take steps.

My mind is very unorganized. Picture a few grocery carts being thrown down a staircase, and turn the volume of your vision up all the way.

Without a set way of doing it, it takes a whole lot longer. I add ideas as they come, change things when they need to be changed...And eventually I'll put them into some sort of order.

I've only really begun to create one world. No signs of it ever being done...

It's my life's work.

I don't believe I'll ever actually get it on paper.

But if I can get it finished in my head, then I suppose I can rest in peace.

Hehe! Same here! There are no steps in real life. People just make steps just to climb easier. That is why the steps (literal) are invented.

I do things randomly.

[Belamare]

I create worlds as I enter them. That is, my character is in say, Province 1. I know pretty much nothing about Province 1 until I feel like something interesting could be inserted about it, say:

"And he picked up his finely crafted robe, made in the exotic land of Blah, home to some of the greatest weavers of Blahblah."

So now I know about the province of Blah, and the entire land of BlahBlah. And I just keep building up on this until eventually I have a pretty damn big world.

[Laurelle Leaf]

Kain Odium

Okay, why waste your time with half of this crap? How much of the characters history is going to be mentioned in the actual story? Hmm? How much of the world are you going to see? How many of the cities? It is unbelievably fruitless to plan such things out. You only need to plan for what you're going to use. That is why I don't have "character sheets" and "layouts" for any of my stories. The best way you can write is just off the top of your head, it doesn't take that much effort to pump out a story.

Hello generic guy number 3,

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How much of the characters history is going to be mentioned in the actual story?

You would be supprised how much more comfortable you can be with a character when you know that when they were in grade school they were called "insert something mean here" by their friends, and that their comfort food is "insert food". Once you know your character like at least your best friend (or lover, or mother, or brother, or self (creepy)) it's as easy as writing from your own perspective, it makes it so that you only really have to worry about things like flow, wording, convention, plot ...

Quote:

How much of the world are you going to see?

Now this is what kills me, I may never reach sornestell ( a little town in the middle of nowhere) in my story but mabye in the big city they start in they use it to make fun of people in rural areas? or one of them can mention going to the beach and someone else (characters mind you) will know that that's quite a distance or whatever the case may be. Just like writing characters, it will never hurt to know more, only hinder you if you are unsure and on page 3 she has blue eyes and is in Rosendell and on page 19 she has blue eyes and is in Arnetsvale.

Quote:

The best way you can write is just off the top of your head, it doesn't take that much effort to pump out a story.

Writing off the top of your head is fine, and some people do it that way, this is just the way I do it and however you do it is your own business I guess. But it's only the best way to write for *you* then not nescerially for everyone in exsistance period end of the story.

Dev Kimiko

Unless you're Tolkien, you can't just jump headlong into a fantary realm and start writing.

Tolkien I believe is cited for knowing is worlds inside and out... and he retold the stories over and over before they were ever written down..... -shrugs-

Kain Odium

Okay, to start off, J.K. Rowling blows. Second, why are you guy's still wasting your time? What the hell? Do something better with your creativity like put more effort into the plot so you wont b***h and moan about "writers block".

Now we are just being rude. No one here has yet to complain of writers block.