posted
I was wondering if people could help me create a world. I mean, just some helpful hints and tips that you guys use to create worlds because I have many ideas, a basic history of the world I want as well.
I already have continent/country names, I have a basic idea of what the landmasses look like, the mountain ranges, deserts and forests.
All I would like to know is how I can put it all together?
posted
I guess I'm not quite sure what you're asking for. It sounds like you already know what your world looks like. Do you just need help brainstorming some neat characteristics? (Careful - if you say yes, you'll open the floodgates!)
Posts: 470 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Then I wrote a dozen or so short stories using people in my world to flesh it out. Nothing I will publish or anything, just little stories to help me get into the groove of my world.
quote:Do you just need help brainstorming some neat characteristics? (Careful - if you say yes, you'll open the floodgates!)
that would indeed be fine ;D If you would like to help, that is.
Ronnie: Yeah, maps would be a good thing to draw, pity I can't draw though, but I will try it. The short stories sounds good as well. Thanks for your help
Calligrapher: A history... something I love doing Historical fiction i find intriguing yet I don't read much of it
Elan: Thanks for website, I'm currently looking through it.
posted
When creating a world the important thing to really know is the cultures.
Study Earth cultures and what makes them similar and why.
Things that make cultures similar: Descended from a common empire. Most of Europe has a very similar life structure because they all descended from the Roman Empire.
Things that separate cultures: Oceans, Mountains, Vast Deserts. Isolated cultures will be greatly different.
Cohesive areas of slightly varying cultures will advance faster technologically than a single vast culture.
War will always advance the technology of a culture, unless they are nearly wiped out as a result of the war.
Geography and History.
Start with present Geography, Identify the natural borders(mountains, rivers). Create a few artificial borders and a story of why there is a seperation there (Split kingdom, a war of expansion)
This will start you on your history. You don't need to have a full history from creation, But you will need to know where the culture came from.
This is all only important if you are writing more than one novel in a world. For a single novel, you can usually just describe the current area where the novel takes place, but the more you know, the more you will impart and the more real the world will be.
Once you have a whole world and a few dozen cultures, you might have more stories to tell than you will have time to write in your life.
posted
Do you really need to know about the entire world in order to make this story? Usually I just think which countries were involved in the current culture shaping of my setting at hand. (and where are they if it's a non-Earth world.) The closest I came to what you seem to be describing was imagining a huge train line around the world we live in for one of my stories where the early hook sequence involved a murder on a train.
If indeed your story is so complex as to know the geography and history of the entire world, this sounds like it'll make for a great read. I look forward to reading it, if you care to send it to me when it's done.
posted
Concerning a history, I like to develop unusual details for the world as I draw maps or create cultures, and then look for interesting historical events that could explain them.
Even if the entire world isn't in the story, knowing the world that well will make the setting much stronger in the writer's mind. He or she will probably draw on small details they established, which will likely result in the world seeming more real and detailed.
posted
I couldn't see a mention of OSC's book Writing Sci-fi and Fantasy. It has a good section on creating worlds. It also says (more or less) to only create what is necessary otherwise you will be tempted to encumber the story with nonessentials or in some places feel a desire for exposition when it is not going to make a difference to the story.
Creating a world for a novel is not the same as creating one for AD&D. You don't have to plan that there is three silver pieces at the bottom of the well because you have a player inexplicably obsessed with climbing down well shafts. Your characters will do, be and go where you want them to.
Like rcorporan suggests, OSC also said that maps are a good spot to start.
In my opinion, as you draw a map you are in many ways writing the history of a place.
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited December 01, 2005).]
posted
The world I want to create and the actual story revolving around it involves the entire world in a massive war, sweeping from one side of the globe to the other.
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posted
Are you going to detail the fall of each country or hit scenes during the important ones?
Just know the cultures as they are relevant to the story. A good map will let you know the course of the war. Armies go around mountains, cross water only when absolutly neccesary and rarely attack from the most obvious direction.
The exceptions to the above rules are the strategies that make history.
quote:Are you going to detail the fall of each country or hit scenes during the important ones?
Only the important ones. The fall of the major cities, land gain as well.
But I have a totally different motive behind the country that is doing the attacking. It's not because he's been manipulated (seen that too many times), not because a celestial being entered his dreams, not because someone said something bad about him, he's doing it because he loves the smell of death, hatred and he lusts for power. He's doing it out of his own will.
I know it's cliche but I know I can find a way to make it unique, and I think I know how to do so.
The cultures notes will also come in handy as if someone didn't point that out I most likely would have forgotten about all of it.
posted
I think, from what I have seen of your ramblings about it, that you have a really good idea. Good luck!
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posted
Thanks Pantros Yeah through my ramblings I do have a decent plan for it, but I just have to find the right start for it.
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posted
If you're doing fantasy you don't need to know how to draw at all, and even a straightedge is optional for making floorplans. Card claims that the idea for Hart's Hope came from having screwed up a city map he was drawing so that one of the gates was built shut.
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posted
Cali - there are various cartographic software packages lurking out there. I used to use something called "Camnpaign Cartographer" in an early incarnation; reputedly, it's now much bigger, better, and pricier. A friend uses a freeware product, which I can't remember the name of; I'll try and check out the details.
I have done perfectly adequate maps using MS Paint. I drew a set of basic shapes (mountains, trees, etc) and then just use cut-and-paste to build up larger areas. They're not brilliant, but remember, you only need the right level of detail for you.
Somewhere I've got an A1 (I think) drawing pad, on which I've done a few freehand maps. They look great and can be quite mentally soothing to draw, mindlessly filling in mountain after mountain after mountain...
For my FRP campaigns, I have been known to actually draw complete contour maps. But that's just deeply sad.
posted
I used to own a gameshop with an associated club. People were constantly drawing maps that were pretty much identical: same pub, same village same guard tower just rearranged. Because I trained as an illustrator I toyed with the idea of creating a book of standard maps but never had the confidence to sink time into it.
This leads me to wonder whether there is anything like that on the market yet?
Cali: I get some great maps, floorplans etc from the net.
Question: Does anyone else get really put off by opening a fantasy novel and finding a map using standard MS Word script fonts? It'll make me put the book down. Maybe I'm just picky.
PS: TChernobyl: I too am soothed by drawing maps. It is an obsession of the main character in my YA Novel WIP (He's 12 years old)
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited December 07, 2005).]
posted
As a person who spent several years in architecture school, working with all kinds of fancy floorplan software, I still prefer floorplans and maps drawn by hand.
But as purely an author's tool the software is a good thing.
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I asked about the mapping and floorplans because I am a visual type of person. I like to have images to discribe or to help me discribe something in my books.
posted
How did this topic get from people giving me ideas on how to create a world to people actually giving each other resources? Whatever. It's all good!
Anyways I have posted some First 13's on F&F Section for the maps A few people already have critiqued it, but the more the merrier.
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