WOW! I've been gone a while! Well, family drama crept up, and then issues with the bathroom being renovated, and then I had started on this one project way back when - and if I were to submit it to AnimeNext on time I needed to finish that hard core! And thus, this poor blog was tossed to the wayside...
Anyway, I'm done with the AMV making - and submitting - and so I'm back. I'm not sure for how long, but let's forget about that now. ^_^
OK, so let's move on to today's exercise. As always, be sure to check out Stephanie Cottrell Bryant's world building guide. Link is on the right-hand corner of the screen. However, I'll also put it here.
Day 4: Cataclysmic Events
You have your mood. You have, generally, a climate you want. If you read the linked site, you might even have some idea of how to get that climate.
Now, let's get into history.
No, not dates and names-- that's too recent. We're talking planetary history. How long has your world been around? How old was it when your sapient species reached it (either through evolution or discovery)? Did a previous species dominate, like the dinosaurs, leaving a fossil record? Or is human(oid) evolution the first major species to leave a lasting record? If a previous species was sapient, did they also leave artifacts of their society?
A fossil record can be misinterpreted in many creative ways. You might end up with legends of dragons based on dinosaur records-- unless, of course, you have *real* dragons on your world. Your current sapient beings might believe in an older race that "built" everything, when in fact that older race actually destroyed it.
Also look for the non-biological records of physical change. Most geography changes slowly. You'll find that mountain ranges take forever to grow, except when they don't. When they change suddenly and dramatically, people remember, and their attitudes about such places change as well. Worldwide legends about sudden changes may spring up-- nearly every Earth culture has a flood story. There may be a historical record there, or there may be a parable being told instead. But they all have one, and there's therefore some kind of scar on what humans perceive of as their planet's history.
For example, consider earthquakes and volcanoes. Any seismically active region will gain a reputation, perhaps as a place where geographical records may be upturned rapidly (in the case of a tectonic shift bringing a fossil to surface), may be destroyed or buried quickly (perhaps by volcanic mudslides), or may be altered rapidly (such as by a more dramatic volcanic eruption that not only buries but also relocates debris for several miles, or an earthquake that opens a rift in the center of town). In a scientifically advanced society, your seismic causes won't hold all that many surprises for your characters, unless you want to set forward a speculative question about geological cataclysm (such as a non-earthly cause or something unearthed that's unexpected). For your fantasy characters, of course, a volcanic eruption can be an enormous deal-- the wrath of the gods, a dragon awakening, or even a magically-induced catastrophe.
Other major, fast-moving cataclysms include hurricanes and flooding, fires (though recovery from fire is actually a fairly rapid process, taking a matter of years), earthquakes, volcanoes and rifts, and meteroites. Less rapid but still quick in the geological scale are glaciers, ice ages, and global warming. A good example of a very slow-moving but planet-changing event is the plate tectonic shift that essentially moved India into Asia, forming the Himalayas and causing a massive climate shift in Africa, drying the continent out and forever altering (or perhaps just starting) the course of human evolution.
Even though we're not yet into culture-building, start thinking now about what kinds of scars your planet might have from major cataclysmic events. What major mountain ranges do you want or need to put into your story, what deep canyons, what crater-marked plains? Are all of your scars natural, or are some man-made through technological or magical forces?
The Exercise
For 15 minutes, jot down some of the Really Big Land Features you want in your story and just think "what if that were made by...." Write down a couple of causes for those features and scars, and stick it all into your notebook. Which scars are slow-force scars (like plate tectonics), and which are fast-forces (anything that takes less than 10,000 years is medium-to-fast in geological scales).
OK, another toughie since my story is mainly focusing on one country. This will be the alternate universe's version of England. In my story, all of the world-changing events that were not caused by non-natural actions (such as the H-Bomb, etc) would still have occurred. Pangaea still split up into the modern continents, the same mountain formations, same volcanos, etc.
However, magic will make things a little different between the two worlds. For instance, as Bryant suggested, there will indeed be dragons. Therefore, perhaps most of the mountainous formations in Great Britain are also in this parallel country, except part of one of the mountain ranges is actually missing. Perhaps an old dragon battle occurred and devastated one of the mountain peaks. The battle tore apart some of the structural rocks and eventually created an avalanche, landslide, and perhaps even an all-out collapse of the mountain. Perhaps this mountain peak was once a "hive" for dragons - as it were - and all of the dens broke down the integrity of the mountain to begin with. With this hollowed out mountain, a strong enough battle could collapse this mountain. Perhaps there is a lake where a mountain would normally be in England.
All of these are actually tricky assignments since I'm not necessarily "World" building... I'm just focusing on the one country for this story. And here I thought this would be easy since Lionhead Studios already set up the world with Albion in Fable, and then mix in some of Nintendo's Hyrule from Legend of Zelda. However, answering these questions while thinking of two video game worlds is tough. :-P
Anyway, neither game really have major land features that would be caused by anything spectacular. In theory, I could also include an enchanted forest all sprung from one tree spirit - just like the Great Deku Tree and surrounding Kokiri Forest. Perhaps a "volcano" which is really a hollowed out mountain that only erupts when the dragon living inside is angered. I don't know. I'm quickly scanning my memory right now and, like I said, neither game really showcased any major land feature, so I'll have to wave the white flag yet again.
You're real glad I took that two-week break, aren't you? :-P
If you don't like this world, create your own. ;-)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Wandering Through the Junkyard Does not a Romantic Night Make
Whoo, hoo! I didn't think I'd be able to manage this - I worked from 7am until 5pm and when I came home the power was out due to a downed power line - but I am just squeaking in today's exercise. Whoot, two days in a row!
Anyway, the first two tasks were challenging to me, let's see how well I can pull off today's task. As always, I must credit these exercises to 30 Days of World Building by Stephanie Cottrell Bryant. OOOO...OOOO...OOOO! I just added her link to the upper right of this blog. See it? Do you? Well, don't forget to check it out. She has another guide linked there. Very helpful. Thank you Stephanie! ^_^
Day 3: Mood and Setting
As you've probably noticed already, a lot of my exercises aren't just about building a realistic world. They're about building a world that you can tell a story in. After all, world-building is fun, but if you're doing these exercises, you're probably not interested in spending 2000 hours worldbuilding without any practical application to your story, right?
So, pull out your list of climates from [before] and look them over. You should have a bunch of climates, maybe even places, and a word or two describing how you feel when you're there.
Well, it's time to make your first real decision about your novel. What kind of mood do you want it to have? See, we're going to set your novel in the kind of climate that contributes to its overall mood and theme.
The mood of a novel is how it feels to read it. High fantasy is traditionally set in a climate similar to Europe or England, thanks to the father of heroic fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkein himself. However, it doesn't have to be that way, and you can capture a completely different feeling in a Middle Eastern desert setting or a Russia-like tundra.
For theme, you can adapt your setting to what's actually happening in the novel, what kind of message your novel has to tell. For example, if you want everyone in the novel to be in a constant state of uncertainty, maybe you should set them in a seismically active volcanic region (I type this just 77 miles away from Mt. St. Helen, which apparently is due to erupt any hour now). Or perhaps you want your story to feel very "escapist." Nothing says "escape" like a tropical island with balmy days, mid-afternoon storms, lush green plants, and a climate that doesn't vary seasonally but can bring up some exciting stormy weather.
If you already know "I want to write something dark and gothic" and you look at your climate list and there's "dark" or "gothic," you're there. You've got your predominant climate, and everything else after this is going to be figuring out how to build a world around that mood and climate.
If you are thinking right now "I have no idea what kind of mood I want-- this mortaine person is crazy to think I know that this far in advance," then the below exercise is YOURS; it'll take 10 minutes and you'll have made a strong first decision about your novel. And don't feel bad if you don't know what kind of novel you're going to write-- nobody really does until they write it.
The exercise:
Read over your list from Day 1 and then turn to a blank piece of paper. Close your eyes and think about what kind of feeling you like to have when you write or read. Write down four words that fit into that feeling: two adjectives, a verb, and a noun. Now return to the page with your list of climates and emotions. Do any of them match up? If they do, you have your climate. If not, try to find closest-match words. If you spend 10 solid minutes thinking about this and still can't decide, pick two climates that express moods you like. You can make up your mind later, and you can even build your world with both climates containing equally probable sites for your story.
OK, so this exercise is actually ridiculously easy today! Hooray for stealing from others! Now, if you've forgotten from a little over a week ago when I mentioned what type of story I'm attempting for, I am taking basic elements from two video games and two animes. The video games are The Legend of Zelda and the original Fable. The two animes are The Vision of Escaflowne and Inu Yasha. Aside from the feudal Japan of Inu Yasha, the other three elements I'm taking inspiration for are England-like lands in the traditional heroic fantasy setting. In fact, the world of Fable is called Albion - which is the oldest known name for the isle currently known as Great Britain. There will be vast country sides; untouched, mysterious woods; large, naked fields; noblemen; the need for a monarchy; etc. It will feel rustic and familiar, and yet fantastical. A little D&D flair might be mixed in as well. There shall be epic battles and races against time, chase scenes, romantic tension, self discovery. Oh! The beauty of the story brewing inside me.
No, I do not have two adjectives, a verb, and a noun. In fact, I'm not entirely sure how a verb or a noun can be used to describe how you feel - or want to feel - when writing or reading. Well, that part was also part of the extended exercise for those who don't know what they want to do about this part of the writing process. On the other hand, the feel of the story is what begs me to write it in the first place. It is my muse, my drive, the first thing I think of when it comes to story.
Anyway, I hope this is suitable enough for this exercise, because it's getting late and I want some sleep now. G'night.
If you don't like this world, create your own. ;-)
Anyway, the first two tasks were challenging to me, let's see how well I can pull off today's task. As always, I must credit these exercises to 30 Days of World Building by Stephanie Cottrell Bryant. OOOO...OOOO...OOOO! I just added her link to the upper right of this blog. See it? Do you? Well, don't forget to check it out. She has another guide linked there. Very helpful. Thank you Stephanie! ^_^
Day 3: Mood and Setting
As you've probably noticed already, a lot of my exercises aren't just about building a realistic world. They're about building a world that you can tell a story in. After all, world-building is fun, but if you're doing these exercises, you're probably not interested in spending 2000 hours worldbuilding without any practical application to your story, right?
So, pull out your list of climates from [before] and look them over. You should have a bunch of climates, maybe even places, and a word or two describing how you feel when you're there.
Well, it's time to make your first real decision about your novel. What kind of mood do you want it to have? See, we're going to set your novel in the kind of climate that contributes to its overall mood and theme.
The mood of a novel is how it feels to read it. High fantasy is traditionally set in a climate similar to Europe or England, thanks to the father of heroic fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkein himself. However, it doesn't have to be that way, and you can capture a completely different feeling in a Middle Eastern desert setting or a Russia-like tundra.
For theme, you can adapt your setting to what's actually happening in the novel, what kind of message your novel has to tell. For example, if you want everyone in the novel to be in a constant state of uncertainty, maybe you should set them in a seismically active volcanic region (I type this just 77 miles away from Mt. St. Helen, which apparently is due to erupt any hour now). Or perhaps you want your story to feel very "escapist." Nothing says "escape" like a tropical island with balmy days, mid-afternoon storms, lush green plants, and a climate that doesn't vary seasonally but can bring up some exciting stormy weather.
If you already know "I want to write something dark and gothic" and you look at your climate list and there's "dark" or "gothic," you're there. You've got your predominant climate, and everything else after this is going to be figuring out how to build a world around that mood and climate.
If you are thinking right now "I have no idea what kind of mood I want-- this mortaine person is crazy to think I know that this far in advance," then the below exercise is YOURS; it'll take 10 minutes and you'll have made a strong first decision about your novel. And don't feel bad if you don't know what kind of novel you're going to write-- nobody really does until they write it.
The exercise:
Read over your list from Day 1 and then turn to a blank piece of paper. Close your eyes and think about what kind of feeling you like to have when you write or read. Write down four words that fit into that feeling: two adjectives, a verb, and a noun. Now return to the page with your list of climates and emotions. Do any of them match up? If they do, you have your climate. If not, try to find closest-match words. If you spend 10 solid minutes thinking about this and still can't decide, pick two climates that express moods you like. You can make up your mind later, and you can even build your world with both climates containing equally probable sites for your story.
OK, so this exercise is actually ridiculously easy today! Hooray for stealing from others! Now, if you've forgotten from a little over a week ago when I mentioned what type of story I'm attempting for, I am taking basic elements from two video games and two animes. The video games are The Legend of Zelda and the original Fable. The two animes are The Vision of Escaflowne and Inu Yasha. Aside from the feudal Japan of Inu Yasha, the other three elements I'm taking inspiration for are England-like lands in the traditional heroic fantasy setting. In fact, the world of Fable is called Albion - which is the oldest known name for the isle currently known as Great Britain. There will be vast country sides; untouched, mysterious woods; large, naked fields; noblemen; the need for a monarchy; etc. It will feel rustic and familiar, and yet fantastical. A little D&D flair might be mixed in as well. There shall be epic battles and races against time, chase scenes, romantic tension, self discovery. Oh! The beauty of the story brewing inside me.
No, I do not have two adjectives, a verb, and a noun. In fact, I'm not entirely sure how a verb or a noun can be used to describe how you feel - or want to feel - when writing or reading. Well, that part was also part of the extended exercise for those who don't know what they want to do about this part of the writing process. On the other hand, the feel of the story is what begs me to write it in the first place. It is my muse, my drive, the first thing I think of when it comes to story.
Anyway, I hope this is suitable enough for this exercise, because it's getting late and I want some sleep now. G'night.
If you don't like this world, create your own. ;-)
Friday, May 7, 2010
Blame it on the Weatherman
OK, so I already missed about a week... good job, right? Well, to my defence, first I had my mother's fiftieth birthday (Happy B'day Mommy!), then there were family issues, and then I took a mini-vacation to visit the fiance (he lives in a different state). So I didn't really go on the computer at all. I probably should have waited to start this project until I was home so I wouldn't have any break, but I was really into getting started, so I jumped the gun and took a week va-ca. At least while I was visiting Remy he told me about a world he built for a game he created. Hearing what he came up with really got my juices going.
Anyway, onward to day two of world building. Here's hoping I do better with today's exercise than I did with the first one. Again, the blue italicised print is an excerpt from the guide written by Stephanie Cottrell Bryant. 30 Days of World Building
Day 2: The Physical Planet
One of the best courses I took in college was on Physical Geography (especially read Chapter 10), which generally taught me why the Earth is the way it is, and how things like mountains and lakes and deserts are made. The website I link here isn't from the course I took, but it's chock full of good information.
Most climates are formed by the interaction of land, water, air, and coriolis effect (the coriolis effect has a lot to do with why a particular coastline has cold water, while another part of the same sea has warm water). The coriolis effect is essentially what happens when the earth turns on its orbit, and the water and air on this rock turn at a slightly different rate than the rocks.
If the planet were covered only with water, you'd basically have interconnecting circular oceanic currents at the tropics, subtropics, and polar regions, and each current would be moving warmer water and air to cooler places, or cooler water (and air) to warmer places (certain places where these currents intersect have little interchange of movement, and are called the doldrums). But when you add land masses, those currents run into land (where most people live) and bring cold air or warm air with them, and their attendant humidity.
Seasons are caused by the earth's tilt. It's possible to create a world without a tilt, but the climate would vary less seasonally. This, by the way, is one way to create a world in which there's a chronic winter state, or it's always summer, etc. You can still have weather, but the weather isn't dictated by the season, so you're more likely to have year-round weather that tends to be stormy or cold, or calm, etc.
When you add land, you get orographic lifting, which cools air, often causing any moisture to condense into rain or snow or even fog.
The Exercise
What role do you anticipate weather playing in your story? Do you have a lot of travel that you want to complicate with bad storms? Are you going to snow in your mighty heroes? Will there be a mighty battle, determined by sudden flooding? You actually don't need to know right now. Your exercise for today is to jot down ten plot devices that relate to weather, and what you think they do to the story (for example: a snow-in can turn the mood very claustrophobic... or very intimate).
OK, another tricky one. I do have a story bumping around in my brain which is sort of a cross-fanfiction; placing the basic concept of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Air Bender in the D&D world. For that story weather plays a very key role. However, for the one I'm building the world for currently - my massive hybrid story - I didn't really take weather into consideration. Well, as the exercise write-up says, it doesn't have to be weather plot devices that are actually going to occur. I can't wait to see how long it takes me to finish this....
1. Well, there's the cliche of the main adventuring couple trying to find shelter during a rain/thunder storm. This would be a good time to have the couple further develop their romantic interest in each other. Either by one taking care of the other (sick because of rain/injured during battle/etc.), or the alone time bringing them emotionally close, or - depending on when this will occur and how much has been developed already - a good time for a true love confession.
2. Blizzard while the duo is in the mountains. This could be another cliche venue for romantic development due to the adventurers being forced to stop until better weather. It could also be a good way to increase suspense in a battle. Either the duo is battling a strong foe, or is being chased by the villain's henchmen. The blizzard will hinder vision. The duo won't know where the foe is - but perhaps the foe, used to the weather, has adapted and uses the blizzard similarly to one using a smoke screen. Likewise, the duo can use the cover of the snow to help them get away from the tracking henchmen. The impaired vision could also get them lost with a threat of hypothermia. It is also an opportunity for either of them to discover an unknown power that can save them, or for the duo to possibly collaborate for the first time in order to survive. I came up with about four different scenarios with Blizzard... so am I up to 6 now?
3. I'd rather come up with more than ten examples than to cheat, so I'll just say all of that blizzard stuff was just one... Anyway, in the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the sweltering heat and blistering sun while in the desert. This could be very similar to the blizzard when it comes to survival. The couple could get lost in the similar landscape and mirages. They may need to work together for the first time in order to survive, or discover a previously untapped power. One of the characters could show leadership for the first time by taking care of the other one. This could be a good time for the weaker character to shine by finding an oasis or knowing how to open a cactus for water. This could also be an opportunity to have the heroes rescued or captured by desert people when the duo finally collapses.
4. The sun finally breaking through the clouds could be used to parallel one of the character's optimism after the duo again finds their way, or after they defeated a villain. It could be an uplifting moment where the optimistic character can finally convince the other that everything will finally go in their favor.
5. A star-filled, breezy evening. Used far too often in anime, but for a good reason. Perhaps the male character hasn't seen the female character in a romantic light yet. Just have her stand stoic on a ledge or balcony, looking at the massive curtain of stars, and the wind gently blowing through her hair. Never fails, it presents her as this angelic thing and the male lead is shocked when he finally realizes how gorgeous his companion is.
6. Impending flood during the adventurers' travel. They have been wandering through rain for what seems like days. They find shelter within a little village. The villagers have nothing else but their huts and farms, and yet they may not even have that for much longer. The rain the heroes just traversed through is flooding the nearby river. The heroes must prepare to act quickly, either to attempt to save the village, or to evacuate everyone. They might not have time to do both if their attempt to save the village fails.
7. Magic induced storm. Filled with colored lightning bolts, high winds, piercing rain, deafening thunder, maybe even tornado-like debris. The epic final battle between the heroes and the villain, the magic clashing from all sides creates enough atmospheric chaos that a storm breaks out. The ricocheted magic mixed in with the angry clouds, heightening the unnatural storm.
8. *waves white flag*
OK, that was so much harder than the first exercise! I couldn't think of ten different types of weather! I could think of multiple scenarios for one type of weather, but I just can't think of more than seven different types of weather. That is so bad, right? Like I said before, if this were my other story this would be easy. The heroine is sort of an avatar for Mother Nature and so the weather relates to her emotions. But I just couldn't think of anything for this current world building. After attempting for HOURS and still hitting that brick wall I finally gave up... Here's hoping tomorrow's exercise will be successful. This is going to be harder than I thought...
If you don't like this world, create your own. ;-)
Anyway, onward to day two of world building. Here's hoping I do better with today's exercise than I did with the first one. Again, the blue italicised print is an excerpt from the guide written by Stephanie Cottrell Bryant. 30 Days of World Building
Day 2: The Physical Planet
One of the best courses I took in college was on Physical Geography (especially read Chapter 10), which generally taught me why the Earth is the way it is, and how things like mountains and lakes and deserts are made. The website I link here isn't from the course I took, but it's chock full of good information.
Most climates are formed by the interaction of land, water, air, and coriolis effect (the coriolis effect has a lot to do with why a particular coastline has cold water, while another part of the same sea has warm water). The coriolis effect is essentially what happens when the earth turns on its orbit, and the water and air on this rock turn at a slightly different rate than the rocks.
If the planet were covered only with water, you'd basically have interconnecting circular oceanic currents at the tropics, subtropics, and polar regions, and each current would be moving warmer water and air to cooler places, or cooler water (and air) to warmer places (certain places where these currents intersect have little interchange of movement, and are called the doldrums). But when you add land masses, those currents run into land (where most people live) and bring cold air or warm air with them, and their attendant humidity.
Seasons are caused by the earth's tilt. It's possible to create a world without a tilt, but the climate would vary less seasonally. This, by the way, is one way to create a world in which there's a chronic winter state, or it's always summer, etc. You can still have weather, but the weather isn't dictated by the season, so you're more likely to have year-round weather that tends to be stormy or cold, or calm, etc.
When you add land, you get orographic lifting, which cools air, often causing any moisture to condense into rain or snow or even fog.
The Exercise
What role do you anticipate weather playing in your story? Do you have a lot of travel that you want to complicate with bad storms? Are you going to snow in your mighty heroes? Will there be a mighty battle, determined by sudden flooding? You actually don't need to know right now. Your exercise for today is to jot down ten plot devices that relate to weather, and what you think they do to the story (for example: a snow-in can turn the mood very claustrophobic... or very intimate).
OK, another tricky one. I do have a story bumping around in my brain which is sort of a cross-fanfiction; placing the basic concept of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Air Bender in the D&D world. For that story weather plays a very key role. However, for the one I'm building the world for currently - my massive hybrid story - I didn't really take weather into consideration. Well, as the exercise write-up says, it doesn't have to be weather plot devices that are actually going to occur. I can't wait to see how long it takes me to finish this....
1. Well, there's the cliche of the main adventuring couple trying to find shelter during a rain/thunder storm. This would be a good time to have the couple further develop their romantic interest in each other. Either by one taking care of the other (sick because of rain/injured during battle/etc.), or the alone time bringing them emotionally close, or - depending on when this will occur and how much has been developed already - a good time for a true love confession.
2. Blizzard while the duo is in the mountains. This could be another cliche venue for romantic development due to the adventurers being forced to stop until better weather. It could also be a good way to increase suspense in a battle. Either the duo is battling a strong foe, or is being chased by the villain's henchmen. The blizzard will hinder vision. The duo won't know where the foe is - but perhaps the foe, used to the weather, has adapted and uses the blizzard similarly to one using a smoke screen. Likewise, the duo can use the cover of the snow to help them get away from the tracking henchmen. The impaired vision could also get them lost with a threat of hypothermia. It is also an opportunity for either of them to discover an unknown power that can save them, or for the duo to possibly collaborate for the first time in order to survive. I came up with about four different scenarios with Blizzard... so am I up to 6 now?
3. I'd rather come up with more than ten examples than to cheat, so I'll just say all of that blizzard stuff was just one... Anyway, in the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the sweltering heat and blistering sun while in the desert. This could be very similar to the blizzard when it comes to survival. The couple could get lost in the similar landscape and mirages. They may need to work together for the first time in order to survive, or discover a previously untapped power. One of the characters could show leadership for the first time by taking care of the other one. This could be a good time for the weaker character to shine by finding an oasis or knowing how to open a cactus for water. This could also be an opportunity to have the heroes rescued or captured by desert people when the duo finally collapses.
4. The sun finally breaking through the clouds could be used to parallel one of the character's optimism after the duo again finds their way, or after they defeated a villain. It could be an uplifting moment where the optimistic character can finally convince the other that everything will finally go in their favor.
5. A star-filled, breezy evening. Used far too often in anime, but for a good reason. Perhaps the male character hasn't seen the female character in a romantic light yet. Just have her stand stoic on a ledge or balcony, looking at the massive curtain of stars, and the wind gently blowing through her hair. Never fails, it presents her as this angelic thing and the male lead is shocked when he finally realizes how gorgeous his companion is.
6. Impending flood during the adventurers' travel. They have been wandering through rain for what seems like days. They find shelter within a little village. The villagers have nothing else but their huts and farms, and yet they may not even have that for much longer. The rain the heroes just traversed through is flooding the nearby river. The heroes must prepare to act quickly, either to attempt to save the village, or to evacuate everyone. They might not have time to do both if their attempt to save the village fails.
7. Magic induced storm. Filled with colored lightning bolts, high winds, piercing rain, deafening thunder, maybe even tornado-like debris. The epic final battle between the heroes and the villain, the magic clashing from all sides creates enough atmospheric chaos that a storm breaks out. The ricocheted magic mixed in with the angry clouds, heightening the unnatural storm.
8. *waves white flag*
OK, that was so much harder than the first exercise! I couldn't think of ten different types of weather! I could think of multiple scenarios for one type of weather, but I just can't think of more than seven different types of weather. That is so bad, right? Like I said before, if this were my other story this would be easy. The heroine is sort of an avatar for Mother Nature and so the weather relates to her emotions. But I just couldn't think of anything for this current world building. After attempting for HOURS and still hitting that brick wall I finally gave up... Here's hoping tomorrow's exercise will be successful. This is going to be harder than I thought...
If you don't like this world, create your own. ;-)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Does "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind " Count?
Alright, so while I was trying to find a simple name generator on the internet to help me out - I am HORRIBLE with original names - I stumbled upon something far more valuable. A woman named Stephanie Cottrell Bryant had created a series of helpful guides when it comes to world building. One of them caught my attention enough that I decided to not only use the guide, but also create this blog as a means to keep track of the daily exercises and sort of drive me to hop online each day in order to continue working on my world. Granted - I will probably NOT be on daily, because I'm lazy like that and my life is a mess. But I can still pretend I'm going to, right?
Anyway, the guide of Ms. Bryant's that I'm going to be relying heavily on is her 30 Days of Worldbuilding. It may not jump into the meat-and-potatoes good stuff that is fun when it comes to world building, but it seems to build the skeleton masterfully. So let's try it out, shall we? The italicised sections each day will be excerpts from Ms. Bryant's guide.
DAY 1: Climate and Variety
How often have you read a book or story on "the ice planet" or "the desert planet"? These things simply do not exist. Humans are immensely adaptable-- if there's a section of the world they don't live on, they will do their best to figure out how to get there. There are now people living on platforms on top of the sea, as well as people living in habitats under it. The Middle East, the most hotly-contested region in the world, is in the middle of a desert.
The reason why books and stories try to limit the climate to one type or another is because the author wanted to hit upon a mood or a theme by presenting the story in a setting that is somehow related to that mood. Who doesn't have some emotional response to a frozen wilderness or a lush, verdant field?
Today's exercise:
Get out a map or go to an international website like National Geographic. Look everywhere. Antarctica. Saudi Arabia. The rainforests of Brazil. The rainforests of Central California. Look at how the different climates behave and appear.
The first fifteen minute exercise is to write down all the different climates you can think of-- if you need to just say a city name, do it. Sometimes "Seattle" is more evocative than "northern damp temperate climate." Write these names down in a list.
Then, go through that list and write one or two words that describe how that climate, either the word itself or the way the place itself may have made you feel, if you've been there before. Try to stick to abstract adjectives; emotional words, if you can, but nouns are also okay.
Tricky exercise given the fact that I haven't traveled much. I have only been to New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Cape Cod, Orlando, Bush Gardens/Williamsburg, and white water rafting in Ohio. Not too many differing climates. But no excuses, let's see what I can do in 15 minutes.
Rainforest - exotic, mythical nature
Desert - death, die-hard inhabitants
Tropics - peaceful, honeymoons
Rainy Cities (Seattle, London) - dreary, industrial
Beach (is this a climate?) - playful, freeing
Tundra - cold, wasteland
"Dry Heat" (a la Texas/Arizona) - ranchers, desperados
Humid (a la Florida) - hot, vacation
Temprate (seasonal) - average, populated
Cold Temprate (is this a real climate?) - Canada, kanucks
Marsh - dangerous, uninhabitable
Swamp (that's different from Marsh, right?) - corpse, dark magic
Grassland - Open, potential
Savana - Arabian Nights
Mediterranean (another I'm not sure is a real climate) - Grecian, Rustic
Forests - Common, Bohemian
Alpine (like the Rockies or Alps) - Rugged, conquering
OK, I'm not sure I did this right. It was hard to come up with words that come to mind. I used this as sort of a word association thing. I have no clue if I did this correctly. *shrug* Maybe tomorrow's exercise will go better...
If you don't like this world, create your own. ;-)
Anyway, the guide of Ms. Bryant's that I'm going to be relying heavily on is her 30 Days of Worldbuilding. It may not jump into the meat-and-potatoes good stuff that is fun when it comes to world building, but it seems to build the skeleton masterfully. So let's try it out, shall we? The italicised sections each day will be excerpts from Ms. Bryant's guide.
DAY 1: Climate and Variety
How often have you read a book or story on "the ice planet" or "the desert planet"? These things simply do not exist. Humans are immensely adaptable-- if there's a section of the world they don't live on, they will do their best to figure out how to get there. There are now people living on platforms on top of the sea, as well as people living in habitats under it. The Middle East, the most hotly-contested region in the world, is in the middle of a desert.
The reason why books and stories try to limit the climate to one type or another is because the author wanted to hit upon a mood or a theme by presenting the story in a setting that is somehow related to that mood. Who doesn't have some emotional response to a frozen wilderness or a lush, verdant field?
Today's exercise:
Get out a map or go to an international website like National Geographic. Look everywhere. Antarctica. Saudi Arabia. The rainforests of Brazil. The rainforests of Central California. Look at how the different climates behave and appear.
The first fifteen minute exercise is to write down all the different climates you can think of-- if you need to just say a city name, do it. Sometimes "Seattle" is more evocative than "northern damp temperate climate." Write these names down in a list.
Then, go through that list and write one or two words that describe how that climate, either the word itself or the way the place itself may have made you feel, if you've been there before. Try to stick to abstract adjectives; emotional words, if you can, but nouns are also okay.
Tricky exercise given the fact that I haven't traveled much. I have only been to New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Cape Cod, Orlando, Bush Gardens/Williamsburg, and white water rafting in Ohio. Not too many differing climates. But no excuses, let's see what I can do in 15 minutes.
Rainforest - exotic, mythical nature
Desert - death, die-hard inhabitants
Tropics - peaceful, honeymoons
Rainy Cities (Seattle, London) - dreary, industrial
Beach (is this a climate?) - playful, freeing
Tundra - cold, wasteland
"Dry Heat" (a la Texas/Arizona) - ranchers, desperados
Humid (a la Florida) - hot, vacation
Temprate (seasonal) - average, populated
Cold Temprate (is this a real climate?) - Canada, kanucks
Marsh - dangerous, uninhabitable
Swamp (that's different from Marsh, right?) - corpse, dark magic
Grassland - Open, potential
Savana - Arabian Nights
Mediterranean (another I'm not sure is a real climate) - Grecian, Rustic
Forests - Common, Bohemian
Alpine (like the Rockies or Alps) - Rugged, conquering
OK, I'm not sure I did this right. It was hard to come up with words that come to mind. I used this as sort of a word association thing. I have no clue if I did this correctly. *shrug* Maybe tomorrow's exercise will go better...
If you don't like this world, create your own. ;-)
Friday, April 23, 2010
In the beginning...
"In the beginning God created the heavens and earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." - Genesis 1: 1-2
That's how the bible starts, and, although definitely NOT the bible - or even anywhere near it for that matter - this blog is all about world building. So why not start off the tale of my world being created with the same passage used to tell the story of Earth's creation? Pwah, God can smite me later.
OK, so the world has gone completely chaotic lately and I kind of don't want to stay in it. But it's the only world I have, right? Right? WRONG! I decided to create myself a new one. A world I can escape to every once in a while. I blame Window's Vista not allowing me to install The Sims. That would have made life easier!
Anyway, I've been a storyteller quite literally as long as I can remember. I play RPGs. Ever since I met my fiance I've been absorbed into the world of D&D. I am becoming a larger and larger fan of fantasy literature and movies. I have become entranced with this glorious idea of creating such a detailed world that all who enter feel like it is a real place - even for a little bit.
I started creating my first world about two years ago. I had invested so much in the creation of my D&D character that I wanted to expand her use into that of fiction. Making that decision led me to create a world for her. I got as far as one country, and even that remains incomplete. I stalled - mainly in my attempt to accurately populate the region. I haven't attempted to conquer world building again in months now.
So why start up again now? Well, out of inspiration as well as a need for escapism. This particular world I'm attempting for now wasn't originally going to be made - per say. This world started with a simple love for a game and a desire to write FanFiction for it.
Back in college I played the Big Blue Box premiere game Fable. I fell in love with the world of Albion, and thought of the multiple stories one could create with the Hero. After playing around with it a little, I wanted to include my favorite video game franchise: The Legend of Zelda. I then sat down and spliced together Albion and Hyrule, the Hero and Link, Jack of Blades and Ganondorf. The story progressed, but I was also strongly influenced by the animes Inu Yasha and The Vision of Escaflowne. Now my Link/Hero hybrid was also handed traits from InuYasha and Van. The show heroines Kagome and Hitomi were melded together. And a whole new breed of story was put together. Now I wasn't writing a weird Fable-hybrid fanfic anymore. Now I threw in the popular Anime element of "someone from our world is magically thrown into a new one and chaos ensues." I needed to figure out how my female lead ended up in this Albion/Hyrule hybrid world. I also needed to figure out how the two worlds could possibly be connected in the first place. This was a whole new beast and I decided that my answers could only sound plausible if I knew more about my world.
My world was still Albion, and Hyrule, and yet not. It was something more. If I was going to continue on my task of writing a story about this place I needed to learn about it. That was when I decided to start this blog. I'll slowly build the world here. Hoping to take you on a journey of discovery with me. Perhaps, once all of this is done I will continue this blog by posting plot elements and character descriptions. Following that, perhaps I'll post chapters for my story. Who knows how long I'll continue this.
If you don't like this world, create your own. ;-)
That's how the bible starts, and, although definitely NOT the bible - or even anywhere near it for that matter - this blog is all about world building. So why not start off the tale of my world being created with the same passage used to tell the story of Earth's creation? Pwah, God can smite me later.
OK, so the world has gone completely chaotic lately and I kind of don't want to stay in it. But it's the only world I have, right? Right? WRONG! I decided to create myself a new one. A world I can escape to every once in a while. I blame Window's Vista not allowing me to install The Sims. That would have made life easier!
Anyway, I've been a storyteller quite literally as long as I can remember. I play RPGs. Ever since I met my fiance I've been absorbed into the world of D&D. I am becoming a larger and larger fan of fantasy literature and movies. I have become entranced with this glorious idea of creating such a detailed world that all who enter feel like it is a real place - even for a little bit.
I started creating my first world about two years ago. I had invested so much in the creation of my D&D character that I wanted to expand her use into that of fiction. Making that decision led me to create a world for her. I got as far as one country, and even that remains incomplete. I stalled - mainly in my attempt to accurately populate the region. I haven't attempted to conquer world building again in months now.
So why start up again now? Well, out of inspiration as well as a need for escapism. This particular world I'm attempting for now wasn't originally going to be made - per say. This world started with a simple love for a game and a desire to write FanFiction for it.
Back in college I played the Big Blue Box premiere game Fable. I fell in love with the world of Albion, and thought of the multiple stories one could create with the Hero. After playing around with it a little, I wanted to include my favorite video game franchise: The Legend of Zelda. I then sat down and spliced together Albion and Hyrule, the Hero and Link, Jack of Blades and Ganondorf. The story progressed, but I was also strongly influenced by the animes Inu Yasha and The Vision of Escaflowne. Now my Link/Hero hybrid was also handed traits from InuYasha and Van. The show heroines Kagome and Hitomi were melded together. And a whole new breed of story was put together. Now I wasn't writing a weird Fable-hybrid fanfic anymore. Now I threw in the popular Anime element of "someone from our world is magically thrown into a new one and chaos ensues." I needed to figure out how my female lead ended up in this Albion/Hyrule hybrid world. I also needed to figure out how the two worlds could possibly be connected in the first place. This was a whole new beast and I decided that my answers could only sound plausible if I knew more about my world.
My world was still Albion, and Hyrule, and yet not. It was something more. If I was going to continue on my task of writing a story about this place I needed to learn about it. That was when I decided to start this blog. I'll slowly build the world here. Hoping to take you on a journey of discovery with me. Perhaps, once all of this is done I will continue this blog by posting plot elements and character descriptions. Following that, perhaps I'll post chapters for my story. Who knows how long I'll continue this.
If you don't like this world, create your own. ;-)
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