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. ;-)
Showing posts with label Fable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fable. Show all posts
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, 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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