My previous worlds

Greetings inmates!

Worldbuilding.

What exactly is worldbuilding? Why is it that some writers label themselves worldbuilders?

Well, there are two reasons really. Firstly, it is a hobby that many writers enjoy. There’s something truly quite gratifying about writing about characters in a world that you’ve poured your soul into. The worldbuilding itself can also be quite enjoyable. Designing nations, races, locations and the very metaphysical state of a world can almost make one feel like a god. A delightful prospect I’m sure you’ll agree. The second reason is that it can make writing a story easier. Allow me to elaborate on that. Writing a story from scratch, with no defined worldly rules or landscape, can become confusing and frustrating. If you have taken the time to create a vague “outline” of a world, even if its only a very basic idea. Say, you have decided on the geography and society on a specific country in your world. It makes it easier to write about a character in that country simply because you know how that place works, you vaguely know where things are and you can write your character within that. It helps avoid plot holes as well, you can dodge them if you know how your world works.

Worldbuilding is a useful skill for any writer, whether they be a sci-fi writer, a fantasy writer or even a horror writer. Game developers use it, RPG designers use it and the best writers do too. You can design how the world looks, the basic geography. You can dictate how magic is supposed to work in your world. You can design the races that inhabit the world, and how they feel about each other. I know from experience that an idea for a story can reveal itself during worldbuilding, as opposed to building a world because you have an idea for a story already.

Here’s a humble Wikipedia article that can probably explain the process a little bit more concisely than me.

Also, here is a link to a Youtube account called “Write About Dragons“. It offers splendid tips about worldbuilding and creative writing in general.

Now, i too have dabbled in worldbuilding in the past. There have been three “worlds” that i have created to an acceptable (by me) level. I’m going to tell you a tiny bit about each. Just in case anyone was interested. I intend to write more about each of these in the future.

The Damned Dozen

This was the first world i created, way back in high school. It was a strange, messy amalgamation of high fantasy and science fiction, involving a barbaric corporation who effectively ran the world with advanced machinery and weaponry. There were literally dozens of races i created for this universe, from elf-like beings to far more bizarre creatures. The centered around a disparate group of outcasts, each of which phenomenally powerful and talented in various ways. For example a man infected by a demonic virus that caused him to shift into a savage monster,  an exiled prince who hides his face behind hundreds of different masks, a pair of insane twins who were once one man and deity who controls the elements. It was a when i was far less experienced at both worldbuilding and writing in general. I had too many ideas and continued to stuff them into this one world. It felt bloated, but it was enjoyable. This world was more of a hobby, in all honesty.

Daz

I don’t have a whole lot to say about this one. I actually spoke about in a previous post, a few months ago. It was more of a silly, over the top universe that mostly comprised of video game and pop culture references. I’ll link the post where i spoke about it here. You even get a quaint little picture.

Daetrolos

Now, this world is currently ongoing believe it or not. Daetrolos is an unfortunate world, the citizens besieged on a daily basis by creatures created truly out of the Dust. Dust is what powers magic in this world, but it also degenerates and corrupts everything it touches. Minds will snap. Landscapes will die. Monsters will come from the aether. Dust is an enemy of the world, but also central to its existence. The world has an almost Napoleonic era level of technology, with the odd steam punk and Victorian facet thrown in here and there.  I’ve created a few reasonably unique (or what i believe to be so) races to inhabit the world. From the lizard-like Julmurns to the scarecrow-like Mawkins. Nations war with one another. The map has yet to be filled in and there more and bigger wonders and horrors to discover yet I’m sure. This has been my favourite universe to work on, it’s more focused and neater than the world of The Damned Dozen. I’ve even got ideas for two stories in this world, both giving centre stage to a character i created called Michal Von Stromberg. I won’t tell you anything about that right now though, though i likely will in the future.

So there you have it. A very basic overview of the worldbuilding I’ve wrought so far. I intend to continue with my Daetrolos world and i will probably write more about this in the near future so look out for that i suppose.

Create the worlds of your dreams and nightmares, don’t limit yourselves. Turn your personalities into worlds that we would cherish and get lost in!

Farewell for now inmates!