World-building

[Gumboot]

I did a search and couldn't find anything on this topic, but it's a favourite of mine, so I thought I'd raise it. For many (most) writers, it's all about the writing, and any world-building that might be needed is purely in service to their narrative. But in the sci-fi and fantasy genres in particular there's some writers who regard general world-building as important, or even more important than the writing.

Tolkien is the obvious first example.

I'm of that vein too. Even if it was shown irrefutably to me that I was an awful writer, I think I'd probably still continue with the world-building purely for my own enjoyment. I also personally find that it enhances my writing which is a bonus.

Do any of you have a special fondness for world-building? What fields do you most enjoy? What are your world-building highlights and low-lights?

[springs]

I think there are threads on this somewhere on the Chrons, but they might be quite buried. It's funny, I didn't see it as world building as such, but just the backstory and sense of place that a story has to have.

I quite enjoy it. I was on the beach yesterday with my kids and I'm writing the sequel and need a home planet for a race of people and, there you go, it's got a beach. Possibly with a darkish sky - old sun I think this one - and a black sea, but still; I know that in the background, really, there's a vista of Belfast. *

So, yes, it's fun. More fun that a cold NI beach in winter, quite frankly.


*and if anyone can think of what I could two large yellow cranes for, I could make it authentic!

[Venusian Broon]

More properly Tolkien's first love was words so he was really a Language builder that decided to create a world that explained his work.

It's a subtle difference but I think very few writers take this route (or even have the ability).

I do like world building, because to suspend a readers belief there has to be a concrete tangibility to the ideas that you are supplying, logical pathways of cause and effect that make the reader really believe that the imaginary setting, people and plot could be real.

But for me its subserviant to production of the story - world building can be a brilliant way to play off ideas and generate plot lines and characters so it's immensely helpful this way. But when the final piece of the plot seems to be in place and my characters motivations seem to be in track and believeable I stop serious world building then and there and concentrate on writing the story.

Personally, because of my background, I like to mess around with Science and work through all the ramifications of 'Well if this was allowed what would that mean for human society...' For example, writing Space Opera the method of travelling between stars and it's limitations can have drastic effects on how a human society might develop. I dislike SF that just has space travel to get from one exotic location to another without thinking through the ramifications (Star Wars! stay in the corner and don't get up till I tell you.)

As for low-lights - it's those darkest hours when all you can come up with are cliche upon heaped cliche. Possibly a way your brain is telling you to stop thinking about it and do something else!

[springs]

[QUOTE=Venusian Broon;1578779]. I dislike SF that just has space travel to get from one exotic location to another without thinking through the ramifications (Star Wars! stay in the corner and don't get up till I tell you.)

QUOTE]

Oops.

Does it help when the writer knows it doesn't make any sense and figures it's nice to dream?

[Gumboot]

Originally Posted by Venusian Broon

More properly Tolkien's first love was words so he was really a Language builder that decided to create a world that explained his work.

It's a subtle difference but I think very few writers take this route (or even have the ability).

A very valid point. I suppose I was thinking of "world-building" more as a catch-all for anything that's not directly a story. New Zealand fantasy writer Russell Kirkpatrick is a professional cartographer and I believe his world started with him creating fictional versions of what he did professionally, just like Tolkien (but in a different field, of course).

Originally Posted by Venusian Broon

I do like world building, because to suspend a readers belief there has to be a concrete tangibility to the ideas that you are supplying, logical pathways of cause and effect that make the reader really believe that the imaginary setting, people and plot could be real.

I would definitely agree with this and argue it's a justification for detailed and extensive world-building, although I'd be first to admit it's not necessary. It can be enormously enjoyable though.

Originally Posted by Venusian Broon

But for me its subserviant to production of the story - world building can be a brilliant way to play off ideas and generate plot lines and characters so it's immensely helpful this way. But when the final piece of the plot seems to be in place and my characters motivations seem to be in track and believeable I stop serious world building then and there and concentrate on writing the story.

I think ultimately this is a choice everyone faces. You only have X amount of time available to work on the project, and every minute spent world-building is a minute not spent writing. I tend to do a lot of my world-building while writing. My usual approach seems to be that if I encounter something where I feel more world-building is in order I'll put the project on hold develop the necessary world-building, and then continue.

When I'm full-time writing (i.e. I'm not on a shoot) I try to give myself some time each day for world-building as well as writing. I also find this refreshes me because I'm pretty visual, and I can get a bit brain dead staring at nothing but text day after day.

Originally Posted by Venusian Broon

Personally, because of my background, I like to mess around with Science and work through all the ramifications of 'Well if this was allowed what would that mean for human society...' For example, writing Space Opera the method of travelling between stars and it's limitations can have drastic effects on how a human society might develop. I dislike SF that just has space travel to get from one exotic location to another without thinking through the ramifications (Star Wars! stay in the corner and don't get up till I tell you.)

Ah, a favourite topic of mine. Perhaps one of the most frustrating (for me) is fantasy worlds that are essentially medieval Europe in every way, except there's magic. Come again? Because no, the presence of magic wouldn't have any ramifications on society at all...

[Venusian Broon]

Don't worry springs - I can also really like Fantasy that has space travel to get from one exotic location to another without thinking through the ramifications - because the space travel is not really the point of the book!

It hit me when I read Iain Banks last culture book that really Space Opera is, for all intents and purposes and including his work, Fantasy but done with a veneer of SF.

Of course I could rant on for days about the inadquency of Star Wars. George Lucas has a lot to answer for, for the release of the prequels.

I also don't like Star Trek - the aliens are too human and the humans are too alien.

And don't get me started on Doctor Who.

[HareBrain]

My world-building, such as it is, is largely focused on the religious, mythical and supernatural elements, because I like to place Big Deep Mysteries at the heart of the story. My world's geography, politics and so on tend to arise from those elements, and I confess I only really do as much work on the secondary ones as necessary to make them seem convincing.

[Hex]

Oh dear, VB. You're scaring me. What do you like?

Um. World building. It sort of happens as I write -- I make stuff up as I go along and only normally enough to add depth to the story (I think). So I don't normally take time out to think up stuff that happened in the world because then I'd want it in the story, even if it wasn't really relevant, and it would annoy and frustrate me not to have it there. I'm no good at maps either.

[Venusian Broon]

One thing that strikes me is that, the last fictional world that really blew me away did not come from a book. Well it sort of came from a book - but not a real one.

It was Bethseda studio's computer game, Oblivion. And in it there is so much backstory, tales, songs, descriptions all from the in-game books, it was a genius way to really build a vibrant and living world. It does make me wonder how current technology and software could be utilised for authors such as ourselves to build a similar sort of type of experience. Probably difficult, unless you want to write your own game, but worth thinking about.

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by Venusian Broon

It hit me when I read Iain Banks last culture book that really Space Opera is, for all intents and purposes and including his work, Fantasy but done with a veneer of SF.

I think a lot of Alistair Reynolds's space opera tries for a harder approach - sub-light speeds, for instance - but as with medieval worlds seemingly unaffected by the magic in them, the idea that going into interstellar trade is a valid career path without FTL drives isn't that credible. (Which is why I try to not think about it too hard and stick to enjoying the stories. )

Originally Posted by Venusian Broon

And don't get me started on Doctor Who.

I tend to look at anything with time travel in it as out-and-out Fantasy. (By 'tend to' I mean 'always'. )

[Venusian Broon]

Oh dear, VB. You're scaring me. What do you like?

Sometimes I even scare myself.

Don't worry, I like my little bit of schlock and frivolous stuff as well - was (and probably still am) quite addicted to Stargate and Lost. X-files good as well, although ultimately let down by trying to tie up the whole series to the whole Maya 2012 and alien invasion thingy...

And will read absolutely anything (apart from Starwars/Star trek/Doctor Who novelisations and spinoffs )

[Hex]

Oh good. I like schlock almost exclusively. Though I just watched Blood Ties which pushed even my toleration for schlock. Haven't seen Lost.

@ springs -- Most people need a little help with totalitarianism. I shall hire myself out. Benevolent dictators are me (or not so benevolent, I can do that too)

[springs]

The thing is, and I am speaking from the point of vested interest, mine's at least half fantasy just in a space settting - it's about the escapism. All my characters and their worlds have been in my mind for years although it's only now it's going down on paper that I'm being forced to consider the ramifications of it all. Plus, now I'm a little older I have some knowledge that feeds in and enriches it; how people lead, how organisations work and are formed. Okay so I needed a little help with totalitarian regimes but I think an awful lot of it comes from our life experiences.

I'm guessing VB that you figured the teleportation in Blake's 7 was a little far fetched. Even I didn't go down that route (although there's always book 2......)

[Venusian Broon]

I'm guessing VB that you figured the teleportation in Blake's 7 was a little far fetched. Even I didn't go down that route (although there's always book 2......)

In Blake's 7's defence, you had to wear a bracelet or something to get transported - which is a great idea, because (and getting back to topic about worldbuilding) it puts a limit on the use of the device, and putting such limits in your worlds really helps to make it believable.

If it was unrestricted then it can become an overwhelmingly powerful device - Star trek and Star gate are a bit guilty of this: 'Oh my god we are about to be covered in this 40 foot wave of lava...' PZAM '...phew! thanks captain for transporting us out of that unwinnable situation' Lazy plotting !

Then you go the next step and say - well instead of having to go down to the planet surface and kill the baddies with space guns, why don't they just sit at the computer and teleport them all into the vacuum of space and kill them that way?

So the author/screenwriters have to invent rules on the fly: 'Ion storm in the atmosphere is interferring with the teleportation', 'They are wearing special shields', 'The teleportation battery is dead'....and before you know it you have a whole list of defects and rules that eventually, as the number of situations where you don't want to teleport people and things increase, start to get contradictory and nonsensical.

Rant over

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by Venusian Broon

So the author/screenwriters have to invent rules on the fly: 'Ion storm in the atmosphere is interferring with the teleportation', 'They are wearing special shields', 'The teleportation battery is dead'....and before you know it you have a whole list of defects and rules that eventually, as the number of situations where you don't want to teleport people and things increase, start to get contradictory and nonsensical

This old buffer can see a pattern forming here....