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| I'm starting to like these images |
A member of my writer’s guild pointed out that while my steps are good, they become rather convoluted. I agree however the nature of the process of world building can be equally as convoluted as my description of the step. It all boils down to what is comfortable for YOU.
That aside, I wish to use this post to outline the current
process of world building for my current project, without hopefully giving too much away.
Tip:
Always be prepared to have a note book for each project and even dedicated
folders. Staying organise is essential.
As I described before, my initial premise for this Brain
child (what I refer to my projects) is based on my interest in religion and
themes I associate with it. My first step was consolidating the themes I wished
to explore and consider. This is what I came up with:
·
Duality:
§
Order and chaos
§
Freedom and control (domination)
·
Fate and destiny
·
Rebellion against natural law
·
Organised religion and faith
·
Authority
·
Truth
·
The hero’s Path
·
Family and unity
·
Memories, history and legacy.
This is quite a handful but not impossible. For the next step I thought of the plot
progression. This is where having a note book or a place to keep information
together is useful. For me I prefer a digital format (an extensive PowerPoint) because I
can access it from almost any digital device.
For the plot I plotted (zing) a sort of linear map of
progression which I then separated into 4 parts. These became the 4 arcs of my
book. The following arcs were giving
titles for what happens in each part. They are as follows: succession; paradise
lost; vanished veil and Remnant/God slayer (the last is a working title).
Once I came up with both these and my premises I started
designing the world. At this point I
decided that I wanted to set the story in our world. For this the long road
called research began for me. I started collecting all the things I already
knew (from book, film, TV and games) and
going to friends, family and acquaintances for the things I was not clear on as
well as advice on how to approach my particular themes. I researched subject
specific terms that I may need to note down, as well as their meanings and the way I
may have to redefine them for the purpose of my story. Then I decided to start
researching the occult, which is a far broader topic than I first imagined. So
much so that I’m still going through it - hard work to say the least. In the midst
of research I started designing other aspects of the world. Earth was already
set up so I had to build around it. Because the story includes creatures of
angelic and demonic nature I must by default make corresponding worlds for
them: Heaven and Hell. Taking various depictions of both from my research, both ended up a mishmash of different things that are layered and are as
complex as earth is. Both worlds feature
governing bodies/regency, a myriad of different cultures and social divides and their own individual histories. To
throw a spanner in the works I decided to create two more realms but they are not
as important to the story, they just give me more settings to work with.
My next step was defining some of the principle creatures
that inhabited the fictional realms: Angels, demons, Nephilium, cambion, and
human. Much like the worlds these were formulated form various sources. The
Urukai –the god race- are a fictional race that I created for this story. As
you may be able to infer they have a large role in the story, so much so that my
protagonist is one of them. But if I was to talk about them more than this I
would give away too much.
At this point I have a lot of content. So I needed to start
organising it, so I systematically started grouping things my PowerPoint:
·
Themes
·
Premise
·
section 1:
RACES and their abilities
·
Section 2:
REALMS
·
Section 3:
3.1 Large concepts
3.2 Other terms
3.3 Factions and sects
·
Section 4:
Character Bios
·
Section 5:story arcs
·
Section 6: Miscellaneous
The organization wasn’t just for
my benefit but for the others that aid me in this project; they have been a
big part of my progression to say the least.
The next part of my process was
designing the characters around the plot. I will talk about character designing
in a later post, so don’t worry I will get there. I am cutting that bit out so this post
is not too long (I’m sure I could
talk for days). Characters are not just part of the world they are used as plot
points and devices that shape the narrative; at least that's my personal philosophy. They carry their own weight and can
develop if you so choose. Characters don’t have to be archetypal or realistic,
they can be as absurd or complex as you like as long as you mould them for a
purpose. No character is truly insignificant, they have a role to play even if they are
there for only a moment.
Now last up, as I have progressed
and learned more (at uni) I have added, changed and noted things. Some of these
things get considered and added to section 6. As of yet I do not know how I'm
going to use these things but the time will come.
At the moment I have started
writing the opening chapters as well as several of the confrontations. But these
parts are still fluid and subject to change. It’s a long road still and it won’t
be done for a while longer. Of course, I'm still having fun with it all.
I guess that wraps up a stupidly
long post (the very first of many. Im so sorry. I will not try to ramble and
stay focused.)
Please give the blog a +1, and
share. My effort won’t get realized without it. I want lots of people to enjoy writing
just like I have, so any amount or sharing will be good. Gods I sound like a
youtuber.
Please comment, ask questions and suggest topics. I want keep this blog going as long as I can.
In the next post shall be: world building 2: construction from the ground up
As always link to my pintrest : https://www.pinterest.com/lancelotnspence/
and to my writing group: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fields-of-thought-micro-community-publishing/1489007134689771
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