How do you develop ideas when worldbuilding?

[Tallyfire]

This is somewhat specific to worldbuilding, because what I'm meaning is not about developing plot or characters, but about developing the place where all of that takes place, obviously most relevant to sci-fi and fantasy settings.

I've realised I mostly do worldbuilding to develop my setting (a space station, for example) by living in it. I have to write a scene or a recollection and then all the details that are relevant to that just rise to the surface, and the world in that scene becomes a more rich and detailed place. Afterwards, I extract those parts that are interesting and note them down. The actual scene may serve no purpose later other than, "oh, I figured out what that planet is like."

This routine seems somewhat superfluous since I spend a lot of time writing for few ideas. I do figure out some details about the setting before writing scenes, but those parts tend to be quite dry and often don't apply themselves well to actual characters or plot points. It's like, outside of the scene, the instincts for what fits and what's believable/realistic/interesting just aren't there.

So how do you do worldbuilding? Do you use a guide? Do you just write and build your universe as you go? Does it appear in your head, fully formed?

 

[Madman Starryteller]

Living inside your setting sounds like a good way to make it come alive, nice idea.

So how do you do worldbuilding? Do you use a guide? Do you just write and build your universe as you go? Does it appear in your head, fully formed?

I mostly just write and form the universe around the plot/characters as I go. For example, when I started my story I had no interest in architecture, but in later years I developed a fancy for classical art and architecture, and so I've incorporated that into my main story and my universe. It takes a lot of rewriting sometimes, doing it this way, but I don't mind it that much. And now I think I have settled on all the things I want in my world, somewhat.

It doesn't appear in my head fully, only rough coloured sketches of places and items. And characters faces are always completely blurry for me. I never see my characters' faces.

I don't use any guides, but maybe I should.

 

[Tallyfire]

Living inside your setting sounds like a good way to make it come alive, nice idea.

It's starting to annoy me now. I'm looking for better methods!

For example, when I started my story I had no interest in architecture, but in later years I developed a fancy for classical art and architecture, and so I've incorporated that into my main story and my universe.

That's an interesting way to go about it. I also don't mind rewriting. Maybe that's an option to try. I do also see my world as a slowly evolving entity... it's not all going to be there in the beginning.

 

[Banespawn]

It might help to break down the worldbuilding into smaller bits. Politics, religion, social structures, cultural traditions, Geography, weather, etc.

Create a document and brainstorm ideas on each of these topics, and any others you can think of.

 

[Richach]

I usually write an uncomplicated main story because the arc of the story can only do so much. This does go hand in hand with character development imo. I then add layers for different purpose. Important to add that more layers can add complexity which can be both a good and bad thing. Examples: Physical environment e.g mountain. Sensory environment e.g rain fall, bird song. Just keep adding layers to build something out makes things very dynamic very quickly but you have to judge whats right for the scene. You can also thin things out if they get to heavy; the beauty of this method is that you can tweak a layer without affecting any other layer or the whole story. If you lump everything together as a great monolithic block then its not so easy to see what is working or not, very hard to edit because it is hard to see what to change if its just a big block.

I always see Harry Potter as a great story idea that the author embellished with clever sparkly ideas after she had worked out the plot. Rather than thinking of how did she ever think of this or that? I doubt she constructed the story in a linear fashion. Just my opinion.

 

[Tallyfire]

Just keep adding layers to build something out makes things very dynamic very quickly but you have to judge whats right for the scene. You can also thin things out if they get to heavy; the beauty of this method is that you can tweak a layer without affecting any other layer or the whole story.

Thanks for your response. That's another interesting way to look at it. That's kind of how I'm going about it in a story I'm writing now. I'm "discovering" more layers as it develops, even though at heart it's a fairly simple story. It will probably be difficult to cut it all down at the end, depending on how well I can see which of the layers are actually important.

 

[Naomasa298]

These days, I *only* develop the bits that are important to the story. Sometimes, those bits are important to give the world colour and feel lived-in, not important to the plot. And usually, I'll just come up with a vague idea, throw in enough relevant details to make sense at the time, and sort out the actual details later, if necessary. Like, if I need an evil church, I'll make up a name, like maybe "The Bearers of the Cross" and worry about what they actually believe afterwards.

I can definitely say that nobody expects them though.

 

[JT Woody]

Normally, my world building starts from a visual.
For example, one of my WIPs, the setting is inspired by thenpictures of the green cliffs in Ireland.

Another WIP is inspired by pictures of the Sahara Desert.

Those sound really broad, i k ow, but those were all starting points. It made me want to know more, so i actively searched for pictures of similar places and vibes. I have a whole folder of just pictures. And from there, it evolved.
I dont really take notes on my worlds. Once i have basically a photo album, i just write.

Sometimes ill jot down notes for things about my world to look up later or that i have questions about. I remember in the old forum, i had a question about soil erosion lol, and a member who was a Seismologist helped!

 

[Homer Potvin]

I don't think I actually build worlds. They just kind of happen. I'll explore the bits and pieces as they come up, but can't say that I every worried about politics or religions or maps and shit before I start writing. I feel like I'd have a tendency to force something in there--like religion--if I prefabbed it. Or over emphasize it too much. I'll dissect the a world-building-ish idea down to its last atom if it becomes important, but usually not before.

 

[Stuart Dren]

As for method, there will be a twist that suits the desired tone or themes, then it spirals out from there. Changes to basic commodities (food, fuel, etc...) are rewarding because they unfold to make a world feel acutely different. That said, it's tiresome if Energy Crystals Solve All Our Problems. In fact, the more convenient the world is, the fewer chances it has to be interesting. That also said, I'm not above the world having antibiotics or birth control strictly for the purpose of helping suspend reader disbelief. I don't really know what my point is.

It's not my favourite pastime. I don't think I'll ever be able to appeal to an audience wanting fantastical escapism like LotR, because that requires a vast, rich setting that's developed far beyond the story while my trappings tend to be little more than painted backdrops and animatronic heads. Elvish script and magical runes will be up to the reader's imagination. A sword is a sword and it looks like a sword. A rabbit might be four feet tall but it's still called a rabbit.

 

[C.L Castle]

I follow Holly Lisle's advice to only build what's needed for whatever part of the story, otherwise it gets out of hand pretty quickly.

When worldbuilding it's easiest to base it on something real, and just exaggerate certain qualities of the place. This works well for contemporary stories, when you just pick a real town at random, maybe "tour" it through Google Maps, and then use that with different names for places. (That's my cheat for quick worldbuilding hehe).

You can do this in a way for sci-fi and fantasy too. I once had the idea of loosely basing a character's appearance on a worm. Pale white, curving at the spine, sort of slow. That idea gave rise to their dwelling, which is an underground city. It just requires some "backward thinking".

Getting sidetracked here, sorry about that.

I usually work out what setting I want to use before I write the chapter or scenes, because you can use the setting to add atmosphere or conflict. Being on the run from pursuers will be very different if you're on the open road versus trapped in a magical forest for example. Or your character might have a fear of libraries, which is why you should put him in one.

 

[defaux]

I'm not sure how useful my thoughts will be, since I don't really do world building as such. My stories are generally character focused, so while it is important to provide a sense of place, I do so through what the character perceives - and not just what they might see, hear, smell, etc. but what they notice. Different characters will pick up on different details based on their life experiences, so viewing the world through their perspectives helps to build out a picture of them as well as the setting they inhabit.

As far as the setting itself, I concur with Naomasa, and only mention things that are important to the plot, or to the character/s. An occasional grounding detail or observation to set the mood. I think the most important thing is to maintain consistency. Once you introduce an element of your environment, you can call back to it later, just ensure it doesn't change or conflict with other new details unless there's a good reason. Inconsistent details will pull a reader out of immersion more than lack of detail.

 

[Naomasa298]

People should remember that Tolkien did not start with a fully formed Middle Earth. He developed it as he went along, and where necessary, wrote back to modify details. Compre LotR with The Hobbit, and you can see it clearly. So what you see when you read LotR is the finished product, not what Tolkien started off with, or what he was working with when he wrote it.