Worldbuilding Process – Page 2 – The Fire Thieves Studio

The Making of a New World: Arranging the Puzzle

16Nov

By CharlesNo Comments

Environment, Original Worlds, Species/Race, Unnamed Fantasy Setting, Worldbuilding Process

The Making of a New World: Arranging the Puzzle

Last week I began development of an original fantasy world. We discussed the genre and subgenre, the general aesthetic, and the tone of the world, and gave it the temporary code-name FERGUS. This week, it's time to discuss filling out the world with some detail, and determining how to bring a collection of disparate ideas into alignment. The goal is to arrange all these bits and then fill in the gaps, until we have a complete, intricate, and even elegant world. By bits I mean things like races I want to see, monsters that would be cool, settings and locations, plot devices, cultural elements... just anything I might want to put into a story set on this world. And yes, I'm going to stick with this metaphor of putting together a puzzle. 1: Dump Out the Box This part is ...

The Making of a New World: Genre, Aesthetic, & Tone

9Nov

By CharlesNo Comments

Original Worlds, Storytelling, Unnamed Fantasy Setting, Worldbuilding Process, Worldbuilding Topic

The Making of a New World: Genre, Aesthetic, & Tone

Picture a blank piece of paper in front of you; the first page of a thick pad. There is a sharp pencil in your hand with a pristine eraser. These are the first tools of worldbuilding. Thus far I've discussed many techniques and strategies for developing a unique and original world, including what kinds of details are needed to help devise cultures, non-human races, religions, climate, map-making, and other aspects. So now it's time to actually go ahead and put these practices into action. Hopefully I'll be able to get some input from you, my readers, as well, though as the blog is still new I might have to reach out on facebook to get that feedback. So where do we begin? Oftentimes, you may begin with the idea you want to work with andbuild out from that concept, rather th...

How to Make a Monster Part 5: Divine Enforcers

19Oct

By CharlesNo Comments

Monsters, Storytelling, Worldbuilding Process, Worldbuilding Topic

How to Make a Monster Part 5: Divine Enforcers

The foruth and final monstrous archetype is the Divine Enforcer. They are the punishers of transgressions and the keepers of sacred and forbidden places. Sometimes they are the twisted results of previous transgressors, ones the gods have already punished through a monstrous transformation, or they the creation, even the children of those who have transgressed. More than any of the other monster archetypes, Divine Enforcers are often tragic figures. Divine Enforcer Examples: Godzilla, Sekhmet, Bloody Mary, Medusa, Asterion (The Minotaur), Frankenstein's Monster, The Krampus, The Mummy, Lucifer Common Features OriginPunished: A human or being who was perfect/unblemished and was transformed into a monster. Created: Made in a lab or through magical experimentation,...

How to Make a Monster Part 4: Corrupted Humanity

12Oct

By CharlesNo Comments

Storytelling, Worldbuilding Process, Worldbuilding Topic

How to Make a Monster Part 4: Corrupted Humanity

The third Monster Archetype on the list is Corrupted Humanity. These represent the fear of our own internal desires, the fear of betrayal, the fear of good turning to evil, or evil impulses being unleashed by some corrupting influence. The evil is often a combinatio of something from without, and something from within. As one would expect from the name, corrupted humanity is most often something that starts as human, and was changed by that outside influence. The key elements are going to lie in determining the nature of that influence, and what exactly is unleashed, as well as how the human body is then transformed into the monster. Corrupted Humanity Examples: Vampire, Werewolf, Wendigo, Doppelganger, Mr. Hyde, Zombies, Eugene Tooms, Ghosts, The Possessed Dog Soldiers, one ...

How to Make a Monster Part 3: Twisted Reflections

5Oct

By CharlesNo Comments

Monsters, Worldbuilding Process, Worldbuilding Topic

How to Make a Monster Part 3: Twisted Reflections

This week we discuss the second Monstrous Archetype: the Twisted Reflection. As I talked about in Part 1, the Twisted Reflection represents a familiar evil, a sin committed by ones own society such as pollution or fascism, amped up to an extreme degree and thrown back at us. This very often takes the form of an alien invader or intruder, because the purpose of such a monster is to teach a moral lesson... to place us as the victims of our own societies mistakes. I think for this reason it appeals to science fiction more than fantasy, because it is helped by a certain amount of feasibility. It is easier to believe in aliens intruding upon our real lives than in centaurs showing up at our local tavern. Twisted Reflection Examples: The Martians from War of the Worlds, The Visitors ...

How to Make a Monster Part 2: The Primal Predator

28Sep

By CharlesNo Comments

Monsters, Species/Race, Worldbuilding Exercise, Worldbuilding Process, Worldbuilding Topic

How to Make a Monster Part 2: The Primal Predator

Last week I talked about the 4 Monster Archetypes I am using the Primal Predator, the Twisted Reflections, the Corrupted Humanity, and the Divine Enforcers. This week I want to break down the Primal predator and see if we can build some of our own. Primal Predator Examples: Xenomorph, Jason Vorhees, Jaws, Demogorgon, Graboids Common features: Physically Superior either by natural ability, supernatural benefit, or mastery of it's environment (an environment where we are disadvantaged.)Natural Advantages: Hypermetabolism, Great Strength, Natural Carapace (usually bulletproof of course), Dense Bones, Acidic Blood/Spit, Regeneration, Thermal Vision, Claws and Teeth, Voice Mimicry, Heightened Senses, Tentacles, Venom, Quills, SymbiosisSupernatural Powers: Immortal, Undead, Py...

How to Begin an Invented Civilization, and How Far to Detail it.

14Sep

By CharlesNo Comments

Culture, Storytelling, Worldbuilding Process

How to Begin an Invented Civilization, and How Far to Detail it.

One of the hardest parts of building a culture from scratch is grasping the scope of the world. How much is necessary? How much serves the story and how much is just wasting time? (I don't think it's ever wasting time to fill out the details, but that's just me.) So to that end, I want to look at three categories based on their level of importance to understanding a culture you've invented. These are the places to start, what details a closer look might reveal, and then the little intimate details that can really breathe life into your portrayal of an original setting. 1: The Foundation Stones These are the things that I think a culture really NEEDS. Without any one of these things, you cannot really grasp the rest. They should be the foundation upon which the rest of you...

Start with the Story or Start with the World

3Aug

By CharlesNo Comments

Worldbuilding Process

Start with the Story or Start with the World

Top-down vs bottom-up world development. As I look at some of the other worldbuilding advice givers out there, I see several of them talking about the problem of putting too much into a world. Putting extra work in, creating ideas that you're never going to use, and I realize that I don't see things the same way. Yes, they have very good points, and I see the logic in what they're saying. You certainly don't want to take on so much worldbuilding work that you become overwhelmed. So I have realized that there is a distinct difference between beginning with a story, then defining the world around it, and designing a world as a location for telling stories. My inclination is in top-down world design for a number of reasons, but I've done bottom-up as well, and I wanted to discuss s...

How to Make an Immersive Scene for your Audience

28Jul

By CharlesNo Comments

Storytelling, Worldbuilding Process

How to Make an Immersive Scene for your Audience

The Goal: Setting a scene in such a way that the reader or player feels present in the story. The world of plagues and racism fades away and they brought into the world of the story. A different world, with fake plagues and imaginary racism. There are a number of ways to accomplish this much sought-after effect, but the first and most important thing to know is how much you actually need to do. How much is not enough, and how much is too much? Keep in Mind The audience will meet you halfway. People are generally hugely imaginative. Any given member of audience is likely already a fan of genre fiction, so they already possess a lot of the concepts and images in their mind. You don't need to invent the adventuring tavern, or reimagine what a castle is supposed to look like...