More World Building

First, I'd like to say that I'm doing something cool I've never done before. I'm actually playing and a game for review purposes that hasn't come out yet! Obviously I can't tell you what game it is or what I think of it, but man... it's pretty cool. 

Anyway, let's talk about more world building, shall we? I think it's fair to say that good number of writers enjoy world building. It's a chance to be creative without any restraints. For instance, I'm reading The Color of Magic right now and their world... well... it's a disc being held up by four elephants all standing on the back of a giant turtle swimming through space. And you know what? That works. The logic is consistent if a little weird, but it works.

And I think that's the most important part. The Discworld books aren't meant to be overly serious. They're certainly not Lord of the Rings. Their logic and humor works for them, but wouldn't necessarily work in another fictional world.  And I think that's the key: your logic has to work for your story. Your humor, your rules, your gods, your world, it all has to fit right for your story. 

What does that mean? It means there needs to be consistent logic. Things need to work in a predictable manner, even if that manner is bizarre. Some writers take this opportunity to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks, but I think you need show some restraint and caution here. Rewrites are a long, tedious process, and if your world is bizarre and strange, your edits are going to take forever to make sure your internal logic is consistent. Hand waving is sign of a lazy author, so I believe if you take your time in the planning stages, you'll save yourself a headache in the rewrites.

Does this mean your world can't have floating islands? Of course not! Just make sure that you know why they float and why other chunks of land don't. Can your magic wielders draw their power from sugary sweet drinks? Yeah, why not? Just make sure you know why those magic Kool-Aid pouches don't give others magic, too. 

Try to avoid the allure of creating something just because it's cool. Make sure you understand the words and topics you want to include in your story before you start writing them. If people already have a concept in their heads about a certain topic or idea, you're going to have to give them a good reason to change it.

​Be Excellent to Each Other