RS, Author, Novelist on Nostr: #WritersCoffeeClub Ch 14 Nbr 30 — How much world-building do you do before starting ...
#WritersCoffeeClub Ch 14 Nbr 30 — How much world-building do you do before starting your first draft (if any)? [Yeah, 19 days late posting...]
If it is a sequel, or in a world that I've written in before, the accumulation of history and magic systems could be worth years of effort.
["RS, that doesn't count!"
"Oh! Okay."]
In reality, I often start with very little worldbuilding. I may spend some time thinking through what the MC is like and expanding things in their agenda. I always start with an ENDING in mind. It isn't until I am writing that I start thinking, oh I need this, which means this must be like that, and oh yeah, if she is bashful about that it means this is the social custom, etc.
Reluctant Moon is like that, though it's a part of a series based on previous work. In a later work on the time line, I knew there were nine outer worlds since the nation at that time is named Home and the Nine Outer Worlds. In that story, the MC experiences a dream sequence based on the 200th anniversary of the discovery of a greater universe by intrepid Crystalmariners (spoilers to explain). I thought, Oh, I wonder if one of the outer worlds is the Moon? I've only identified two outer worlds in my stories, which means I have seven more to discover!
So, with an ending in mind, I started writing not even knowing the names of the two MC characters! I'm 16,200 words in as of this writing. The MCs are Thorn Rose and Streak Carryaton, both named by discovered story requirements. Streak was named Deer Tracks until I got to the second chapter and realized the day angel could fly very well [RS says cryptically]. Since then, I've created the moon habitat, the crystalscaphe they go to the moon in, a good idea of the religious backgrounds of the people on the moon, how low gravity has changed them over three millennia, and a lot more about how reluctance works, including standardized vernacular to explain how it works. I will change other unpublished stories to stay in sync. I've also ended up fleshing out my main series antagonist, who makes an appearance in the story and in flashbacks. I even invented a way to write dialog that makes it clear some of the words or phrases aren't translated between to languages, but instead are best guesses.
I could almost start writing a story with all that worldbuilding!
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