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    Developing a world

    What is your advice and developing a world? Like, the world of a story? Like, how do I make it more interesting, ect?

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    Stargate spin off series: Stargate Millennium
    https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5580179/StargateMillennium


    #2
    I can only tell you what works for me. I'm a visual person, so I like to see things, jot down notes, sketch out rooms, floor plans, that kind of thing, but I'm also a compulsive list maker and researcher.

    My sketching would make a cat laugh, but the chicken scratch works for me.

    Is your planet more like Abydos? Research desert terrain, creatures, plant life. Is it more like a rain forest? Research that. Volcano planet? Ditto.

    Breathable atmosphere? How many moons? Are colors similar to earth or do they have purple grass?

    Indigenous life forms? Fish, fowl, beast, humanoid or other sentient life form?

    Once I've got my mental visual established, then it's descriptions. Those will vary greatly from character to character, so see what sticks out for you with each. Maybe character A notices the twin moons and the paler lavender grass, while character B is more focused on the elk like animal because he/she hunts.
    Monica Zelenka lover since 2004! RDA fan since 1985! Lorne fan since 2003!
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    Lady Pandora
    Atlantis Series: Retrospective Ruminations Unexpected

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      #3
      I'm not a writer, just a reader but I'll give you my take on this

      What captivates me in a book / story usually is short but detailed description spread out throughout the book. I don't enjoy when lets say I have a whole chapter dedicated to describing something. I'd rather discover it over time, from the perspective of the characters of the story instead of having to swallow it in one go.

      For instance, Philip K Dick uses a lot of trivial/random details or techno babble terms to describe the actions undertaken by the heroes of his short stories. This is mainly what hooked me on his work, it gives credibility and helps me create a mental image of what's going on.

      Without going to the extreme like Tolkien did with his languages and so on, I enjoy having lots of background information and especially the ''history'' of your story (i.e.: in BSG the first Cylon war, etc.). If defined correctly, the past events of a fictional stories can help understand how your character has been shaped to become what he is now.
      Spoiler:
      I don’t want to be human. I want to see gamma rays, I want to hear X-rays, and I want to smell dark matter. Do you see the absurdity of what I am? I can’t even express these things properly, because I have to—I have to conceptualize complex ideas in this stupid, limiting spoken language, but I know I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws, and feel the solar wind of a supernova flowing over me. I’m a machine, and I can know much more.

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        #4
        Originally posted by Chaka-Z0 View Post
        I'm not a writer, just a reader but I'll give you my take on this

        What captivates me in a book / story usually is short but detailed description spread out throughout the book. I don't enjoy when lets say I have a whole chapter dedicated to describing something. I'd rather discover it over time, from the perspective of the characters of the story instead of having to swallow it in one go.

        For instance, Philip K Dick uses a lot of trivial/random details or techno babble terms to describe the actions undertaken by the heroes of his short stories. This is mainly what hooked me on his work, it gives credibility and helps me create a mental image of what's going on.

        Without going to the extreme like Tolkien did with his languages and so on, I enjoy having lots of background information and especially the ''history'' of your story (i.e.: in BSG the first Cylon war, etc.). If defined correctly, the past events of a fictional stories can help understand how your character has been shaped to become what he is now.
        There are 2 main modes of thought in this, the macro, and the micro.
        The micro is basically about what 90% of things like SG-1 are, they develop the area around the gate and the rest of the world is basically meaningless as it will never be engaged in, so you make that small area as rich as you can, or need to. If a story only plays out around a small area, it's perfectly fine.
        The Macro starts with what does the WORLD look like, then it goes into continents, geo-politics (if they exist), then states or regions.
        If you want to develop a WORLD, I would tend to the macro view of building, and even in a micro view, if your intent is to expand, at least know in your head what sits immediately outside your focus.
        I've done this kind of stuff for an RPG before involving 50 odd players for 3 years and it was up to me to make sure the macroverse has internal consistency with 4 other designers working on the microverse.
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        ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
        A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
        The truth isn't the truth

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          #5
          I see. So you're sayign I should focus on the region surrounding the story and simply keep the rest of the world in mind?

          But what makes a world interesting? I mean, when is a world cool/fascinating? And when is it just a bunch of bland evil things filling the screen/pages? I mean, I listened to a thing talking about the world of Avatar and how it's an awsome world because everyone would want to live in that world and how daily mechanics get replaced by bending. Then you look at my world and it's like "Space pirates, eldritch horrors, space monsters, this place is awful!"

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          Stargate spin off series: Stargate Millennium
          https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5580179/StargateMillennium

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            #6
            Originally posted by StargateMillennium View Post
            I see. So you're sayign I should focus on the region surrounding the story and simply keep the rest of the world in mind?
            Well, if you are doing scifi, you do need to know a few extra details besides just the local area simply because a single world is a microcosm of its own as it relates to the rest of your universe. You would need climate details, gravity, etc at least. Having said that, if you tend to prefer the microcosm style, sure you can get away with detailing the smaller area you begin with. Imagine your story takes place within a circle, and surrounding that circle are more circles. Those other circles need -something- initially. I could be a name, or "space pirate hangout" or whatever. What happens outside -those- circles however does not matter for now as they have little to no impact on your primary circle.

            But what makes a world interesting? I mean, when is a world cool/fascinating? And when is it just a bunch of bland evil things filling the screen/pages? I mean, I listened to a thing talking about the world of Avatar and how it's an awsome world because everyone would want to live in that world and how daily mechanics get replaced by bending. Then you look at my world and it's like "Space pirates, eldritch horrors, space monsters, this place is awful!"
            Hey, who wants to live on Dune?
            No bugger, it's desert, you drink your recycled waste water and have to deal with monsterous sand snakes.
            But it has spice.
            sigpic
            ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
            A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
            The truth isn't the truth

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              #7
              "Do you want to rule over a planet?! We will find you one!" That was an old SG meme, but I still love it.

              Chaka is right (as almost always) that if you introduce a new world to the Stargate, then just consider the development level of your planet: Do they use stargate? Do they use spaceships? Then think about it if the world is isolated? Or has any race visited before? Has it got Goa'uld background? Then just tell the story why is this place interesting for the character, maybe for the global game, how your characters would interact with the locals. Do they need any help? Who helps who? The locals will help the visiting team or the team will help the locals? If they help them in anything, then why could they not solve it by themselves?
              "I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it."

              "Never underestimate your audience. They're generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment."

              "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all."

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                #8
                Figure out what's important to the plot and characters and theme and mood (and anything else important in the story). Then work on making it all fit together.
                Price for Pain What do you mean violence isn't the answer?

                Burn It All Away Blood moves the heavens. Fire purifies the land. Legends change worlds. Destiny burns.

                Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Fiat justitia et pereat mundus. Fiat justitia ruat caelum.



                All are PG-13, each with a single act of rated R violence. Adults situations and other, tamer violence.

                Ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris


                I'm creating a fan comic and I want input from as many fans as possible. Please PM me if you want the discord link. You can also chat, show off your own creations, and rp.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by StargateMillennium View Post
                  I see. So you're sayign I should focus on the region surrounding the story and simply keep the rest of the world in mind?

                  But what makes a world interesting? I mean, when is a world cool/fascinating? And when is it just a bunch of bland evil things filling the screen/pages? I mean, I listened to a thing talking about the world of Avatar and how it's an awsome world because everyone would want to live in that world and how daily mechanics get replaced by bending. Then you look at my world and it's like "Space pirates, eldritch horrors, space monsters, this place is awful!"
                  The best example I can give you is the Klingons from Star Trek. Because depending on who you talk to the Klingons are either portrayed as this fascinating race full of depth or character or as a typical star trek race of hats. Meaning, they have one trait. Honour. Now I tend to find the people who see them as bland just see Klingon Warriors with a lust for battle and lots of Shakespearean over acting. No more depth than the Goa'uld (Snake in head = evil) That's understandable cos that is how we often see them, but if you get down to what we've seen in many episodes you start to really see the depth. We see poorer Klingons that aren't in the higher up noble culture who just want to live their lives and see the honour in serving the Empire in what they do, whether that's as a merchant or a farmer or an engineer, who despite their pride are still looked down upon by some more noble families. You have lawyers who see their fight in legal battles and see great honour in it and have a lust for battle in words not weapons. And you have politicians who talk about honour but corruptly ignore it for the sake of simply gaining political capital, even murdering each other simply for the sake of getting ahead despite there being little indication that lower ends of Klingon society would see honour in such things.

                  Basically when you devise a world no matter what your story or whether it's a world united or a world that's fragmented into nations or sects or religions you have to work out how society functions from the ground up. Because everything from politics to technology informs how that society will act and often once you work out how one aspect functions, which can be informed by the story you want to tell, you can start to figure out the rest.
                  Please do me a huge favour and help me be with the love of my life.

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                    #10
                    Good advice P-90.
                    sigpic
                    ALL THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR OF THIS SIG GO TO R.I.G.
                    A lie is just a truth that hasn't gone through conversion therapy yet
                    The truth isn't the truth

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Gatefan1976 View Post
                      Good advice P-90.
                      Yup, agreed.

                      Also if I may add, do not make it super obvious! What I really like in a story is to discover thing for myself, without it being painfully obvious. An example that comes to mind would be in WestWorld... (do not open this if you didn't watch both seasons)

                      Spoiler:
                      When Charlotte becomes a host, you can notice the slight changes in her acting / personality, which I did. Yep I'm that good, you can send cookies by PM, I'll take em.


                      It's a major turn off for me when authors takes their audience for babies and hand-feed them the story

                      "Never underestimate your audience. They're generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment."
                      — Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Stargate SG-1
                      Spoiler:
                      I don’t want to be human. I want to see gamma rays, I want to hear X-rays, and I want to smell dark matter. Do you see the absurdity of what I am? I can’t even express these things properly, because I have to—I have to conceptualize complex ideas in this stupid, limiting spoken language, but I know I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws, and feel the solar wind of a supernova flowing over me. I’m a machine, and I can know much more.

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Chaka-Z0 View Post

                        It's a major turn off for me when authors takes their audience for babies and hand-feed them the story

                        "Never underestimate your audience. They're generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment."
                        — Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Stargate SG-1
                        Thank you!

                        Too many people have told me I have to babysit or hate my audience.

                        Personally, I find it rewarding when the audience figures out mysteries I put in stories.
                        Price for Pain What do you mean violence isn't the answer?

                        Burn It All Away Blood moves the heavens. Fire purifies the land. Legends change worlds. Destiny burns.

                        Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Fiat justitia et pereat mundus. Fiat justitia ruat caelum.



                        All are PG-13, each with a single act of rated R violence. Adults situations and other, tamer violence.

                        Ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris


                        I'm creating a fan comic and I want input from as many fans as possible. Please PM me if you want the discord link. You can also chat, show off your own creations, and rp.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by WraithRichard View Post
                          Thank you!

                          Too many people have told me I have to babysit or hate my audience.

                          Personally, I find it rewarding when the audience figures out mysteries I put in stories.
                          I'd say the hard part about that is that there have been several times when I try to hint at something then there is a 50/50 split of people who understood it and people who completely misunderstood it. Like, thought it meant something completely different.


                          Though, another thing I tend to be wary of is how new things I introduce would affect the dynamics of other groups. Like say there is a space creature that is naturally small and harmless in space but if ever exposed to an atmosphere and nutrients can grow and overwhelm the new habitat. How would this affect space travel? How would this affect things like asteroid mining?

                          sigpic
                          Stargate spin off series: Stargate Millennium
                          https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5580179/StargateMillennium

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by StargateMillennium View Post
                            I'd say the hard part about that is that there have been several times when I try to hint at something then there is a 50/50 split of people who understood it and people who completely misunderstood it. Like, thought it meant something completely different.


                            Though, another thing I tend to be wary of is how new things I introduce would affect the dynamics of other groups. Like say there is a space creature that is naturally small and harmless in space but if ever exposed to an atmosphere and nutrients can grow and overwhelm the new habitat. How would this affect space travel? How would this affect things like asteroid mining?
                            That's where only you can improve on your own writing. A big problem writers have is knowing how much they can reveal because since we know our own plots we always think a clue is too much, because it seems obvious to us. The reader naturally always needs just a little more, to the point where it feels like we're slapping them in the face with it.

                            Not quite sure I get the example but if you want a perfect example of how new and unexpected changes effect a society as a whole then look no further than The Expanse series. There's always going to be debate and conflicts over such things. So for your space creature idea there would be people who would just see them as a potential threat and want them destroyed whenever they were encountered. There'd be those from say like a futuristic offshoot of PETA who think they ought to be protected. Those who want to study them. Those who want varying combinations of all three. And if there ever is a consensus then it is usually after one defining moment that swings public opinion in one direction. Scientists may discover they are far more intelligent then previously thought then conservation is favoured more. Or one might actually make its way to Earth's atmosphere so it becomes a matter of human survival. Opinions can always change.
                            Please do me a huge favour and help me be with the love of my life.

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by StargateMillennium View Post
                              How would this affect space travel? How would this affect things like asteroid mining?
                              Those are great questions to ask. That shows both creativity and a need to understand the world (the real one, even if you're making your own).

                              I love it when people do that.

                              Also, yes, people have misinterpreted my works or didn't understand. I try to take those into consideration (Ill have to see if people understand my plot after I post my stuff).
                              Price for Pain What do you mean violence isn't the answer?

                              Burn It All Away Blood moves the heavens. Fire purifies the land. Legends change worlds. Destiny burns.

                              Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Fiat justitia et pereat mundus. Fiat justitia ruat caelum.



                              All are PG-13, each with a single act of rated R violence. Adults situations and other, tamer violence.

                              Ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris


                              I'm creating a fan comic and I want input from as many fans as possible. Please PM me if you want the discord link. You can also chat, show off your own creations, and rp.

                              Comment

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