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Creating a World
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ScottyDM
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The second article on world building by Randy Ingermanson. More on why we need it... everyone needs it:
Randy Ingermanson in StoryWorld part 2 wrote:
A House-of-Cards StoryWorld

Last month, I talked about the importance of StoryWorld for writing fiction, and I gave as an example the Harry Potter series. Creating a StoryWorld is extremely important in writing fantasy, science fiction, or historical fiction.

But what if you don't write any of those? What if you just write plain old ordinary fiction?

Well, that's the question, isn't it? Do you want to write plain old ordinary fiction? Or do you want to write extraordinary fiction? Extraordinary fiction happens when you create a StoryWorld so real that your readers believe they've been there.

Over the weekend, I read MR. LUCKY, the latest gritty mystery by magician/author James Swain. I don't read many mysteries (suspense is more down my alley than mystery) but I buy everything James Swain writes.

Why?

Because of the StoryWorld Swain creates.

James Swain writes novels about the gambling world. These aren't just any novels about gambling, though. They're about CHEATERS in the gambling world. Swain's lead character, Tony Valentine, runs a consulting business that catches cheaters. That's a great angle, because everybody loves a good con story.

Swain knows what he's talking about. He's a magician who's spent years studying crossroaders, grifters, and scammers to learn a zillion different ways to cheat at gambling. His insider knowledge helps him create an awesome StoryWorld.

When you read one of Swain's books, you feel like you're wallowing in the muck of Las Vegas (or Atlantic City or whichever sleazo cheezo casino sets the stage for the story). When you finish reading, you want to take a shower, preferably with a firehose. You feel like you've been there -- and survived.

That's part of why we read gritty fiction (for those of us who read it). To vicariously visit a place that we really wouldn't want to go in reality. To imagine doing crazy stuff that would be foolish, frightening, or fatal in reality. To live life at its wallowing worst.

In Robert McKee's famous book on screenwriting, STORY, he makes the rather startling claim that all cliches in writing are due to a failure to do research. McKee argues that when you show your characters eating or shopping or working or goofing off or doing anything else, you'll fall back on cliches -- the dreary average of every novel you've ever read or movie you've ever watched. Unless you've done your research. When you've done your homework, you'll know those surprising details that bring your StoryWorld to life.

If you're Tom Clancy writing PATRIOT GAMES, you'll know, for example, that the folks who sell food at the concession stands inside CIA headquarters are blind. If you're John Grisham writing THE FIRM, you'll know that most lawyers hate research.

And if you're James Swain writing DEAD MAN'S POKER, you'll know that a con man can win a bet on which sugar cube a fly is going to land on just by ... oops! Sorry, I'm not going to give that one away. You'll have to read the book to find out.

See, that's what I like about James Swain's books. I love a good con story. Maybe I have a personality defect, but I like them a lot. Swain's books are full of cons, from simple little sucker bets all the way up to full scale high-tech scams that rip off casinos for millions of dollars.

Many of them are real scams, used by hustlers around the world to separate bucks from marks. Swain didn't make these up. He researched them the hard way -- by talking to hustlers and watching them work.

Some examples will show what I'm talking about.

In DEADMAN'S POKER, a seventy two year old man bets a group of gamblers half a million dollars that he can beat a racehorse in a footrace over 100 yards. How much would you bet against him?

In SUCKER BET, a blackjack dealer is winning big. He's not stacking the deck, not false shuffling, not dealing seconds, and not marking the cards. Would you play at his table?

In LOADED DICE, two women are playing roulette. One of them keeps trying to place her bets after the ball drops, but the dealer won't let her. The other woman is raking in money like there's no tomorrow. Which one would you arrest?

These are simple, ordinary scams, and Swain's books are full of them, with numerous examples in every book. Generally, the storyline hinges on solving some far more complex and outrageously brilliant con -- a ripoff scheme that turns on the little details that only a gambling insider would know. A few examples:

In MR. LUCKY, a gambler goes on a hot streak at the blackjack table and wins EVERY hand he plays. Statistically, that isn't possible, and yet it's happening. He isn't marking the cards or even touching them. He isn't a card counter. He's just changing the number of hands he plays on every round. Is he cheating, or is he just ... lucky?

In DEADMAN'S BLUFF, a blind man is leading a major poker tournament in Las Vegas. He's smashing the competition, and some of the other disgruntled players think he's cheating. Is he or isn't he?

In GRIFT SENSE, a player is taking a casino to the cleaners night after night, and flaunting his success. Which is the exact opposite of what a cheater should be doing. Cheaters want to keep winning, which means not letting the casino know it's losing. Why is this guy different?

Reading James Swain's books, you get the feeling he's been in every casino in Vegas and Atlantic City a zillion times, that he's seen every crummy gambling joint in the country, watched every scam, knows every possible trick. It's an illusion of course, because nobody could know everything, but it feels like Swain does.

Building a realistic StoryWorld isn't just about getting the geography right. It's about getting the language and the mindset right. It's about insider knowledge. It's about those surprising little details that most people wouldn't guess, because they're counterintuitive.

No matter what kind of novel you write, your StoryWorld will be ever so much stronger if you bring insider knowledge to the table. Whether you're making the world safe for muggles ... or saving sleazy casino owners from the greed of those greasy grifters.

Interested in reading some of James Swain's books? Here are a couple of Amazon links. (I give these books an R rating on several counts apiece, so if that's an issue for you, you have been warned.)

GRIFT SENSE (first in the series): http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/blinks/griftsense.php

MR. LUCKY (latest in the series): http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/blinks/mrlucky.php

Have fun!
Same blurb as above applies.

Scotty

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ScottyDM
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Finally, with article 3 we get into how to do world building:
Randy Ingermanson in StoryWorld part 3 wrote:
Treating Your StoryWorld Like a Character

Who's the main character in THE LORD OF THE RINGS? Frodo? Gandalf? Aragorn?

For a long time, I've thought that the answer to that question is "Middle Earth." The StoryWorld itself is the main character, and the War of the Ring is only one chapter in Middle Earth's long story.

In the Harry Potter series, no doubt the main character is the intrepid boy wizard, Harry. But one of the critical characters in the story has to be Hogwarts, with its staircases that move on their own, paintings of people who won't stay still, and that remarkable Room of Requirement that provides you whatever you need.

In RIVER GOD, a historical novel set in 18th century BC Egypt, the narrator Taita tells a tale of love and suspense against a backdrop of change -- the arrival in Egypt of the Hyksos conquerors. Numerous characters cross the stage in the novel, but Taita never misses a chance to praise "this very Egypt," the land he loves. In each of these novels, the StoryWorld itself is a character. Like any good character, the StoryWorld needs to be developed by you, the author. The question is how to do that.

Of course you can leave it to chance, but why should you? Why not be proactive in creating your StoryWorld? What if you pretended that your StoryWorld were just another character? What if you worked through the process of character creation for your StoryWorld? Would that help or hurt?

Let's pretend for a moment that it would help. How would you go about it?

There are many ways of creating characters, but I like the process outlined in James N. Frey's series of how-to books, beginning with HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD NOVEL. Frey didn't invent this process, but he makes an extremely good case for using it.

We've been discussing these ideas lately on my Advanced Fiction Writing Blog. If you missed them, check out the late September entries at: http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/blog
In this process, a character has three important attributes:
* "Physiology"
* "Sociology"
* "Psychology"

"Physiology" for a character is a broad term that covers physical and mental traits, scars, inherited talents, acquired skills, etc.

"Sociology" refers to the environment in which the character is raised, including family relationships, education, politics, religion, and history.

"Psychology" is the way a character responds to his "sociology," given his unique "physiology."

How do these apply to the StoryWorld?

First, a StoryWorld has a "physiology" just as much as any person does.

A person has a particular body, which may be thin or thick, dark or light, soft or hard, blue-eyed or brown-eyed or green-eyed or differently-eyed.

In just the same way, a StoryWorld has its own peculiar geography. What planet does your StoryWorld take place on? Where on the planet? Is the terrain mountainous or flat, dry or soggy, hot or cold? What flora and fauna infest the place? What kind of weather goes on there? What scars on the land have been inflicted by its inhabitants?

No doubt about it, a StoryWorld has a "physiology." The second attribute, "sociology," is a little less obvious. Can a StoryWorld have a "sociology?"

Well, yes, of course it can. All you have to do is ask "Who acts on the StoryWorld?" There are many possible answers. For example:

What gods or goddesses inhabit the land? In ancient Egypt, they are Isis and Osiris and Seth and Horus and Hapi and a score of others. In Middle Earth, the Valar shape the destiny of the planet, while Sauron the Great tries to twist it to his own ends. In Harry Potter, magic is real, an impersonal force waiting to be tapped by those with magical ability. Even our ordinary world is guided by the laws of physics.

What other StoryWorlds live outside the boundaries, competing with your StoryWorld? Ancient Egypt lived side by side with Sumer, with Ethiopia, with India. Hogwarts competes with other schools, such as Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Even if you set your novel in San Francisco, it still lives in an unruly neighborhood with Richmond, Albany, Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, San Leandro, and a dozen others.

What previous StoryWorlds does yours inherit from? Just as people inherit from their parents and grandparents, your StoryWorld inherits from its forebears. Modern Europe inherits from Enlightenment Europe which inherited from Renaissance Europe which inherited from Medieval Europe which inherited from ancient Rome, which inherited from the Greeks and Etruscans, ad infinitum.

So a StoryWorld has a "sociology."

What about the third attribute, "psychology?" Can a StoryWorld have a "psychology?"

That seems like a pretty silly question, because in most cases, your StoryWorld is not actually conscious. You can't have much of a "psychology" without being conscious, now can you?

But pretend for a minute that your StoryWorld IS conscious. You're a novelist, so it's easy for you to pretend that impossible things are possible. If your StoryWorld WERE conscious and could have thoughts and feelings about its "physiology" and "sociology," what would it think and feel?

How would ancient Egypt feel about the humans that lived off the bounty of its Nile and built stone monuments and pyramids? Would it love these strange children of the dust, or hate them? Would it mock them or curse them?

What would Middle Earth think of Sauron's bid to bring it under darkness forever? Would it work against him or for him? Isn't it true that Mount Caradhras kept Gandalf and the fellowship of the Ring from passing? Didn't Barad Dur belch smoke and flames as the Dark Lord's power grew?

If your StoryWorld were conscious, what would it do to help or hinder your characters? It's worth thinking about, even if you think your StoryWorld really can't do anything. Because actually it can. Earthquakes, tornadoes, lightning storms, floods -- your StoryWorld can and does act on your characters. The way you write about your StoryWorld's actions can create a powerful mood for your novel.

One way that many authors get in touch with their characters is by interviewing them or asking them to write a journal. You can do the same with your StoryWorld.

An interview is a series of questions and answers. You ask the questions. Then write out the answers that your StoryWorld would give if it were conscious. Don't be surprised if it fibs now and then. Interviewees do that sometimes.

A journal is the written record of someone's inmost, secret, truthful thoughts and feelings. What would your StoryWorld write in its journal if it thought nobody could ever read its secret thoughts? Write them down and see what you learn!

Do you have to do all this hard work? Can't you just write your novel and leave all this weird stuff to the weirdos?

No, you don't have to work hard. Yes, you can just write. You can and should do whatever it takes to write the best novel you can write.

If you think you'll write a better novel by imagining your StoryWorld as a character, then do so. If not, then don't. It's that simple.
Of course the blurb applies, see above.

That's an interesting way of looking at a storyworld (or as I call it, a storyverse). It gets away from the mechanics of drawing maps and making charts of money exchange rates. It gets to the heart of what makes your world what it is.

I do something like this when I create a species. Some of the questions I ask my species: How many reproductive cycles per year? Are they hidden (as in humans) or out in the open? How does this affect your society? What is the gestation period and how developed are your infants at birth? How long does it take to raise an infant to sexual maturity? How much education do your young need? How much time is there between sexual maturity and emotional maturity (when a person is mature enough to go out in the world and start a family)? If there is a gap in which there are reproductive cycles, how does the society handle them? What sort of prospects might a newly emotionally matured person have (for support as well as a mate)? How do your people select a mate? What sort of rituals do you have? What sort of religion? How do the parents care for their young? Do they share support of a common household? How are the elders treated? Who has and holds the power in society? How is that power transferred to the next generation? What do you do when someone is too old to contribute physically? What about mentally? How do you handle your dead? How do you interact with other species around you--both intelligent and animalistic?

As I start to come up with answers I find problems and contradictions. I work these out the best I can. Usually I concentrate on those aspects that will be used in the story and skim or ignore stuff I think I probably won't use. Creating a species for a short story is a lot less work than creating one for a novel because I need less detail in a short.

After all this it's tempting to reuse species. Wink


I wonder if Randy will continue this subject for November?

Scotty

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DragonWolf_keny
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No matter really how much complex effort you really put into creating your world, really its entirely up to you as to how it will develop.

One thing I rarely see the professionals cover when teaching the subject, is the creativity of an open mind.

If you cannot open yourself to new ideas, then you can study till your blue in the face and never learn creativity. Only you and you alone can set limits on your imagination.

My favorite example of this is in the fantasy genre. It is popular to have these innovations in magical technology, but it is simply taboo to also have conventional technology follow suit.

I simply cannot understand why it is ok to invent a magical device, but not to invent a gun, a steam engine, or perhaps a pulley system alongside it.

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Nameless
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 1:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

DragonWolf_keny wrote:
My favorite example of this is in the fantasy genre. It is popular to have these innovations in magical technology, but it is simply taboo to also have conventional technology follow suit.

I simply cannot understand why it is ok to invent a magical device, but not to invent a gun, a steam engine, or perhaps a pulley system alongside it.

Not every fantasy writer does things this way, but I agree that there is a strong tendency to ignore technology completely if you have magic. Some of that is of course just a writer's tool to make their world seem different from the mundane one.

Whether not having technology makes sense depends very much on how common and easy it is to perform magic. If just about everybody can learn to throw around fireballs with a month of study, then there will not be much demand for developing a gun. On the other hand, if it takes years of study to learn to throw that fireball, then guns make much more sense.

As a real-world example, early guns were MUCH inferior to a Longbow. Their biggest advantage was that it was much easier to learn so that a month or two of training could turn a conscript peasant into a useful (if not very good) soldier. On the other hand, it takes years of practice to get good enough with that bow to be of much use on the battlefield. To use the old saying, to get a good Archer, you start by training his grandfather.

Similar with other things. If there are plenty of mages around who work the docks and lift heavy loads with magic, then who needs a crane. A crane would be like a peg-leg, something only useful for a few disadvantaged. If mages are rare or above doing such mundane work, then such things would/should be developed eventually.

Of course there is another factor, and that is luddism. If the machine-smashers do it by throwing around fireballs, they are going to be quite a bit more effective than in the real world, particularly if the Mages Guild also has the ear of the King.

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DragonWolf_keny
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nameless wrote:

Not every fantasy writer does things this way, but I agree that there is a strong tendency to ignore technology completely if you have magic. Some of that is of course just a writer's tool to make their world seem different from the mundane one.

Whether not having technology makes sense depends very much on how common and easy it is to perform magic. If just about everybody can learn to throw around fireballs with a month of study, then there will not be much demand for developing a gun. On the other hand, if it takes years of study to learn to throw that fireball, then guns make much more sense.

As a real-world example, early guns were MUCH inferior to a Longbow. Their biggest advantage was that it was much easier to learn so that a month or two of training could turn a conscript peasant into a useful (if not very good) soldier. On the other hand, it takes years of practice to get good enough with that bow to be of much use on the battlefield. To use the old saying, to get a good Archer, you start by training his grandfather.

Similar with other things. If there are plenty of mages around who work the docks and lift heavy loads with magic, then who needs a crane. A crane would be like a peg-leg, something only useful for a few disadvantaged. If mages are rare or above doing such mundane work, then such things would/should be developed eventually.

Of course there is another factor, and that is luddism. If the machine-smashers do it by throwing around fireballs, they are going to be quite a bit more effective than in the real world, particularly if the Mages Guild also has the ear of the King.


While I do agree with you that it would be easier to just say magic would just replace the machine. That doesn't mean that a renaissance society would remain primative.

it might actually have the opposite affect, it might just mean that the two might effect each other. If they use magic wouldn't it also be easier to use a combination of the two so anyone can use it.

the wizard wouldn't have waste time moving things for the peasants, they just show them how to use a magic machine to do it for them.

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Nameless
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I didn't say that they would remain primitive. There is also a big difference between "casting spells" or "enchanting items".

If enchanted items that can be used by anybody are (relatively) cheap to make, then they could easily supplant technology. If you have a Golem that operates your machinery (like a primitive water pump) tirelessly 24/7, then there is not much need to develop a steam engine to do the same job. Assumint the Golem isn't too expensive to make. If that Golem takes a Master Wizard to make and costs the RL equipvalent of several million $, then somebody will eventually look at cheaper alternatives, like a steam engine. And if a cheap magical trinklet that heats up water is availiable, then so much the better.

I think it would be logical for magic and technology to eventually be combined.

One other aspect are the gods, though. Most fantasy worlds have active gods. If the God of Magic is interested in all kinds of knowledge, then science and technology is much more likely to develop for example than if that god was very much against doing things that can be done with magic in any other way. In that case a rival God may of course encourage people to find alternatives...

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DragonWolf_keny
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nameless wrote:
I didn't say that they would remain primitive. There is also a big difference between "casting spells" or "enchanting items".


This is true to a degree, enchantment is different however it still is a form of magic.

While I get where your coming from with these rules, enchantments vs spell, if I miss my spell roll then blah blah happens. But please understand where I'm coming from, the writers are not playing dungeons and dragons. Rules for magic in one universe work entirely different for another.

You do have a point about the gods however, I agree that if one thing happens then logically an opposite reaction should occur. But only the particular writer can decide what works and doesn't.

One thing to also take into account in this idea is availability of that magic. If one assumes that the society is still using horses than most likely it takes a long time for news as well as technology to spread.

So naturally one person can invent a magic solution and another a technical one at the same time. Both would be used as they both might be more convenient to one given location and not the other.

Anyway back to subject in the end do what you want to do, its your story.

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Sigurd Volsung
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

First point. One piece of correction. Margret Weiss and Tracy Hickman created the worlds of the Death Gate Cycle (very good books go out and read them, shows a logical difference between enchantment and a spell), not the world of Dragon Lance. They wrote in the Dragon Lance world for TSR who had already created the world. They weren't the only people that wrote for TSR in their many settings, they're just the most famous. Other people write for the settings of other games too, I have also seen War Hammer and World of Warcraft novels.

Next point I have found that having my main characters backgrounds helped greatly in creating the world. If a character is special in some way then you can go backwards and create the world so it makes sense. I also find it helps to have some one to bounce ideas off of. In my case it's my wife and we have decided to collaborate to turn what had originally been a novel into a graphic novel. She wanted to do comics but can't write I on the other paw got stuck and found that she was a good person to use as a foil, so we are creating the world together, the character's are mine but I need her to help with the plot.

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DragonWolf_keny
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

plot is also good for the same way in hero building too. in most casses the world shapes how the hero lives. the hero can often shape the world just as the world shapes them.

Bumpers Very Happy

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