World building software

[DAgent]

So it seemed to me for a good while, pretty much every youtuber I watched who made videos about TV and Movies and Books about Sci Fi and Fantasy or History were at some point putting in some sponsored bit about some world building software and tools to let you keep things like plot outlines, character profiles and even world maps together in one spot. Presumably better than any word processor could.

But has anyone ever actually tried one out, and if so, what were the results like?

 

[Harpo]

My worldbuilding software is organic, complex, and is housed inside my skull.

 

[msstice]

I write stuff down in my notes. I like to get immersed in my world and build it up in my head. Part of the fun is keeping all this stuff in memory and living it. I went through a phase where I wanted an orbital simulator to make sure I was getting travel times in the solar system correct, but then I realized I could ball park things and it wouldn't affect the story.

But I'm an amateur, so if you are a professional, it's possible you need professional tools.

 

[ckatt]

I'm not surprised that few here have used such software. I'm my mind it is inherently flawed.
It is something you find marketing for because they are selling a product where there is very little need for it. Essentially they are selling a complex template. But in my own work, I find building the temple is part of the process. So taking someones else's won't fit, and I wouldn't know where to begin.
I think in a few cases, people have first created such software for their own purposes and then try to sell it to make some extra money. I've never seen ads for professional software that I know professional writers use. That is Scrivener, Final Draft, or MS Word.

 

[Thiswriterinme]

I'm a big Scrivener user and you can do much more with it than just using it as a word processor. You can keep all your notes in one, organized spot, upload pictures, and design your own world-building templates. I created an entire novel template with an organized Scrivener binder, so every time I start a new project, all my front matter, manuscript settings, and research. worldbuilding folders are preloaded.

I've created my own templates for scenes, different elements of worldbuilding, and outlining. All I have to do is create a new document with one of those templates in my Scrivener binder and then fill in the details. This allows me to develop countries, characters, magic systems, races, plants, creatures, religions, and anything else I need to world-build in a few easy steps. Then it helps me keep it all organized.

I do a lot of sketching for my projects as well, so I can scan them and upload the pictures into Scrivener so they are right at my fingertips with the rest of my world-building materials.

Scrivener might not be a "world-building" or "story development" software but it has some great features that help keep everything organized and all in one place. It is also nice because if you are writing a series or other projects in that same world setting, you can transfer your world-building materials and notes from one project to another without recreating them all or doing a bunch of copying and pasting - just drag and drop.

If you haven't already, and if you're in the market for a writing program that can help with worldbuilding, outlining, and organization, you might want to give the Scrivener trial a try and work through the tutorial. You'll get a glimpse at all the features and what it can be used for. It even has a corkboard feature that really helps with organization and outlining.

That being said, I have tried some free world-building apps on my phone before. They were adequate but seemed geared toward D&D and other tabletop RPGs. Maybe that works for some writers, but it wasn't the angle I was going for.

 

[sknox]

Scrivener user here as well. I have a Scrivener project for each book, but I also have one called WorldReference. Since all my stories are set in the same alternate Earth, the WorldReference project just gets bigger and bigger. Maybe if I were creating new worlds for every story, some sort of building software might make more sense. Dunno.

I wouldn't recommend any of it for the new writer. A first time author's goal should be to get the damn story written. All the way to done, which means submitted to agents or else self-published. That's necessary experience. Then maybe you could play around with some building software to see if it serves. The waste isn't in the money, it's in the time. After three or four novels, maybe you've the time to waste ... er, invest ... in specialty software.

For me it was Aeon timeline. I really thought it would help. Bought the thing. But after many hours of messing about with it, I gave up. It works for others, but not for me.

One general critique I might levy: all such building software presumes you have a way of building. Sure there are lots of options, but the fundamental approach is built into the software My critique is, I change. The approach--which is to say, what I needed at the time--was one sort of thing on my first novel, another sort on my fourth, and is different yet again now I've undertaken a series. Now, that's not true of all writers. Some are lucky enough to hit on a process that works and they stick with it. But for those of us who lurch and grope our way through dark thickets, we need something that can be different things at different times. Scrivener comes the closest to that, for me.

 

[Thiswriterinme]

I wouldn't recommend any of it for the new writer. A first time author's goal should be to get the damn story written. All the way to done, which means submitted to agents or else self-published. That's necessary experience. Then maybe you could play around with some building software to see if it serves.

I second this. I've known a lot of writers who get very invested in the world-building and outlining and spend years on those without ever writing anything on their draft.

My first few published books were very light on world-building. They totally suck in hindsight, but I got them written and published and I now know my writing process and how to finish a book, so I can experiment with world-building more.

 

[cyprus7]

I know of some discovery writers who develop / explore their emerging worlds by writing short stories "set" in them.