Making a Fantasy world...
- Thread starter TheApprentice
- Start date
Here's is a map I made using Appleworks, which I don't think is supposed to be as good as paint:
http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/11114-the-map-for-the-hidden-stars.html
I don't think that the program matters so much as how long you are willing to spend messing around with it until you figure out the best way to utilize it that works for you. I can't draw a straight line. How fortunate it is that the contours of land masses have such squiggly lines.
http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/11114-the-map-for-the-hidden-stars.html
I don't think that the program matters so much as how long you are willing to spend messing around with it until you figure out the best way to utilize it that works for you. I can't draw a straight line. How fortunate it is that the contours of land masses have such squiggly lines.
Culhwch
Lost Boy
That's a pretty nice map, especially if Appleworks is the lesser program! I did a series of maps for a couple of my worlds in old versions of Paint Shop Pro, and it is as you say, the result hinges largely on how much time you devote to figuring out what works best. Of course back then I was unemployed, and had plenty of time to devote to such things.
Time is a big factor with any program, I think, unless it's one created especially for mapping. Drawing dozens of separate little mountains and arranging them into tasteful mountains ranges, for instance, is very time consuming.
You struggle with the program until you discover what it can do ... and then you do a lot of that.
You struggle with the program until you discover what it can do ... and then you do a lot of that.
Culhwch
Lost Boy
Yeah, when I do do it these days, it's with pen and paper...
If you want to draw maps on-screen and have a little extra cash to throw about, might be worth thinking about a graphics tablet. I've used an A4 Intuos from Wacom for the last several years and wouldn't be without it. Not just for drawing -- I use it instead of a mouse, and it stopped the horrible crampy tension I was getting in my wrist from lots of repetitive clicking.
Brett Howell
Resident Sociopath
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2008
- Messages
- 34
As far as creating a fantasy world - there's one thing I use EVERY time. It's an article by Patricia Wrede called Fantasy World Building Questions - you can find it here: Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions
Not every question will relate to your story, but it should give you a firm grasp of your world and even give you some story ideas that you'd not even thought of.
As far as the story goes.... I would try to stay away from the cliche (farm boy knows nothing of his secret destiny to save the world with a magical weapon) - even if you use something cliche, try to give it enough of a twist to make it unique.
Not every question will relate to your story, but it should give you a firm grasp of your world and even give you some story ideas that you'd not even thought of.
As far as the story goes.... I would try to stay away from the cliche (farm boy knows nothing of his secret destiny to save the world with a magical weapon) - even if you use something cliche, try to give it enough of a twist to make it unique.
stygianelectro
Anomalistic Excogitate
That is beautiful.
stygianelectro
Anomalistic Excogitate
I just had two big revelations this evening:
One:I am an extremely cold and isolated person.
Two:The human race will never achieve perfection.
One:I am an extremely cold and isolated person.
Two:The human race will never achieve perfection.
I'll say what has been said to others, creating a fantasy world for another purpose. The other purpose in question was creating a world for D&D characters to play in, by the way.
The problem is that if you decide to create a detailed world at the outset, the job will never get done. And, almost inevitably, if you do that most of the work will have to be redone anyway, as what you've already done turns out not to fit the evolving story.
So if I was doing this? Start small. Create the landscape and backstory with which the characters you have at the start actually interact. This does not mean, of course, that you can't have an overarching idea that all this has to fit into - but create the details as you need them.
If, of course, you are a reincarnation of Tolkein - then ignore this. However, and no offense meant, that is rather unlikely.
The problem is that if you decide to create a detailed world at the outset, the job will never get done. And, almost inevitably, if you do that most of the work will have to be redone anyway, as what you've already done turns out not to fit the evolving story.
So if I was doing this? Start small. Create the landscape and backstory with which the characters you have at the start actually interact. This does not mean, of course, that you can't have an overarching idea that all this has to fit into - but create the details as you need them.
If, of course, you are a reincarnation of Tolkein - then ignore this. However, and no offense meant, that is rather unlikely.
Most of its already been said, but if you want authenticity then bare in mind why cities, towns and villages are where they are. Cities need transport networks to supply them, they are usually trade and government hubs - so they are locate don rivers usually and sometimes coastlines, its not very often you will find a city without a waterway of some kind.
Towns tend to be more focused and are a mix of trade and industry, they will also usually be on or near larger waterways (if they are ther ebecause of trade).
Villages tend to be agricutural and can pop anywhere really.
Some towns pop up for reasons other than trade though and so dont have to sit on water (but will need a supply, springs & oasis will usually result in a town appearing around them - and depending on the levle of advancements, some of those towns may specialise in tourism, leisure (spa towns).
If you have a pc capable of it, you might like to play a game called Civilisation 5 - its all about building civilisations in a randomly generated huge world map. Exploiting resources as and when they are found etc. The reason i say is because your civilisation in that game will grow up organically alongside the other computer controlled civilsations and it will help give a broad understanding of why settlemen ts appear where they are and why things can be different in different cultures. It will also help give perspective on whys ome cultures become friendly and others hostile - although this is far from perfect. Also, its a bloody good game
This is all more about the fine tuning of your world, remembering that towns and cities will have river ports, transport networks, business built up around them. Different levels of wealth, education, culture etc. They will eb and flow on the trade and custom that comes to them and leaves them (when boats come in there will be increased activity spreading from the ports for example).
Towns tend to be more focused and are a mix of trade and industry, they will also usually be on or near larger waterways (if they are ther ebecause of trade).
Villages tend to be agricutural and can pop anywhere really.
Some towns pop up for reasons other than trade though and so dont have to sit on water (but will need a supply, springs & oasis will usually result in a town appearing around them - and depending on the levle of advancements, some of those towns may specialise in tourism, leisure (spa towns).
If you have a pc capable of it, you might like to play a game called Civilisation 5 - its all about building civilisations in a randomly generated huge world map. Exploiting resources as and when they are found etc. The reason i say is because your civilisation in that game will grow up organically alongside the other computer controlled civilsations and it will help give a broad understanding of why settlemen ts appear where they are and why things can be different in different cultures. It will also help give perspective on whys ome cultures become friendly and others hostile - although this is far from perfect. Also, its a bloody good game
This is all more about the fine tuning of your world, remembering that towns and cities will have river ports, transport networks, business built up around them. Different levels of wealth, education, culture etc. They will eb and flow on the trade and custom that comes to them and leaves them (when boats come in there will be increased activity spreading from the ports for example).
wulfsbane
Don't Believe In Fate
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2013
- Messages
- 84
As others have said, there are no rules, but personally, I think that the best fantasy worlds are unique and new. Things we haven't seen before. I try to stay away from using already made up races like elves and dwarves, since people have seen them a billion times before. The only other thing I would say is to make it realistic. Have your cultures makes sense within the context of the world. Your geography too. Rivers flow downhill. And rivers for the most part never split. Any divide you see on a map is rivers or streams joining, not splitting. With very few exceptions, rivers do not split in nature. Theres lots of other geographical stuff to know out there, but research can help you with that.
A word of advice on names, and keep in mind this is my personal preference, but I think it's a good idea to, if you can, have different sounds to names depending on what culture they are from. Martin's a song of ice and fire is a great example of this. Basically all the targaryen royal names have 'ae' in them, and dothraki names have their own identifiable sound as well.
Once you have 30 posts, and you have something written, you should post it on the critiques subforum. But as mirannan said, don't get too caught up in worldbuilding that you never write anything. After all, it's not really the world that makes a great story, its the characters and plot. And I think you'll find that your world will evolve in your mind as you write.
Good luck!
A word of advice on names, and keep in mind this is my personal preference, but I think it's a good idea to, if you can, have different sounds to names depending on what culture they are from. Martin's a song of ice and fire is a great example of this. Basically all the targaryen royal names have 'ae' in them, and dothraki names have their own identifiable sound as well.
Once you have 30 posts, and you have something written, you should post it on the critiques subforum. But as mirannan said, don't get too caught up in worldbuilding that you never write anything. After all, it's not really the world that makes a great story, its the characters and plot. And I think you'll find that your world will evolve in your mind as you write.
Good luck!
Jake Reynolds
Wordslinger
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2010
- Messages
- 638
What everyone else said.
Though I haven't read all the posts (and the below has no doubt been covered by much more talented people than me), the main thing is consistency and constant motion. Consider earth, always in motion that works in perfect synergy, wind effects water, water effects rocks and sand, bushfires lay waste to forests so that they regrow. Everything works in unison. If you have something that is a blight upon the world, then there needs to be a reason for it. Volcanoes, deserts, typhoons, earthquakes, they all happen because of a multitude of separate events that come together. Have nothing in your world for the sake of it.
On a similar note, watch the arbitrary naming, and try to avoid cliches. Apologies if this seems critical, but remember that place names evolve over centuries as wars are fought/ land is seized and so on. Consider Earth, not as a template, but as an example. There are very places that are named 'The [insert noun] of [insert noun/ adjective'. This is especially true when you consider your inhabitants and their histories. Consider the United States; New York and New England are obviously a result of British colonisation, while Las Vegas and Los Angeles have Spanish roots, while still others have French names, such as New Orleans. Again, this harks back to a living, constantly-in-motion world.
This has been mentioned above, but it's worth saying again: no country is inhabited by a single race of people. Even in a world where travel and communications might be perceived as medieval tech-wise, there are merchants, traders, mercenaries, invaders, scholars, adventurers, criminals, all of them travelling all the time. In our own histories there have been the crusades, East India Trading Company, gold rushes, prison colonies, wars, and even good old exploration that resulted in 'races' being spread to the four corners of the globe. Unless you have two neighbouring countries at war, people from both sides will be all over the place. Of course, there are exceptions (ignoring my earlier caution on cliches, you can have dwarves in their mountain mines, elves living in deep seclusion in a forest, etc), but as with everything there needs to a solid historical reason for every aspect of your world.
On being full on about maps and detail, this can lead to heartache. I have redrawn my maps so many times that I can't even remember what the world first looked like. For example, character X needs to get to place X before villain X kills character Y. Damn, Character X can't make it in time due to distance, immovable barriers, etc. Back to the drawing board on your map. By all means know what lies beyond the sea, or roughly where a mountain range is, but be wary of allowing those to restrict the story (though in some cases this can improve it- I have had a few beloved characters die because the protags couldn't get there in time).
Sorry, one last thing- watch the licensing on the mythology. While nobody 'owns' elves, dwarves and so on, pretty sure Blizzard owns 'murloc' and all that the name entails (I could be wrong, but I haven't heard of them anywhere other than WoW).
Though I haven't read all the posts (and the below has no doubt been covered by much more talented people than me), the main thing is consistency and constant motion. Consider earth, always in motion that works in perfect synergy, wind effects water, water effects rocks and sand, bushfires lay waste to forests so that they regrow. Everything works in unison. If you have something that is a blight upon the world, then there needs to be a reason for it. Volcanoes, deserts, typhoons, earthquakes, they all happen because of a multitude of separate events that come together. Have nothing in your world for the sake of it.
On a similar note, watch the arbitrary naming, and try to avoid cliches. Apologies if this seems critical, but remember that place names evolve over centuries as wars are fought/ land is seized and so on. Consider Earth, not as a template, but as an example. There are very places that are named 'The [insert noun] of [insert noun/ adjective'. This is especially true when you consider your inhabitants and their histories. Consider the United States; New York and New England are obviously a result of British colonisation, while Las Vegas and Los Angeles have Spanish roots, while still others have French names, such as New Orleans. Again, this harks back to a living, constantly-in-motion world.
This has been mentioned above, but it's worth saying again: no country is inhabited by a single race of people. Even in a world where travel and communications might be perceived as medieval tech-wise, there are merchants, traders, mercenaries, invaders, scholars, adventurers, criminals, all of them travelling all the time. In our own histories there have been the crusades, East India Trading Company, gold rushes, prison colonies, wars, and even good old exploration that resulted in 'races' being spread to the four corners of the globe. Unless you have two neighbouring countries at war, people from both sides will be all over the place. Of course, there are exceptions (ignoring my earlier caution on cliches, you can have dwarves in their mountain mines, elves living in deep seclusion in a forest, etc), but as with everything there needs to a solid historical reason for every aspect of your world.
On being full on about maps and detail, this can lead to heartache. I have redrawn my maps so many times that I can't even remember what the world first looked like. For example, character X needs to get to place X before villain X kills character Y. Damn, Character X can't make it in time due to distance, immovable barriers, etc. Back to the drawing board on your map. By all means know what lies beyond the sea, or roughly where a mountain range is, but be wary of allowing those to restrict the story (though in some cases this can improve it- I have had a few beloved characters die because the protags couldn't get there in time).
Sorry, one last thing- watch the licensing on the mythology. While nobody 'owns' elves, dwarves and so on, pretty sure Blizzard owns 'murloc' and all that the name entails (I could be wrong, but I haven't heard of them anywhere other than WoW).
Is there an easy place to check this out? I recently came up for a name for a race, then googled it and found it appears to be known in Dungeons and Dragons circles. But I don't know if anyone owns it.
For the classic (read: done to death) fantasy races such as elves, dwarves and trolls, a few things might help if you feel you have to use them; go back to the roots (as others have said, Tolkein elves are far from typical in their perceived goodness, and dwarves ditto). The real problem is that there are a limited number of possible humanoid body plans, at least in broad strokes, and a limited number of outlooks available. A possible way to work it is to make them different. For example, the elves in a WIP that I fear will never get finished have an ability that even makes sense for elves as woodland dwellers; near-perfect natural camouflage. (Of course, this necessarily means that elves will tend to be naked most of the time...)
Completely non-humanoid alien races might work (sapient starfish? hive mind based on earthworms?) but coming up with something really original needs either a very good imagination or serious drugs. (Obligatory disclaimer: I am not recommending the latter.)
And, of course, imagining the logical motivations of something really weird is going to strain the brain as well.
Completely non-humanoid alien races might work (sapient starfish? hive mind based on earthworms?) but coming up with something really original needs either a very good imagination or serious drugs.
(Obligatory disclaimer: I am not recommending the latter.)And, of course, imagining the logical motivations of something really weird is going to strain the brain as well.
Wanted Hero
Fantasy YA Author
Well put, Boneman.
IMO, one of the best things to do is keep a journal handy and collect thoughts. Things that interest you, inspire you, etc. Names, places, plants, foods...collect them all. Collect situations--create problems that you'd like to see solved or challenges overcome.
...and don't forget to create the bad guy.
If you want your protagonist to overcome something truly horrid--shape the dark side. Once that's done, you'll know what you have to build to overcome it.
Just a suggestion.
BetaWolf
Keith A. Manuel
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2013
- Messages
- 527
Good advice on going back to the roots, but go further. Go to Tolkien's sources. Read Beowulf, the Old Norse epic poems too, some early medieval folklore.
Get the feel for these stories. More than their physical features, what do other-worldly beings in a fantasy setting do? What are they like? They are a lot like encountering UFOs: time and space gets all distorted, things that you consider impossible under the laws of physics happen, the sense of ominous danger. Playing with forces you really should not mess around with.
For a non-human POV, things get kind of wonky. It's not just that you have some odd non-human characteristic. Imagine that you have a life expectancy of a few hundred centuries. You remember growing up during the last ice age and all that has happened since. How does that change your outlook on life? Questions, questions.
Get the feel for these stories. More than their physical features, what do other-worldly beings in a fantasy setting do? What are they like? They are a lot like encountering UFOs: time and space gets all distorted, things that you consider impossible under the laws of physics happen, the sense of ominous danger. Playing with forces you really should not mess around with.
For a non-human POV, things get kind of wonky. It's not just that you have some odd non-human characteristic. Imagine that you have a life expectancy of a few hundred centuries. You remember growing up during the last ice age and all that has happened since. How does that change your outlook on life? Questions, questions.
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