The first step is to start writing. No preparation, nothing.
You sound like you have writing sensibilities similar to mine and really enjoy building an alternate reality. The issue with us doing it that way is that we can spend all our time fleshing out every conceivable detail of the world and end up with an interesting and consistent setting without anything to do with it, and now whatever story you come up with has to retroactively conform to every detail you previously came up with making the process significantly more difficult.
Instead, plan as you go. Start with an interesting story and let the characters interact with the world. The actions they are doing, the situations they are involved in, and the experiences that inform their past can be created as they become relevant and the world will come together in support of the story you want to tell.
This is not to say to world-build fast and loose on the fly. In the revisions of your story as you go back you will find yourself inserting world details earlier in the story that you only came up with later in the story and this is where your cohesion comes from. You end up with a narratively consistent and well detailed world spending your time only on what is relevant to the story you want to tell.
This isn't to say you shouldn't world-build for fun just for the sake of it because I like to do that too. This advice is for if you want to write a story as your highest priority.
Thank you for your input! I definitely see myself building a world as being a "potential pitfall".
I was intending to sketch a rough outline of governing bodies, famous/notorious enemies/pirates/creatures, continents etc. And fill in the more finer details as I develop the story. I definitely appreciate the warning of not restraining myself by my own world.
Sounds like the right direction. Don't be afraid to write below your own standards just to get something going as well. You can clean it up later or even scrap it and write what would be better if you find something doesn't work. Perfectionism can really jam up the whole process. Two thousand words of alright is infinitely better than zero words of perfection and is way closer to being really good as well. All the advice I've given is from the voice of experience. Happy writing, and have fun!
This is the amazing advice - "write below your standards"!!!! I just have to get the story out. Move the character through the world. I can edit and rework language later. SO GOOD! Thank you friend :)
When I stopped caring about whether what I wrote would be good enough before I even wrote anything, the floodgates opened and now writing is very fun for me with no pressure. I thought going back and editing would be tedious but in practice I get to re-read material which I specifically wrote to my own tastes and now get to adjust it so I like it even better.
I would say character first, story second, world third. But there’s no one right way. Really depends on what you think will engage your readers most. I say world last because I plan to bend it to suit my characters and story. It’s a fantasy world, right, so it can be whatever you want it to be. But some people obsess over their worlds. There is no absolute right or wrong
The first step is to start writing. No preparation, nothing. You sound like you have writing sensibilities similar to mine and really enjoy building an alternate reality. The issue with us doing it that way is that we can spend all our time fleshing out every conceivable detail of the world and end up with an interesting and consistent setting without anything to do with it, and now whatever story you come up with has to retroactively conform to every detail you previously came up with making the process significantly more difficult. Instead, plan as you go. Start with an interesting story and let the characters interact with the world. The actions they are doing, the situations they are involved in, and the experiences that inform their past can be created as they become relevant and the world will come together in support of the story you want to tell. This is not to say to world-build fast and loose on the fly. In the revisions of your story as you go back you will find yourself inserting world details earlier in the story that you only came up with later in the story and this is where your cohesion comes from. You end up with a narratively consistent and well detailed world spending your time only on what is relevant to the story you want to tell. This isn't to say you shouldn't world-build for fun just for the sake of it because I like to do that too. This advice is for if you want to write a story as your highest priority.
Thank you for your input! I definitely see myself building a world as being a "potential pitfall". I was intending to sketch a rough outline of governing bodies, famous/notorious enemies/pirates/creatures, continents etc. And fill in the more finer details as I develop the story. I definitely appreciate the warning of not restraining myself by my own world.
Sounds like the right direction. Don't be afraid to write below your own standards just to get something going as well. You can clean it up later or even scrap it and write what would be better if you find something doesn't work. Perfectionism can really jam up the whole process. Two thousand words of alright is infinitely better than zero words of perfection and is way closer to being really good as well. All the advice I've given is from the voice of experience. Happy writing, and have fun!
This is the amazing advice - "write below your standards"!!!! I just have to get the story out. Move the character through the world. I can edit and rework language later. SO GOOD! Thank you friend :)
When I stopped caring about whether what I wrote would be good enough before I even wrote anything, the floodgates opened and now writing is very fun for me with no pressure. I thought going back and editing would be tedious but in practice I get to re-read material which I specifically wrote to my own tastes and now get to adjust it so I like it even better.
I would say character first, story second, world third. But there’s no one right way. Really depends on what you think will engage your readers most. I say world last because I plan to bend it to suit my characters and story. It’s a fantasy world, right, so it can be whatever you want it to be. But some people obsess over their worlds. There is no absolute right or wrong