Building A World, Part 1
I'll be posting a new story (possibly two) before the end of the month. In the meantime, I thought I'd share some thoughts about worldbuilding in general, and my process in particular.
Worldbuilding is one of the things I love the most about writing. The real world tends to bore me, so I like to make up my own :D
I've always been a bit of a daydreamer, growing up, making up stories and worlds in my head. I knew I wanted to be a writer very early on.
However, I took things a bit further at some point in the late 90's, or possibly early 2000's. I'm not entirely sure when it happened, or what prompted it... most likely (because I remember it so vividly) it was reading about Heinlein's tendency to set everything he wrote within the same universe/continuity.
There were other similar cases, though to a lesser extent: Asimov and his Robot/Foundation/Empire stories are all connected. There is also a French author most of you (if not all) would not know, named Serge Lehman, who did this as well.
At some point, something in my head clicked, and I decided to set everything I write within the same setting, which I eventually came to call the Xen'in Universe. I even retroactively included everything I'd written before that point!
Obviously, it's not just ONE setting. It's a grand scale kind of thing that not only encompasses the infinity of the known and unknown universe, but also the immensity of time--past, present, and future--with a few alternate histories thrown in for good measure.
I mean, hey, if you're gonna set a foot into it, you might as well jump all in... right? LOL.
The beauty of this is that it allows for a lot of freedom. I can write in any genre (though I tend to focus on Science-Fiction, Epic Fantasy, and even more often I'll blend the two,) any time period, any world...
How do I justify Science-Fiction and Epic Fantasy within the same universe, you ask? Super easy.
Not every civilization evolves at the same rate. So you could have one world that is highly advanced on the technological front, while having another that is still set in medieval times.
Over the years, I've also developed alternate timelines so I could fit in stories that would not have otherwise been possible. I now have three main ones that I use interchangeably (which I've labeled X1, X2, and X3) plus a few other minor ones.
Now, here's a scoop... there are two characters who connect it all together.
Xen and Reikk.
Both of them have, let's say, extended lifespans and powers that allow them to appear in places you might not expect them.
Reikk typically stars in Epic Fantasy stories, though he has the ability to travel through 'dimensions,' which really means you could see him in X1 just as easily as in X2, X3, etc.
Xen, on the other hand, can travel through time (sort of) but is 'stuck' in his own reality. Though you might find different versions of him in each alternate continuity.
That's not to say that Reikk or Xen will appear in everything I write--they won't. In fact, Xen is rather of the elusive kind... what makes it even more tricky is that he likes to hide behind different names, so you must try to guess who he is ;) Sometimes it'll be obvious, other times not so much.
Those of you who have been paying attention may have noticed that Xen's name is included in the Xen'in Universe…
Yes, it is. And for good reason! But I'll say no more about that for now... You wouldn't want any spoilers, now, would you? ;)
Alright, enough talk!
Books to read
Chronicles of the Elementals by TC Marti
This 17,000-word novella introduces several main characters in the Elementals of Nordica Series. Along with the story, you'll also find the first four chapters to Wind Wielder - Book I in Elementals of Nordica, along with a character and elemental cheat sheet in the back.
Sion Zona’s collegiate career ended in one cataclysmic moment.
Now, the world’s most powerful empire has framed the Wind Wielder for a crime he did not commit.
But Sion isn’t the only one about to run from the Tamurian Empire [… read more …]
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Copyright (c) 2021 by Alex S. Garcia.
“How much worldbuilding is too much worldbuilding?” When the worldbuilding interferes with the story, I think. Which means there’s no set word count you can cross that signifies “too much worldbuilding”. You can have books and books of worldbuilding to reference from, but as long as the story itself reads well then the worldbuilding has done it’s job.
I like the idea of different planets having different levels of technological advancements. It just makes sense. Besides, a world with magic may not feel the need to advance in science as much as a world without magic.