by Owen (Vibrant Worlds)
This is a strange but definitely important part of this website. The first post, which also defines how we run in the long term. Therefore, instead of using this first article just an outline of what to expect from this blog, I’m going to use this time to talk about the creation of a world, something that is within the scope of this website, but also within the core idea of beginnings and creation which is often overwhelming during the beginning of a worldbuilding project. This post will focus on the beginning of a new project within world building
The Point of Beginning
When starting a world, there are several questions that come to mind, each as unique and individual as is possible. However, the most important question asked is:
How do I get started?
I’m going to sound cliché here, but the best method to get started is by simply beginning. The question should not be how to get started, but should focus on where. There are many jumping off points that can be taken at the start of the worldbuilding process. The exact method taken is highly dependent on the individual.
One great example of the vast areas of starting to worldbuild originates with J.R.R Tolkien and his creation of Middle-Earth. In 1914 Tolkien started development on his creation of the elvish languages. As has been shown in not only anecdotes but also media that has been released, Tolkien focuses on the linguistics of his world. He was even quoted as saying:
‘[My work is] fundamentally linguistic in inspiration… The invention of languages is the foundation. The ‘stories’ were made rather to provide a world for the languages than the reverse.’
While to some it may seem ludicrous that The Lord of the Rings was an after thought, Tolkien is making it clear that the stories and the lands of Middle-Earth were purely to give context and life to the languages that he had developed.
This leads to what I consider the most important part of starting a worldbuilding project, the passion, the meta, the basis, whatever name you wish to call it, the point of (as I will continue to call it) the basis of your world is the elements and ideas that are so core to its creation that you are able to constantly draw on it for inspiration, especially in a creative slump. The basis of the world isn’t limited just to a single set of sentences that define the truths of the world but also encompasses: the inspirations (both positive and negative) on your world; the genres that are represented within the world, no matter how small; and the vast ideas that are ripe for experimentation throughout the course of building further into the world.