Confessions of a detail addict
One of the most marvellous things about travelling - to my mind - is finding out the details of how life is lived differently in other places by other people. I find the really little things absolutely fascinating. How chairs are arranged at outdoor cafes in Europe. That in America the standard electronic account is cheque, not savings. The ridiculous way Russians queue (...they basically don't, to my English-derived sensibilities).
Fantasy worldbuilding is basically travelling, except you get to make up all the delicious details. And so, with my predilections, it's little wonder that the sprinkling of tiny detail amongst the prose of the story is one of the things I delight in about writing fantasy. All sorts of lovely detail! I get quite carried away, sometimes.
But that said, there are certain trends that people who are familiar with my writing (such as my ever-patient and -enthusiastic partners in workshopping - in fact this post has been prompted by them pointing some out) would recognise as areas of repeat offending in worldbuilding-detailing.
Alcoholic beverages, for instance. BEER IS BORING*. One look at the amazing variety of flavours, styles and cultures of alcoholic beverages around the world can only prompt the fantasy author to get wildly excited about the possibilities. (And don't even get me started on the fun of writing about intoxicants in something like the Star Wars universe. WHEEEEEE!) I am way too fond of out-of-the-ordinary boozings, and will never go with gin when I can have genever.
Titles of nobility is another area in which I am rambunctiously badly behaved. Lords and Princes are pretty damn common, frankly. Much more fun to raid other cultures for their structures and terminologies, or better yet, raid a couple, mash their structures together, and make up your own terminology! The important thing is that there must be a system that makes historical and developmental sense. (Actually being a sensible way to organise a country has far less validity than you might think.) And I love systems. If I don't have a heirarchical political structure chart within three days of starting a new concept, something's probably gone awry.
The problem with this sort of gleeful over-the-top creativity is that it can get in the way of comprehension. Beer is boring precisely because everyone knows what it is - when you talk about beer, you don't actually have to ensure that you're using the term in such a way, with such framing behaviours and descriptions, that everyone knows that this is an alcoholic beverage consumed for social and casual intoxication reasons. When you call someone Lord Wilson, no one experiences any confusion about that perhaps being his name, not his title.
On the one hand, this comes back to the old chestnut of fantasy worldbuilding: if it's a cow, why not just call it a cow? It's easier for everyone.
On the other hand, I do not hold that easy is a desirable state for fiction, and especially spec fic. Anything really worth experiencing should be a little difficult. It's not common.
The story's worth it.
---
* Not actually an opinion I hold in real life. Beer is magnificent. Beer is enthralling. Beer is wide and varied and magical and it does some crazy amazing things, especially in Belgium. To anyone who's been silly enough to ask me about beer, I do apologise for all the things you never wanted to know that you now do.
Originally posted on Dreamwidth
Fantasy worldbuilding is basically travelling, except you get to make up all the delicious details. And so, with my predilections, it's little wonder that the sprinkling of tiny detail amongst the prose of the story is one of the things I delight in about writing fantasy. All sorts of lovely detail! I get quite carried away, sometimes.
But that said, there are certain trends that people who are familiar with my writing (such as my ever-patient and -enthusiastic partners in workshopping - in fact this post has been prompted by them pointing some out) would recognise as areas of repeat offending in worldbuilding-detailing.
Alcoholic beverages, for instance. BEER IS BORING*. One look at the amazing variety of flavours, styles and cultures of alcoholic beverages around the world can only prompt the fantasy author to get wildly excited about the possibilities. (And don't even get me started on the fun of writing about intoxicants in something like the Star Wars universe. WHEEEEEE!) I am way too fond of out-of-the-ordinary boozings, and will never go with gin when I can have genever.
Titles of nobility is another area in which I am rambunctiously badly behaved. Lords and Princes are pretty damn common, frankly. Much more fun to raid other cultures for their structures and terminologies, or better yet, raid a couple, mash their structures together, and make up your own terminology! The important thing is that there must be a system that makes historical and developmental sense. (Actually being a sensible way to organise a country has far less validity than you might think.) And I love systems. If I don't have a heirarchical political structure chart within three days of starting a new concept, something's probably gone awry.
The problem with this sort of gleeful over-the-top creativity is that it can get in the way of comprehension. Beer is boring precisely because everyone knows what it is - when you talk about beer, you don't actually have to ensure that you're using the term in such a way, with such framing behaviours and descriptions, that everyone knows that this is an alcoholic beverage consumed for social and casual intoxication reasons. When you call someone Lord Wilson, no one experiences any confusion about that perhaps being his name, not his title.
On the one hand, this comes back to the old chestnut of fantasy worldbuilding: if it's a cow, why not just call it a cow? It's easier for everyone.
On the other hand, I do not hold that easy is a desirable state for fiction, and especially spec fic. Anything really worth experiencing should be a little difficult. It's not common.
The story's worth it.
---
* Not actually an opinion I hold in real life. Beer is magnificent. Beer is enthralling. Beer is wide and varied and magical and it does some crazy amazing things, especially in Belgium. To anyone who's been silly enough to ask me about beer, I do apologise for all the things you never wanted to know that you now do.
Originally posted on Dreamwidth