> The picture of a created world in the author’s head is richer, more detailed, than what he can put on paper.
One writer, Tolkien, attempted to solve this problem by adding lengthy appendices to his greatest work, giving a lot of back story. His son then continued that by publishing a lot more back story, based on unpublished writings that his father left behind after his death. In other words, Tolkien tried to write down everything he possibly could about his created world. As far as I can tell, he did that simply because it came naturally to him, not because he was consciously trying to close the gap between the picture in his head and the picture on paper, but that was the effect.
I have felt the same when developing game modules; that feeling of discovery comes from, I think, the fact that everything you think of has to interact with everything you made before or have a good reason why not— itself a form of interaction.
You make a place for people to go and then unbidden come questions of why was it there, why bother making such an elaborate structure, why was it abandoned, why is there still anything left worth finding...
Maybe all creative works are like this. When I start writing a song I usually have an idea in my head of how it's going to go, but in almost every case it ends up going in a direction I did not expect.
I started reading Harald after seeing this post. I don't know if it's just me but it feels like the prose is missing words. Like the internet caveman joke, "Why many word when few do trick?", but it's many of the sentences in the first eight pages.
I really appreciate you sharing about your novels. I was unaware you wrote fiction!
I am a (forever) aspiring (but not yet published) writer and have found that I am learning about the characters and world as I write, as opposed to putting my thoughts on paper. There is something beyond the conscious planning that goes into it.
The "voice" of the characters is something I also struggle with sometimes. I try to fix it, but I am starting to worry that I have just become blind to what remains from my over-familiarity. Did you have a developmental edit or arc readers? I hope this is where it will be caught in my case.
I thank you for your share on how it was with your writing!
Harald was originally told to my daughter when putting her to bed. Many years later she was my editor for several books. I didn't have any organized support beyond that, but my friend Patri, after whom my first child is named, had Salamander read to him as it was being written and commented on it, one of the reasons it is dedicated to him.
Yes. I agree with you about 'feels more like discovery than invention'. I began worldbuilding around 12 years ago when I decided to re-focus my artistic output on speculative narrative filmmaking. I hadn't thought deeply about the distinction you express, but it's true for me as well. I like to give myself parameters within which to create. Hard Science is one of them. Your post reminds me of this - In Karl Popper’s view, the process of science involves inventing bold conjectures and then rigorously testing them to discover which ones align with reality. Thus, scientists invent theories but aim to discover truths about the world.
The problem with giving characters individuality through their speech style you discuss is quite common, I think. I find it challenging, as I have ideas I want to express through the medium of a fiction movie, but not in essay form, as some movies intentionally are. But even those essay films will often be filled with characters, each with their on particular quirks and idiosyncratic speech preferences.
> The picture of a created world in the author’s head is richer, more detailed, than what he can put on paper.
One writer, Tolkien, attempted to solve this problem by adding lengthy appendices to his greatest work, giving a lot of back story. His son then continued that by publishing a lot more back story, based on unpublished writings that his father left behind after his death. In other words, Tolkien tried to write down everything he possibly could about his created world. As far as I can tell, he did that simply because it came naturally to him, not because he was consciously trying to close the gap between the picture in his head and the picture on paper, but that was the effect.
I have felt the same when developing game modules; that feeling of discovery comes from, I think, the fact that everything you think of has to interact with everything you made before or have a good reason why not— itself a form of interaction.
You make a place for people to go and then unbidden come questions of why was it there, why bother making such an elaborate structure, why was it abandoned, why is there still anything left worth finding...
Maybe all creative works are like this. When I start writing a song I usually have an idea in my head of how it's going to go, but in almost every case it ends up going in a direction I did not expect.
I started reading Harald after seeing this post. I don't know if it's just me but it feels like the prose is missing words. Like the internet caveman joke, "Why many word when few do trick?", but it's many of the sentences in the first eight pages.
I really appreciate you sharing about your novels. I was unaware you wrote fiction!
I am a (forever) aspiring (but not yet published) writer and have found that I am learning about the characters and world as I write, as opposed to putting my thoughts on paper. There is something beyond the conscious planning that goes into it.
The "voice" of the characters is something I also struggle with sometimes. I try to fix it, but I am starting to worry that I have just become blind to what remains from my over-familiarity. Did you have a developmental edit or arc readers? I hope this is where it will be caught in my case.
I thank you for your share on how it was with your writing!
Harald was originally told to my daughter when putting her to bed. Many years later she was my editor for several books. I didn't have any organized support beyond that, but my friend Patri, after whom my first child is named, had Salamander read to him as it was being written and commented on it, one of the reasons it is dedicated to him.
My two boys are my "pre-arc readers." Last night, my older child suggested my first chapter is "filled with tropes for what it is worth."
I can only hope that one or the other of my boys does as your daughter did...
David,
your realm is numbers, not letters.
Yes. I agree with you about 'feels more like discovery than invention'. I began worldbuilding around 12 years ago when I decided to re-focus my artistic output on speculative narrative filmmaking. I hadn't thought deeply about the distinction you express, but it's true for me as well. I like to give myself parameters within which to create. Hard Science is one of them. Your post reminds me of this - In Karl Popper’s view, the process of science involves inventing bold conjectures and then rigorously testing them to discover which ones align with reality. Thus, scientists invent theories but aim to discover truths about the world.
The problem with giving characters individuality through their speech style you discuss is quite common, I think. I find it challenging, as I have ideas I want to express through the medium of a fiction movie, but not in essay form, as some movies intentionally are. But even those essay films will often be filled with characters, each with their on particular quirks and idiosyncratic speech preferences.