The Writing Thread

World building is hard especially if you're going for the epic novel.
I've been doing it for 2 years now for a series I'm working on and it really is no joke. You have to make sure there's no contradictions at all or it makes logical sense, otherwise, your audience will lose immersion. A lot of newer fantasy/sci fi books, especially those written by younger millennials, lack definite world building and feel like they're just written in 1-2 years max.

Best way to implement it is create a binder or wall in your office with charts, maps, terminology lists. Then when you start drafts, its easily accessible. I also like doing character cards, so when I'm writing a scene, I pull out the cards of who is in the scene and have them next to the keyboard.

The more you get lost in the weeds on inane little details of some fantasy/scifi setting the more artificial it all starts to feel. I'd only go past a certain point with it as a gag of some sort.
It depends on how the author writes about the details. When its overexplained, it feels wrong. You have to design things so that the reader has to do a little guessing as to how it works/what it means or its presented in a way that it can be inferred.
 
I'm not built to operate like that, it sucks away all the fun when I try to have everything ordered first. I just write, then as I'm revising I ask myself 'Why' and 'Does this make sense?' while sprinkling on the world flavour. When I'm done I read through it one more time, adding everything to my wikidpad file to reference later. It saves my mental energy from being lost on worrying if there's consistency before everything's locked down. But then again I'm a simple man who doesn't care for the part of the iceburg I can't see. Give me Dunk and Egg, not Fire and Blood.
 
Thank you. I based it on an anecdote by Tobe Hooper where he was in a Sears or something like that around Christmas time and the crowd was giving him crippling anxiety and he looked by the chainsaw aisle and thought that if he turned one of those things on that the crowd would part like the red sea. And that was the genesis behind Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
This kinda made me want to take a crack at a murder microstory just now, but the premise my mind went to deviated from the goal.
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He sat there in the post office parking lot, hyperventilating as he clutched his glock. Come on now. This is your big day, buddy. The bang you've been wanting to go out on since you turned 13, 38 years in the making. Your wife's a nasty whore who's sucked every cock in town. Your son's a blown-out fag who wants to beat her high score. Your daughter thinks she's going to be some backassedwards feminist parody of Hitler but the stupid little twat couldn't dictate her way out of a wet paper bag. What've you got to lose at this point?

All the lockers you've been shoved in. All the times women laughed at your attempts at wooing them or at your dick when you thought you succeeded. Every asshole boss you've ever worked for. All the promotions you've never gotten. Was it all for nothing? Are you just gonna let them all win? Let them be proven right about how much of a spineless little pussy you are? No? Then what's the holdup?

He picks up the handle of Johnnie Walker he brought along and chugs a fourth of it. Black label. You're fixing to shoot up the shithole you work at, to decorate the walls with your skull and brain matter and you couldn't even spring for Blue Label? God, you're pathetic. Bet you won't even hit 3 of the niggers by the time the pigs show up. Just a complete limpdick sack of shit through and through.

After dragging his heels for the better part of 2 hours, he finally steps out of the USPS truck, fiddling with his gun like some stimming autist. They won't be laughing now, he thinks, beads of sweat dripping down his bald skull, square rim glasses fogging over with lustful anticipation of the carnage to come. Mine is the power, and mine is the glory- He just about creams his crusty skidmarked tighty whities at the thought.

But no. Tough luck, faggot!

To his dismay, to his utter shock, the new kid beat him to it. Everyone's already dead. Nigger coworkers full of bulletholes. Old fogeys blasted away while mailing shit to their families. Even a couple of kids. Blood, piss, shit, puke, just a total expulsion of bodily fluids all over the place. Once a cuck, always a cuck, eh? Couldn't even beat some sorry 25 year old fatso to the punch. He brought a rifle too, not like you, with that sorry little pea shooter. And here you are, falling to your knees sobbing like the fat ugly girl no one wants on prom night. That's what you get for being such a bitch about it after jacking off to the thought for months.

Suddenly the tears dry up. A mad stroke of inspiration comes. The cops aren't here yet. There's still time. I can still get even. Had his coworkers been alive, they'd have collectively said "nigger, please". But no. Even they'd have no idea what he had in mind at this late hour. None of them could comprehend the workings of a middle-aged mind so utterly warped by decades of complete and utter failure.

In an uncharacteristic display of physical prowess, he picks up the tubby fucker's corpse and carries this cranially ventilated, yet blushing, bride across the threshold into his postal truck. After driving to a sufficiently isolated spot he undoes the dead fatass's belt, pulls down his pants, and penetrates the virgin corpse anus. Even he's surprised by how hard he is. Has he gone gay out of insanity? How else would one explain this sudden bout of homosexual necrophilia?

But no. You see in his so very, very bald and horridly middle-aged egghead, the rusty gears have turned, determining this to be the only form of consolation, the sole form of vengeance afforded to one so mercilessly cucked even out of his final act of retribution. Perhaps thinking himself a Roman of old, he decided that punitive anal rape would correct the karmic record; after all, if a cuck turns around and rapes his bull can he really still be called a cuck? To him, at least, this made sense enough. Every thrust fills the truck with the odor of pigshit and rotted offal, but he soldiers on, until eventually filling the deceased orifice with the final spurt of his failed seed.

There's not much else to do after such a deed. All he can really think of to further tarnish the lad's reputation is to commit a mock lover's suicide with his body. So he takes the highway to the nearest bridge and gains enough speed to clear the barricade at the edge. As they fell into the sea, bald cucked Thelma and dead fat Louise, he wished to become a hurricane if he should ever exist again in any form, so he could at least kill and die with some degree of dignity he'd never been afforded in this lifetime.

As in life, in death too no one would particularly remember or care about him, except to briefly mention that he was the culprit's gay lover on the occasional YouTube True Crime video, interspersed with 20 AI-generated Temu ads.
 
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I'm not built to operate like that, it sucks away all the fun when I try to have everything ordered first. I just write, then as I'm revising I ask myself 'Why' and 'Does this make sense?' while sprinkling on the world flavour. When I'm done I read through it one more time, adding everything to my wikidpad file to reference later. It saves my mental energy from being lost on worrying if there's consistency before everything's locked down. But then again I'm a simple man who doesn't care for the part of the iceburg I can't see. Give me Dunk and Egg, not Fire and Blood.
The bulk of the iceberg you can't see is what holds up the little bit that you do. Dunk and Egg is made possible by Fire and Blood, because without that worldbuilding, without figuring out how all the pieces fit together, it's pretty easy for a story's world to end up ramshackle and unconvincing.

But, I'm a fan of worldbuilding. I love coming up with ideas for technology, wildlife, social/political developments, factions, and then figuring out how to put them into a story in a way that it doesn't get in the way of the narrative flow, but still makes it evident to the reader that if they poke at any part of the world their finger isn't going to go right through the surface.
 
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The bulk of the iceberg you can't see is what holds up the little bit that you do. Dunk and Egg is made possible by Fire and Blood, because without that worldbuilding, without figuring out how all the pieces fit together, it's pretty easy for a story's world to end up ramshackle and unconvincing.
Of course it does, but the difference between D&E and F&B is one gives the worldbuilding through an entertaining story (which was written and released 20 years earlier) and the other is a dry authors vanity project written for contractual obligation (when he still hadn't released a plot book for 7 years, now 13).
But, I'm a fan of worldbuilding. I love coming up with ideas for technology, wildlife, social/political developments, factions, and then figuring out how to put them into a story in a way that it doesn't get in the way of the narrative flow, but still makes it evident to the reader that if they poke at any part of the world their finger isn't going to go right through the surface.
I believe you can do it both ways and still have the world building be plausible to the average reader. If it passes the sniff test, that's good enough for me. All your work in the world won't hold up under autistic scrutiny (just look at any ASOIAF and Malazan subreddit) so unless you love doing it why do more than you need to? The reader's never going to see it and if you do your job properly they'll never have to. Having your supplemental detail all in a row instead of varying degrees of opacity is two paths leading to the same road.
 
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World building in the modern sense is a marketing tool to appeal to consoomers who obsess about "lore." I applaud those who write it for the enjoyment of it, but it feels like everything nowadays needs to have an autistically over-detailed universe for the sole purpose of chipping off pieces to exploit as merch.
 
I am thinking about makin a story based on The dream-quest of Unknown Kadath, following a young Randolph Carter.
Planning to make his life slowly go to shit as he slowly prefers the dreamscape over his shitty life in his plane of existence and meeting Nyarlathotep promising a way to fully merge himself into the dreamscape by using a relic called "The Silver Key"

Got most things planned out, Might share a chapter here.
 
Of course it does, but the difference between D&E and F&B is one gives the worldbuilding through an entertaining story (which was written and released 20 years earlier) and the other is a dry authors vanity project written for contractual obligation (when he still hadn't released a plot book for 7 years, now 13).

I believe you can do it both ways and still have the world building be plausible to the average reader. If it passes the sniff test, that's good enough for me. All your work in the world won't hold up under autistic scrutiny (just look at any ASOIAF and Malazan subreddit) so unless you love doing it why do more than you need to? The reader's never going to see it and if you do your job properly they'll never have to. Having your supplemental detail all in a row instead of varying degrees of opacity is two paths leading to the same road.

'Having it pass the sniff test' is going to be a lot easier if a writer codifies their world, at least to themselves. But, every writer is different, and I'm sure there are complete 'pantsers' who can just knock out the story and get the worldbuilding mostly congruent.

I'm just a little down on pantsing, and up with making a codex/story bible because I just read KF fave Manhunt, which stands as a monument to what happens when a writer doesn't do any planning. Almost every piece of worldbuilding in that book is some mix of nonsensical on its own, and contradictory to other pieces of worldbuilding.
 
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'Having it pass the sniff test' is going to be a lot easier if a writer codifies their world, at least to themselves.
No one who feels pride in their craft would disagree with that.

I'm just a little down on pantsing, and up with making a codex/story bible because I just read KF fave Manhunt, which stands as a monument to what happens when a writer doesn't do any planning. Almost every piece of worldbuilding in that book is some mix of nonsensical on its own, and contradictory to other pieces of worldbuilding.
Oh God Manhunt. I don't even consider it a real book with its lack of effort. The only way that piece of shit should affect your mood is by inspiring you.

 
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I am thinking about makin a story based on The dream-quest of Unknown Kadath, following a young Randolph Carter.
Planning to make his life slowly go to shit as he slowly prefers the dreamscape over his shitty life in his plane of existence and meeting Nyarlathotep promising a way to fully merge himself into the dreamscape by using a relic called "The Silver Key"

Got most things planned out, Might share a chapter here.

Let us know how it goes! Sounds interesting.
 
World building is really easy for me it's actually writing out what comes between the action I generally just start putting nonsensical filler.

Also need to stop making half of my main characters just standings for emotional trauma I had in my childhood but I still think one of the novels I'm working on the main character trying to hang himself falling out of a tree and crushing the chosen one after falling through the roof of the secret monastery is funny.

Also a tip I figured out apparently Chris avalone one of the head writers at fallout for new Vegas says jump between like 6 separate projects if you get bored of one and then you never have writers block.

Also I really hate how anytime I write anthropomorphic animals and discuss them with some of my friends they call me a furry.

From like 2019 till like 2023 I did a lot of TTRPG game design
so anytime I'm writing out magic systems or technology in any setting I just have a separate document with all the names of the technology and if I ever make mistake I just reference it.
I also have a D&D style mapping tool where I keep track of where my characters are in the world
 
For worldbuilding I like to keep everything in my head and call upon it when actually writing/planning something. Lots of revisions, lots of new ideas being retrofitted or scrapped. I figure I'd remember the core and most important/interesting stuff (rule of cool my dudes).

Anyway, I'm rewriting a 30 page short story that I can further elaborate stuff on as more has developed and changed. I have the prologue completed, and will post the full thing whenever it gets done. Won't be anytime soon. But, I did start the prologue which did not exist in the first draft. I will also attach the summary/synopsis for further context/flavor to the world it takes place in (i've posted the synopsis before, but like made some small changes for extra plot threads)

Edit: Accidently uploaded the .docx and not .pdf.

Edit 2: rereading this morning with fresh eyes. Need to make sure I fix syntax and grammatical mistakes.
 

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Still working a bit of the world building of the dreamscape.

I am contipating on making the dreamscape this almost infinite black sand desert with a red ominous sky, with the city of Kadath in the middle of it, making it more of a hub for dreamers across different worlds then an place where gods reside.
Randolph will always appear a bit far away from the city and will have to travel there by foot, this differs if he falls asleep somewhere else.

Or

I can make Kadath the goal like in the original story as he travels through this desert, meeting its inhabitants and other dreamers from other worlds and eventually Nyarlathotep.


Really leaning toward the first though.
 
I've been working on fiddling with writing again. Having had time to work on a TTRPG world that's basically 1920s adventure pulp fiction with SF/Fantasy/Horror elements to it, I decided to start writing tidbits for the important story characters. Used to do poetry when I was in college and stuck to more traditional forms. Might post here.
 
I've been working on fiddling with writing again. Having had time to work on a TTRPG world that's basically 1920s adventure pulp fiction with SF/Fantasy/Horror elements to it, I decided to start writing tidbits for the important story characters. Used to do poetry when I was in college and stuck to more traditional forms. Might post here.
Oooh so its like an urban fantasy like world of darkness / Shadowrun?
 
Also a tip I figured out apparently Chris avalone one of the head writers at fallout for new Vegas says jump between like 6 separate projects if you get bored of one and then you never have writers block.
Does this really work for you? It sounds like it might either be the trick I need to keep projects alive or just something that will make me shit my pants angrily for weeks straight when I don't hit my goals.

I haven't finished shit in years and I'm interested in writing some short visual novels. Does anyone have advice for writing VNs or branching plots in general?

I can do code stuff, so if anyone's interested in collaborating on a project like that, let me know. As long as you don't dox yourself or expect me to be your code nigger, I don't see why gay, retarded forumites can't collaborate a little. I want to have a little fun.
 
Oooh so its like an urban fantasy like world of darkness / Shadowrun?
Essentially.

I'd say it's like throwing old hero pulps like Doc Savage into a mix with a touch of Lovecraft and old SF/F genre trappings and all the old adventure stuff like lost gods and civilizations.

Oh god I'm just making American SMT.

So far, one bit involves the players having to protect and save an austrian ww1 veteran named Adolf from a jewish cultist that follows The Cult of The Yellow King.

What, it's like one session.
 
I've been meaning to do some writing but I haven't really gotten around to doing any of it. Any suggestions on how to push myself to work on my writing?
 
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