#wroughtworlds — Public Fediverse posts

#WroughtWorlds 2024 03-16: World Building, Cultures and People, Cities: What thoughts do you put into cities/large cities?

I consider how homogenous or diverse the populations is, whether the city is wealthy and where the money comes from, and how the city is run, among other things.

In my WIP I have a large city, where most of the population comes from one of three different ethnicities, but you can meet all sorts there. The city has no central government, but is run by a number of guilds and six temples to different gods. Politics involves power plays and dynamic status and honour between the guilds and temples.

I'm thinking of updating my book cover for Dying in Pleasure (set in ancient Pompeii, about 10 years before the eruption of Vesuvius. Lots of violence, black magic, graphic erotic scenes. I made this using AI. I love the weirdness of AI images. What do all y'all think?

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#WroughtWorlds 01 March: Worldbuilding, Weapons: What do you do about weapons in your worlds?

The sword is displayed in a velvet-lined, glass-fronted wooden case. The sign on it says, "In case of dragons, break glass".

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#WroughtWorlds 24-03-01 : Worldbuilding : Weapons
What do you do about weapons in your worlds?

I either go totally brutal (swords) or completely hands off. In sci fi (particularly a sci Fi play) the weapon is invisible, but the character reacts to it. Easy to stage, no props, etc.

Oh, I did do a play that was an adaptation of Peter Pan called Phallus Pan. Peter had a large black dildo with a handle that he used as a sword. Tiger Lily and her Lily Pads had nun-chucks made from anal beads.

#WroughtWorlds 24-02-24 : Characters : Language: creating swear words & insults

Honestly, across all time periods and non-periods I've created, I haven't veered from the "Fuck, Shit, Cunt" cannon of swearing. I don't think made up profanity has a powerful impact. Nothing says "Fuck" like the word Fuck.

"Fuck" may not have been used in Medieval England, but they used something that meant it. If I used the original, we wouldn't recognize it. So I "translate" the "fucks" and preserve the power.

#WroughtWorlds 2024 01-11 : World Building : Do you pre-plan the layout of towns, villages, & etc? Or do you have another method?

Half-and-half. Places should have personality (or a lack of it) and that requires planning. A hook, to draw players or readers in. ~but~ a story should flow around it's needs, not the contraints of a map or whatever, so beyond the hook and personality (the important parts) it should be seat-of-the-pants.

At least for me.

#WroughtWorlds 2024 01-11 : World Building : Do you pre-plan the layout of towns, villages, & etc?  Or do you have another method?

I have an extraordinarily difficult time imagining what places and people look like. It's the same style as when I dream: vague, lots of colors, few details.

I write by feeling my way. Characters lead me. I wrote a novel about Pompeii, did all the research, but while writing, I couldn't see anything. Start with facts know them well, then cast them aside and go.

#WroughtWorlds 2024 01-20 : World Building: How much does language play a part in your world building?

I wrote a play 20 years ago, set on Mars. It's called 'Martian Isis: the Lost Egyptian Play'. The Martians had their own language which sounded gutteral.

I used Martian to bring a Martian and a human together. He would explain words to her. She would explain human concepts. To me communication is the core issue between characters. Not just doing it well, but willfully misunderstanding.

#WroughtWorlds 2024 01-20 : World Building :
How much does language play a part in your world building?

I work in alien & high fantasy, so words, be it names, terms or just slang - are cultural touch stones that mean things to these imagined people, but is meaningless to the reader unless I can imbue them with meaning.
Language is one of the ways I find can draw some people in. The meaning of words, the transliterations ect. It can catch the imagination.
It's also a Tolkienism, I guess.

#WroughtWorlds #Writing 2024 02-16 : World Building : Cultures and People
How do you create/handle cultures & people?

I feel like I'm going to disappoint you @caointeoireacht with my answer. 😂

If I'm writing something historical, I first do gobs of research, then think about it, then push it all aside and just write. The characters form the culture and they take care of the details. 🤣

#WroughtWorlds 2024 02-03 : World Building :
What's a detail that might slip under the radar of someone that reads your story.

I wasn't sure and really had to think, but I realized something: self-referencing. I have characters that repeat throughout multiple texts. I have a character that loosely represents me named Curiousity. I've always done this. I've heard we write the same stories over and over. I can see it in my work and others. Characters and relationships repeat, so I lean into it.

#WritingCommunity: As for #MastodonWritingChallenges, is there any challenge I've missed?

Daily:
– #WriterMagic (by @swanchime)

Weekly:
– #WroughtWorlds (by @caointeoireacht)

Monthly:
– #EmbraceYourDarlings

Microfiction prompts:
– #MiniMasterpieces (by @floofpaldi)
– #QuillsQuest (inactive?)
– #SingleWordSignposts (by @botanica)
– #MicroPrompt
– #Writever
– #MastoPrompt (by @stevencudahy)

Other:
– #FridayKiss

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