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Do you have any self-made rules you use when you write/world build?

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TheProffesor The Professor from USA Since: Jan, 2011
#1: Jan 27th 2011 at 10:41:22 PM

My rule is to keep it as believable as possible. If it's a fantasy,don't expect mages and all sorts of mythical creatures. There are some,like Dragons,but I rarely use any form of magic.

And superheroes,I'm actually working on breaking the genre free of science fiction. Keep it believable and realistic.

What about you?

AtomJames I need a drink Since: Apr, 2010
I need a drink
#2: Jan 27th 2011 at 11:25:23 PM

Well, what I really aim for is to keep things as simple as possible. Nothing that's going to feel too cluttered, by history or anything otherwise. I usually avoid anything in space because of this, though I' working on it.

Theres sex and death and human grime in monochrome for one thin dime and at least the trains all run on time but they dont go anywhere.
Bur from Flyover Country (Living Relic) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#3: Jan 28th 2011 at 12:13:21 AM

[up] This. If I can't keep track of my own creation how can I possibly expect others to. [lol]

Keep It Simple Stupid is a rule that can be applied to most things in life.

colbertimposter Since: Dec, 1969
#4: Jan 28th 2011 at 3:13:31 AM

[up]

[up][up]

[up][up][up]

Same as all three above posters for me.

AtomJames I need a drink Since: Apr, 2010
I need a drink
#5: Jan 28th 2011 at 3:25:17 AM

Oh, another rule I have, particularly in superhero stories is KEEP. MUTANTS. TO A MINIMUM.

This is really just my reaction to Marvel and their dependency on making their characters mutants just to save time, before M-Day ofcourse. Really, it just gets annoying.

Theres sex and death and human grime in monochrome for one thin dime and at least the trains all run on time but they dont go anywhere.
AirofMystery Since: Jan, 2001
#6: Jan 28th 2011 at 6:34:04 AM

I seem to insist upon fleshing out settings to a ridiculous degree before I write the plot. This is probably not a good idea.

Pyroninja42 Forum Villain from the War Room Since: Jan, 2011
Forum Villain
#7: Jan 28th 2011 at 7:28:18 AM

^Yeah, same. I want to write, but at the same time I'm like, "the mythos isn't ready yet!"

"Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person that doesn't get it."
lordGacek Since: Jan, 2001
#8: Jan 28th 2011 at 8:29:42 AM

I don't know if I'm good at it, but when it comes to creating a world, I try to make it realistic — you know, that no geology or meteorology geek would come and tear it to shreds.

stingerbrg Since: Jun, 2009
#9: Jan 28th 2011 at 8:58:27 AM

For a general rule I try to hold my conworlds to the specific traits I first think up about the world without dropping them or distorting them. Beyond that any rules I follow are world specific, usually stemming from my intial thoughts. With my fantasy conworld I first thought how would it be with stone age nomadic people with elemental magic, so I set a rule for that conworld that humans wouldn't get more advanced than the early neolithic and would at the very least be divided into different elemental categories.

JHM Apparition in the Woods from Niemandswasser Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Hounds of love are hunting
Apparition in the Woods
#10: Jan 28th 2011 at 9:18:04 AM

My personal credo is simply that a world follow its own internal logic consistently. Whether this logic has anything to do with "real world" logic is irrelevant; in fact, in many circumstances, I prefer my worlds not to run on straightforward, linear reasoning. But no matter how chaotic or dreamlike the architecture of the setting may be, the one rule remains: "Magic A" Is "Magic A".

Of course, if it turns out that the rules themselves have been hidden from the characters... Anything goes. But the author should know that this was the case from the beginning, and therefor make sure that, whether those involved in the story itself know it or not, the basic principles have, in fact, remained consistent.

I'll hide your name inside a word and paint your eyes with false perception.
breadloaf Since: Oct, 2010
#11: Jan 28th 2011 at 10:12:22 AM

I create a different rule set for any particular universe I want to create based on the theme. If it's something I wanted to go wild with, I don't care about breaking believability in terms of technology. If it's a hard sci-fi, I might get hard on science and try to keep it within the realm of the possible (but perhaps not implausible).

I personally dislike ruling out something for all my settings, but I don't mind ruling out something for a particular setting.

OmegaKross Muhaha... haha... HAHAHAHAHA! from Nameless Dark Oblivion Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Muhaha... haha... HAHAHAHAHA!
#12: Jan 28th 2011 at 10:34:08 AM

Mine is 'No Deus Ex Machinas'. Also, while this is more a preferance thing than a rule, good only beats evil in my stories if it is legitimately as strong, or stronger, and anybody trying to use The Power of Friendship gets to die while one of my characters goes off on a thinly veiled Author Rant about how naive it is to think that evil superbeings can be beaten just by thinking happy thoughts. Yes, The Bad Guy Wins in my stories quite a lot.

edited 28th Jan '11 10:35:01 AM by OmegaKross

Can't think of anything witty, so have this instead...
nekomoon14 from Oakland, CA Since: Oct, 2010
#13: Jan 28th 2011 at 11:18:53 AM

1) no damsels in distress (I hate helpless women)

2) no "love at first sight" BS (you have to KNOW someone in order to love them)

3) no forced soul mates (people are not BORN soulmates, they BECOME soulmates, and it's a choice)

4) never break the rules of your world or what's the point of having them (I'm looking at you Bella and Edward)

5) never SAY that anyone is bi, even though Everyone Is Bi

6) magick is not free

7) these are the metaphysical laws of Onori, the world of my Dark Tales: 1) nothing is free; debt attracts bad luck

2) it is bad luck to enter a private place without permission

3) Narrative Causality prevails

a) heroes are always reluctant (and must be motivated by tragedy)

b) power makes you craa-aazy

c) every day some god's apocalypse is averted

edited 28th Jan '11 11:33:27 AM by nekomoon14

Level 3 Social Justice Necromancer. Chaotic Good.
Yej (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
#14: Jan 28th 2011 at 12:04:40 PM

[up] That was a very oddly-numbered post. tongue

And I think the number one rule in my world-building is that everyone is sensible. There are, ideally, no Idiot Balls, Idiot Plots, or anything like that.

WackyMeetsPractical My teacher's a panda from Texas Since: Oct, 2009
My teacher's a panda
#15: Jan 28th 2011 at 10:03:10 PM

My number one rule, above all else, is to have fun with it. My number two rule is to be entertaining. My number three rule is, always be different. I like to create worlds that I've never seen done before, or, if they have been done before, do it in a different way. But it all really depends on what the story is. Some settings I create have a very rigid set of rules, while others have very few to no rules at all. It all depends on the genre and the effect I'm trying to create.

Borkless from 112365365321 Since: Jan, 2011
#16: Jan 28th 2011 at 10:08:33 PM

My Four rules

1. Nobody is stupid, Genre Savvyness 2. be internally self-consistent 3. Minimize use of Applied Phlebotinum. When I do use it, I get the most out of it possible (FTL drive doubling as artificial gravity) 4. The story overrides all.

edited 28th Jan '11 10:08:43 PM by Borkless

I don't always comment, but when I do, expect me to edit the crap outta it.
MattII Since: Sep, 2009
#17: Jan 29th 2011 at 12:47:44 PM

My rules:
* Keep it as realistic as possible (if anyone knows my debating style they know I follow this as canon)
* Flesh it out as much as you can before starting to write
* Keep the focus to small areas to cut down work (a few cities or a few dozen square miles, designing a whole world takes forever)
* Keep it internally consistent (for those bits where modern Physics can't go)

LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#18: Jan 29th 2011 at 10:38:32 PM

I always try to keep things scientifically believable. This is a massive problem at times when you want to write with multiple humanoid races.

Be not afraid...
willyolio Since: Jan, 2001
#19: Jan 30th 2011 at 12:27:45 AM

i prefer writing fantasy/scifi so "keeping it realistic" is out of the question. one story i'm attempting involves completely different fundamental forces.

1. fundamental rules of the universe that can't be broken: i keep these to a minimum, like 5 or less.

2. not-so-fundamental rules of society are assumed to be the same as the audience's society unless blatantly stated otherwise.

3. the characters rarely know all the rules.

4. avoid creating new phlebotinum when an old phlebotinum can work just as well.

  • whenever introducing a new phlebotinum, never introduce it at its full potential

edited 30th Jan '11 12:27:56 AM by willyolio

doorhandle Since: Oct, 2010
#20: Jan 30th 2011 at 3:29:29 AM

"... good only beats evil in my stories if it is legitimately as strong, or stronger, and anybody trying to use The Power Of Friendship gets to die while one of my characters goes off on a thinly veiled Author Rant about how naive it is to think that evil superbeings can be beaten just by thinking happy thoughts... "

Well, personally, I always felt the that power of friendship was not in some abstract number but in the fact you outnumber the enemy in terms of competent people, and friends are far more likely to remain loyal to eachother.

Back on Topic, I genrally try to avert No Conservation of Mass where possible, and look up Required Secondary Powers. I'm not afrind to use Applied Phlebotinum , but I want to give lip service to the laws of physics.

[down]edit: That's another thing in my worlds actually: it's an unwritten (until now) law that any sapient species would carbon-based by default, thus averting some of the problem with No Biological Barriers

edited 13th Feb '11 12:24:26 AM by doorhandle

LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#21: Jan 30th 2011 at 5:00:22 AM

I write fantasy/scifi too. Although, I think it's a bigger problem with scifi than fantasy. If I'm reading science fiction, I expect the things in there to at least seem consistent with science. Fantasy gets much more leeway. Even so, I find myself gritting my teeth when things like No Biological Barriers show up in fiction.

Be not afraid...
Nomic Exitus Acta Probat from beyond the Void Since: Jan, 2001
Exitus Acta Probat
#22: Jan 30th 2011 at 1:26:55 PM

I try to keep things consistent with the setting, and don't just randomly asspull stuff to solve a problem (altho sometimes it may seem like it since I don't usually bother listing everything all characters or things are cabable off untill those abilities are actually put to use).

Icalasari Warble from Alberta, Canada Since: Jan, 2001
Warble
#23: Jan 30th 2011 at 1:46:43 PM

  • Make it consistent
  • Attempt to make it somewhat realistic (I even try to explain how a dragon fires lightning in my game)
  • If I can't, make it so that the researchers in said world at least gave it a shot (some deities show themselves to humans in my game, and the researchers will even examine them, leading to the discovery that a deity that looks like an otter is actually a squid of some kind)
  • Try to make it so that the creatures actually make sense for the area they live in (for example, you know how the Pokemon games will have Magnemite in the grass west of Ecruteak? With my game, uh, no. They would need a DAMN good reason to be there)

In other words, try to keep anything that I need to handwave to a minimum. I know it is impossible to get rid of all hand waving, and anything I try may eventually have to go to hand waving, but at least I make an honest attempt. Heck, I even try to cover my ass with the deities that can make energy and matter

I wonder what a strip tease from a creature made of souls would be like?
drunkscriblerian Street Writing Man from Castle Geekhaven Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: In season
Street Writing Man
#24: Jan 30th 2011 at 10:29:04 PM

My ten rules...

  • 1: Always do research.
  • 2: People are people.
  • 3: Less is more.
  • 4: Sex is best left in the dark.
  • 5: Magic must bow to basic physics.
  • 6: Darkness is relative.
  • 7: Write everything down.
  • 8: Angst isn't necessary.
  • 9: Use what you know.
  • 10: Heroes must, eventually, be triumphant.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#25: Jan 30th 2011 at 11:34:03 PM

1. Do not let world building get in the way of telling a good story.

2. Katanas will be destroyed on sight.

3. If I'm basing a work in another world, I must remember that the planet could easily be larger or smaller than our own.

There are too many toasters in my chimney!

Total posts: 72
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