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Reading and Writing Obsession with Creating a Consistent Universe, Can it Pay Off?
Reading and Writing Obsession with Creating a Consistent Universe, Can it Pay Off?
| Obsession with Creating a Consistent Universe, Can it Pay Off? |
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| Saturday, 17 April 2010 02:05 |
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Any writer of science fiction or fantasy creates a universe that the story takes place in. Even a writer of thrillers re-imagines the modern day world to an extent, but most writers tend to build their universe around the story. That is how I usually did it.
I had a story written and I created a complex setting for it. Later I decided to merge a game I was working on into the same universe and eventually another story. Of course I made adjustments to the universe so everything fit, but eventually after a few years I decided to scrap the original story and start anew. Luckily for me I already had an intricate universe to work in, but it had quite a bit of history at this point. So for the next few years rather than working on the story I simply expanded the universe. I added lots of characters and history I could eventually write about. Since my universe took place across space I even created timelines for different areas to account for the inconsistency of time. Yes, realism was another part of the obsession. I spent countless hours researching technology that could fit into or benefit the believability of my universe. I wanted to make the impossible seem implausible, and the implausible seem possible. This is a trap many writers get sucked into. There is no limit to how much research you can put into any writing project, especially regarding the realm of science fiction. Thorough research is beneficial though; as an avid shooter I can name several authors off the top of my head that clearly did not do their homework on firearms. How much is necessary is entirely subjective, which is precisely the problem. So let’s get to the main question here, can this excessive research and world building benefit the writer in the long run? And the other question, can this benefit more than a typical universe built around the story? It is just my opinion, but gaps in information and inconsistencies really jump out at me. How many times have you read a book or seen a movie where there were multiple explanations given for the same thing? Or how about those all too convenient plot devices? I truly believe proper research and documentation can help remedy these issues. Most universe continuity issues do not arise until sequels are made to the original story that the universe was built around. So in other words the universe is built around each story in the series. This can lead to a number of continuity errors that the readers may or may not pick up on, as each entry is essentially a fresh start. Not all sequels are planned, so I am pretty lenient when it comes to these issues, but a consistent number of continuity errors can put me off. I am not advocating that all writers should spend days doing research and making notes. It really depends on the author and the story. A story may not have sequels planned and the author may have a firm grasp of what they are writing about. Not everything needs to be written down either. Hell I have been crafting my universes for years but have kept a lot of ideas in my head. The things I have forgotten were not good ideas to begin with, and of course some things need to be made up as you go along. I do advocate that writers put more consideration into research and world building. Believability and a well-crafted universe that expands as the story progresses can dramatically enhance the immersion. This is of course all my opinion and I know authors that will tell you to write down as little as possible, but that is what works for them. The biggest challenge with research and world building is to know when and how to do it. You may find it best to do it as you write the story, or after an inspirational writing you can go back and edit once more research and world building is done. I have used both of these methods. You may already know what works for you, and that is great! I am still trying to get things right, but my issue is not necessarily the research and world building itself, I have a hard time keeping all my notes organized and easily accessible! Since I have no solution I have nothing to write about on that subject. So what I hope you get out of this is either a look at research and world building or at least an understanding of what I have to say. Remember, readers hate continuity errors! |
| Last Updated on Saturday, 17 April 2010 02:10 |
