How would you describe a "dream world?" And what would that mean to you? Would there be fairies? Princes? Kings? My world is kind of similar to Narnia, and it exists alongside Earth but my world is too boring and unimaginative.
Dreams are a varied as the people who have them. My "dream world" is a place where my arthritis, back issues and other infirmities no longer affect my life. My "dream world" is a place where I can do the work I used to do and make a comfortable living at it without excessive stress. My "dream world" is Utopia, where everyone acts morally. BTW, the word Utopia literally translates to "no place."
When I think of dream worlds I think of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass, as well as Lovecraft's Dream Cycle stories. Basically a world that can only be entered through dreaming. That while it might have an internal logic to it, it is not the same as the logic of the waking world.
Dreams often don't make sense. So, a dream world could have sudden changes in scenery or other unexpected things. People who turn into other persons at some point, or several "story arcs" happening one after the other without having much connection to each other. I personally can frequently hover above the ground or even fly in my dreams. I also can dance en pointe without any ballet shoes, because somehow I'm not as heavy in my dreams, so I can easily balance myself on my toe tips. And I don't know I'm in a dream during that.
is that a place that exists in parallel to Earth, like you can see it in the sky moving along with Earth, but that there is only one passage to get through? But it could also be a place that you know where the passage is but can't tell where it physically exists. You can look at famous surrealist painters like Dalí or Giorgio de Chirico to get some ideas about a desolate dream-like landscape for instance.
When people say this, my first question is "How much of your story was written?" If the answer is, little or none, then my response is that you need to really start writing more. Much of worldbuilding is done on the go. As you start to incorporate more elements into your unique story, that's when the world becomes interesting. Where worlds become really boring is when they don't feel like they have anything to do with the narrative. Your fairies are just sort of mentioned or the various creatures serve no other purpose other than a set piece to look good instead of having any sort of interaction with the characters. This doesn't mean that everything needs a grand entrance. I'm not saying that at all. But small things like your character accidentally smacking a fairy because he thought it was a fly do a lot for world building.
That varies from person to person. I usually hammer out most of my worldbuilding before I ever create a character or outline a scene, let alone actually start writing.
And I will bet you it was the most boring, bland, uninteresting world there was ever written until you had a story that put all those pieces together. I will also parlay a bet that you altered, reimagined, and changed several aspects of your world building as your story took shape. Am I right?
@Kalisto Definitely not right on your first bet. I relish that stage of the process for many reasons, not least of which is that story ideas are always cultivated through my act of worldbuilding. You’re generally right on your second bet, though. But I don’t see that as an issue. I have to rework and polish my prose throughout my writing process, and I often have to take similar steps with the setting. Not a big deal.
Really? Why don't you do info dumps? You know, where you right out big long wiki pages in your book about the history and the culture and everything without the characters actually doing something? That's because it's boring. And it's boring because without characters actually doing something and an actual story to tell, your world is flat and boring. It's okay to admit that. If I read your Wikipedia of your worldbuilding I wouldn't be like, "This is the coolest thing ever!" I doubt it. I would probably be like, "So what? What about it? Why should I care?" You underestimate, like almost everyone, myself included, just how boring worldbuilding by itself actually is to the reader, until it isn't and the pieces all come together. My worlds are boring and bland until you put the characters in there and they actually do something. That's when everything in your worldbuilding becomes relevant. Remember, the show, not the tell? Where did I say it was? Don't tell me I said that. Show me where I said that. That's right, I didn't. But it shows my point is correct: without an actual story, worldbuilding is meaningless to the reader. It is impossible to make it interesting until you have a story.
Relax @Kalisto. There's room in the universe for opinions other than yours. What works for one doesn't always work for all.
I don’t know what you’re referring to, but you appear to be upset. Not quite my tempo. I’ll leave you to your beliefs.
