Seventh Sanctum Blog

Interview with author Vivi Anna

It's a LONG interview, but it's filled with great advice for you hopeful writers out there.

Find the interview here.

-Steve

The Importance of Worldbuilding

Originally posted at Fan To Pro.

If you're a fan, geek, otaku, what have you there's a good chance you're into SOMETHING that has a well defined world. It could be the World of Warcraft, it could be the Trekverse, Middle-Earth, what have you.  You could have several properties you like.

You may even work on them.  Perhaps you write fiction, make MMO's, etc.  You may be crafting the setting for a multi-part RPG right now, or designing the starships for a futuristic combat game with a detailed timeline.

Worldbuilding is very important to us geeks, and even more important to the fictions and worlds we build.

Ever wonder why?

This is a question that has obsessed me for awhile because I am a person who gets deeply into worldbuilding.  I like a setting, a good setting, and often argue that a setting is truly the main character of any story.  At the time I am writing this, I am enjoying Dragon Age: Origins, which has a very well-crafted setting, and recently finished Brutal Legend, which attempts to realize a fantasy world based on Heavy Metal album covers and mythology.  (For those of you reading this years later, Brutal Legend is a TIm Schaffer game, which probably doesn't surprise you).

Why does world building draw us so?  I think it's important to answer that question, both for our own self-understanding, but also for the fact many of us work in areas of fiction and maybe we want to know WHY.

REASON ONE: Comprehensibility
Worldbuilding means that you have a setting that makes sense (at least in its own way).  This is very important to being able to make the fictional world accessible.  If there are rules, histories, etc. as you learn them it makes the setting make sense.

Thus there are certain terms that do not change (or if they do you know why) that people can learn.  There are histories that do not change (unless there is a great revelation).  People can get what's going on.

I think a part of worldbuilding is actually the comfort of a comprehensible world, so one can enjoy the stories in it


REASON TWO: Context
A detailed worldsetting also is meaningful.  It is not just that it makes sense and is comprehensible - it's that the elements we know of in the world hang together to provide meaning to events, characters, terms etc. in a way that makes it understandable.

Thus a term character use has a rich history related to the world's history.  A starship's voyage turns out to be complicated by politics involving a well-known alien race.  The elements of the world combine to give each other meaning.

Context is the partner of Comprehensibility.  There is not just meaning, there is deep, related meaning.


REASON THREE: It's fun to play with
Worldbuilding that is consistent and has context also, frankly, is fun to play with.

It invites speculation - because we have the tools and context to speculate with.  We can read books and guess at what's happening because we get the world.  We can act within an RPG
having an idea of what actions our results will have.  We can dream up fanfic or speculate.

Good worldbuilding involves us.


REASON FOUR: It allows for communication with others
Having a setting that is comprehensible, has context, and is just interesting it then becomes fun to discuss, play in, or otherwise interact with others concerning the setting in question.

The social aspect of worldbuilding is extremely important to the long-term survivability of the property.  Having a setting that people like, relate to, and get means they can enjoy it with each other.  They can discuss their favorite characters, speculate on the setting, and so on because of the amount of worldbuilding being done.  In short they can discuss the setting and its elements with confidence, with common ground, and enjoyably because of the effort made.


REASON FIVE: It is commitment
Perhaps the most missed part of worldbuilding's importance is that good worldbuilding represents a commitment on the part of the creators.  You get the feeling what you like is going to be around for awhile and are safe making a personal, emotional, and financial commitment to the property.

This I feel is important.

You know Star Wars is not going away.  Nor is Lord of the Rings.  I get the impression Dragon Age: Origins will spawn sequels in the same interesting setting.

You can make a commitment as people care about the world.


Conclusion:
Worldbuilding is important to many of us, and it's important to understand why: it is about Comprehensibility, Context, the enjoyment of play, the shareability, and the commitment.  Those elements come together in good worldbuilding to make something that can stand the test of time.

- Steven Savage

Originally posted at Fan To Pro.

If you're a fan, geek, otaku, what have you there's a good chance you're into SOMETHING that has a well defined world. It could be the World of Warcraft, it could be the Trekverse, Middle-Earth, what have you.  You could have several properties you like.

You may even work on them.  Perhaps you write fiction, make MMO's, etc.  You may be crafting the setting for a multi-part RPG right now, or designing the starships for a futuristic combat game with a detailed timeline.

Worldbuilding is very important to us geeks, and even more important to the fictions and worlds we build.

Ever wonder why?

This is a question that has obsessed me for awhile because I am a person who gets deeply into worldbuilding.  I like a setting, a good setting, and often argue that a setting is truly the main character of any story.  At the time I am writing this, I am enjoying Dragon Age: Origins, which has a very well-crafted setting, and recently finished Brutal Legend, which attempts to realize a fantasy world based on Heavy Metal album covers and mythology.  (For those of you reading this years later, Brutal Legend is a TIm Schaffer game, which probably doesn't surprise you).

Why does world building draw us so?  I think it's important to answer that question, both for our own self-understanding, but also for the fact many of us work in areas of fiction and maybe we want to know WHY.

REASON ONE: Comprehensibility
Worldbuilding means that you have a setting that makes sense (at least in its own way).  This is very important to being able to make the fictional world accessible.  If there are rules, histories, etc. as you learn them it makes the setting make sense.

Thus there are certain terms that do not change (or if they do you know why) that people can learn.  There are histories that do not change (unless there is a great revelation).  People can get what's going on.

I think a part of worldbuilding is actually the comfort of a comprehensible world, so one can enjoy the stories in it


REASON TWO: Context
A detailed worldsetting also is meaningful.  It is not just that it makes sense and is comprehensible - it's that the elements we know of in the world hang together to provide meaning to events, characters, terms etc. in a way that makes it understandable.

Thus a term character use has a rich history related to the world's history.  A starship's voyage turns out to be complicated by politics involving a well-known alien race.  The elements of the world combine to give each other meaning.

Context is the partner of Comprehensibility.  There is not just meaning, there is deep, related meaning.


REASON THREE: It's fun to play with
Worldbuilding that is consistent and has context also, frankly, is fun to play with.

It invites speculation - because we have the tools and context to speculate with.  We can read books and guess at what's happening because we get the world.  We can act within an RPG
having an idea of what actions our results will have.  We can dream up fanfic or speculate.

Good worldbuilding involves us.


REASON FOUR: It allows for communication with others
Having a setting that is comprehensible, has context, and is just interesting it then becomes fun to discuss, play in, or otherwise interact with others concerning the setting in question.

The social aspect of worldbuilding is extremely important to the long-term survivability of the property.  Having a setting that people like, relate to, and get means they can enjoy it with each other.  They can discuss their favorite characters, speculate on the setting, and so on because of the amount of worldbuilding being done.  In short they can discuss the setting and its elements with confidence, with common ground, and enjoyably because of the effort made.


REASON FIVE: It is commitment
Perhaps the most missed part of worldbuilding's importance is that good worldbuilding represents a commitment on the part of the creators.  You get the feeling what you like is going to be around for awhile and are safe making a personal, emotional, and financial commitment to the property.

This I feel is important.

You know Star Wars is not going away.  Nor is Lord of the Rings.  I get the impression Dragon Age: Origins will spawn sequels in the same interesting setting.

You can make a commitment as people care about the world.


Conclusion:
Worldbuilding is important to many of us, and it's important to understand why: it is about Comprehensibility, Context, the enjoyment of play, the shareability, and the commitment.  Those elements come together in good worldbuilding to make something that can stand the test of time.

- Steven Savage

Something for my artist readers!

Interview with Illustrator Nasan Hardcastle http://bit.ly/91qFsw.

A great guy who decided to share his knowledge - and quite a pro!

- Steve

Interview With Brad Kinne of Seek Books

Ever want to own your own bookstore?  I interviewed Brad Kinne over at Fan To Pro - he did just that!

Haven't seen too much contest entries as of late.  I'm concerned this one may not have been as big as I thought - though NaNo and the holidays to often takeup a chunk of people's time.

- Steve

One Huge List of Convention Ideas

If you've been following over at Fan To Pro, I've been doing a lot on conventions.  Including this list, which I figured I'd share with people.

The List of Profan Panel Ideas for Your Convention

Thought I'd share!  And I'm always looking for more suggestions.

-Steve

Review of Japanamerica

Hey folks, just finished up the book "Japanamerica".  Considering how many anime fans we have here, I figure'd a cross-post with Fan To Pro was in order.

Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded The U.S

By Roland Kelts

ISBN-10: 140398476X
ISBN-13: 978-1403984760

PROS: A breezy, readable, yet informative look at how Japanese pop culture has become part of US culture, mixing theories, the big picture, and personal stories.

CONS: The book's approach makes it more useful for getting the big picture than direct research.  Some theories may seem odd or vague.

SUMMARY: An interesting and thought-provoking book that can help you get a good picture of how Japanese culture has become prominent in the US, why it may have happened, and the future.

Hey folks, just finished up the book "Japanamerica".  Considering how many anime fans we have here, I figure'd a cross-post with Fan To Pro was in order.

Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded The U.S

By Roland Kelts

ISBN-10: 140398476X
ISBN-13: 978-1403984760

PROS: A breezy, readable, yet informative look at how Japanese pop culture has become part of US culture, mixing theories, the big picture, and personal stories.

CONS: The book's approach makes it more useful for getting the big picture than direct research.  Some theories may seem odd or vague.

SUMMARY: An interesting and thought-provoking book that can help you get a good picture of how Japanese culture has become prominent in the US, why it may have happened, and the future.

We're all publisher's now

Originally posted here at Fan-To Pro.

Almost anything we progeeks are into can be considered a form of publishing.  Knowing this is important to our careers.

That may sound strange when your interest doesn't come out as a book or a magazine, so stick with me here as I take a look at just what publishing is.

Almost anything we progeeks are into can be considered a form of publishing.  Knowing this is important to our careers.

That may sound strange when your interest doesn't come out as a book or a magazine, so stick with me here as I take a look at just what publishing is.

Thoughts on gaming: Has the time arrived for . . . Datesims?

This was originally posted at Fan To Pro, but as its about games and artistry, I figured it was worth sharing here.

Datesims have a rather creepy reputation in the US.  The ones we see from Japan often contain questionable content.  By questionable of course I mean soul-searing horror that would make Cthulu call for his mommy and curl up in a blanket.  Yes I know there are Datesims that don't have objectionable content, you just don't hear about them that much.

Except I'm thinking Datesims may have more of a future.  I'm not talking that people will begin playing them instead of Modern Warfare 2.  But I'm thinking that the time may be right for more of them in  . . . well places that aren't Japan.  Oh, and datesims that aren't of a prurient nature.

Before you get scared, let me explain my logic.

• Datesims are casual games.  Casual gaming has obviously been on the increase.
• Their relatively simple nature would let them take advantage of the increased use of Downloadable content - reducing the cost, reducing the investment.
• Let's be honest, the standard Datesim is not overly complex as a piece of technology.
• Romance is always a big genre, and companies doing romance novels (Hey, Harlequin, want ANOTHER initiative?) could jump on the bandwagon.
• Their multimedia nature may tie-in well to people's interests.

So the reason I think Datesims have a future could be summed up as, I think they're viable because you can deliver them fast and cheap, they'd have good appeal, and you have audiences that would be interested in them.  If anything, I see the marketing being a bit troublesome - you'd probably have to call them "interactive romance novels" or something.

I don't see them as being big business (though I see the "interactive novel" idea having more of a future), but I think they may be a viable product for some companies, and a valuable addition to publishers of romance novels and products.  After all, if you got a modern anime-style artist to do a Datesim/romance with hunky vampires, and it cost $10 with the purchase of a novel, and maybe had unlockable desktops and themes - yeah, I think it'd sell.

- Steven

Latest Contest Entries

Here you go:

• Assault Beyond Pluto
• Creatures of Gore
• I was a Teenage Assassin for the KGB

No new generators yet. I probably should try something during the break shouldn't I . . .

-Steve

Geek Victory has a downside . . .

Originally posted at Fan-To-Pro.

As I noted last week, geek is good, fan is fab, and the nerds have won.  Doctor Who is back,  the Trek franchise is invigorated, anime is hip, video games are everywhere.

Now, however, I'd like to look at the dark side of the Great Geek Victory.

How do companies, writers, publishers, programmers, etc. deal with the broad, new audience for things geeky, nerdy, technical, and cool?

My concern is that the hipness of nerddom is going to actually reduce experimentation.  The broader audiences have certain expectations, wishes, and interests.  These audiences also bring in a lot of cash.

The end result?  Despite geekiness being everywhere, I'm concerned that too many authors, publishers, companies, etc. are going to play it safe to maintain their new broader audiences.

I've often complained of fantasy RPGs having a standard pseudo-European/Toklein setting.  But now with games being big business is that so expected that companies are less likely to experiment, since the "same old same old" brings in these bigger audiences?

Just go take a look at bookshelves and see how we were up to our armpits in vampire romance before latecomer New Moon.

We've got classic superheroes coming to the screens, but can they evolve and grow, or will it be the same old same old because they're geek icons?  Will we be eternally remaking Batman every decade or two?

So I'm very happy my people have won.  But I'm worried the victory has been because a narrow spectrum of geekdom is viewed as successful, so it can become it's own kind of stagnation because people won't want to take chances.

As for us progeeks, well, we can keep aware of these trends and look for ways to break stereotypes (profitably).  But first and foremost, be aware - you may be in for a career where you can do what you love, but doing the same old same old as you make the same stories, video games, etc.

- Steven

Originally posted at Fan-To-Pro.

As I noted last week, geek is good, fan is fab, and the nerds have won.  Doctor Who is back,  the Trek franchise is invigorated, anime is hip, video games are everywhere.

Now, however, I'd like to look at the dark side of the Great Geek Victory.

How do companies, writers, publishers, programmers, etc. deal with the broad, new audience for things geeky, nerdy, technical, and cool?

My concern is that the hipness of nerddom is going to actually reduce experimentation.  The broader audiences have certain expectations, wishes, and interests.  These audiences also bring in a lot of cash.