Other’s Worlds

I missed my post last week (busy summer is busy) and I had no idea what to write today. But! I can react to Kelly’s post.

I’m working on some tie-in fiction too, which means I’m also playing around in somebody else’s world. Mostly though, I’ve been enjoying it. Don’t get me wrong, I love world building, but it’s kind of nice to have all the basic crap already covered. Things like geography, climate, history, cultures, and god%*$&# mother$*%*&^% names. Instead of making that up, I can look it up. Then I can figure out how to bend my story around the world that’s already there– or how to bend that world around my story, if I can get away with it. Tie-in’s are mash-ups for me. I take a world and carve my story into it, working with and (a little) against what’s already there.

Really, it’s not a lot different than writing urban fantasy. I sure as hell wasn’t allowed any hand in world building real life. Which is probably good- there would be dragons. But it’s still fun to set stories in the realy real world. And easier. Especially with Google.

There are limitations. You’re stuck with the rules of magic and religion that are in place, world-shattering events are frowned upon, and you can’t just decide that all the elves have antlers.

That’s okay though. When I want to design my own worlds, I still can. So if I finally decide to set down the tales of Buck Rackgood, Night Ranger, I just have to start typing.

The door crashed open and a tall figure threw its shadow across the common room. It was a dark and horny elf.

Awesome.