Jabrosky
Banned
While musing on my interests in history, anthropology, and archaeology, I have noticed that the cultures and time periods that appeal to my creative side the most are generally the more enigmatic or poorly documented ones, the societies which we know much less about. For example, my favorite time period in ancient Egyptian history is probably the early predynastic, back when the Egyptians still lived in small "tribal" societies and didn't leave as much in the way of written records as their dynastic descendents. I believe this is because the less scientists or historians collectively know about a given ancient society, the more creative freedom I have in reconstructing that society in art or writing. While it is true that learning more about the past can dig up some inspiring surprises, at the same time I have a lot of fun in filling up the blank spots in our knowledge with my imagination. With more widely publicized times and cultures (e.g. Imperial Rome or medieval England), you have much less creative wiggle room.
I think the same principle applies to world-building. While I definitely enjoy creating my own worlds in the beginning, it seems that the more details I add to a given project, the more likely I am to tire of it. Often I end up feeling confined by the very rules that I lay out and want to revise them. Does anyone else feel this way when it comes to world-building?
I think the same principle applies to world-building. While I definitely enjoy creating my own worlds in the beginning, it seems that the more details I add to a given project, the more likely I am to tire of it. Often I end up feeling confined by the very rules that I lay out and want to revise them. Does anyone else feel this way when it comes to world-building?