FWIW, bumblefish97, I'm going on the opposite tack. I did not start writing with a completely blank slate, but nearly so. I had the advantage of using real Earth as the setting, but that brings its own challenges. But I had nothing developed concerning the nature or society of elves, dwarves, orcs or anything else (except humans) and I wrote my first story. I didn't even have a magic system and my first story was about the discovery of a key element of magic. But I dodged by having the discovery go up in smoke at the end of the story. Its official discovery came later, outside the story.
In my second story, I have goblins invade the Roman Empire. Where did the goblins come from? I didn't know. What were goblins? I didn't know, save that I pictured a horde, so that began dictating certain aspects. By the time I was done, I had a very clear picture about goblins. I also happened upon the notion that magic in Altearth develops over time. Those who use it don't know how it works, or have mistaken ideas about it.
Then I started deliberately writing stories in order to explore some fantasy aspect of Altearth. The one that's soon coming out has a gnome as a major secondary character. I had a couple of core ideas about gnomes, but that was all. As I wrote, I was able to fill in details. I was also found a corollary to the process.
Characters in stories leave the ordinary to enter into the extraordinary. In order to show this properly, I had to develop a fair amount of what daily life would look like for gnomes, and how others perceived gnomes in their ordinary routine. Only then would I know how my gnome (and those around her) would behave when thrown into unusual circumstances. The ordinary becomes like negative space that defines the extraordinary.
Anyway, it is indeed possible to put story before world building. In truth it's a dialectic. Do both at the same time. But world building without having a specific story in mind, is never going to be more than a pencil sketch. With a story in mind, it is the sketch on canvas that will become a painting.
In my second story, I have goblins invade the Roman Empire. Where did the goblins come from? I didn't know. What were goblins? I didn't know, save that I pictured a horde, so that began dictating certain aspects. By the time I was done, I had a very clear picture about goblins. I also happened upon the notion that magic in Altearth develops over time. Those who use it don't know how it works, or have mistaken ideas about it.
Then I started deliberately writing stories in order to explore some fantasy aspect of Altearth. The one that's soon coming out has a gnome as a major secondary character. I had a couple of core ideas about gnomes, but that was all. As I wrote, I was able to fill in details. I was also found a corollary to the process.
Characters in stories leave the ordinary to enter into the extraordinary. In order to show this properly, I had to develop a fair amount of what daily life would look like for gnomes, and how others perceived gnomes in their ordinary routine. Only then would I know how my gnome (and those around her) would behave when thrown into unusual circumstances. The ordinary becomes like negative space that defines the extraordinary.
Anyway, it is indeed possible to put story before world building. In truth it's a dialectic. Do both at the same time. But world building without having a specific story in mind, is never going to be more than a pencil sketch. With a story in mind, it is the sketch on canvas that will become a painting.