Yora
Maester
One of the things that really got my into wanting to write are fantasy worlds that are very exotic to the point of being more like alien planets than takes on the world of European legends. Settings like in The Dark Crystal, Morrowind, Planescape, Hyperborea, Barsoom and Dune (which are cheating, I know), and maybe Final Fantasy 10. Since there is so little like that to read, I feel like writing it is some kind of substitute.
When the goal is to be very different from the common standards, there's obviously no established procedures to follow. Which makes the whole thing a lot more difficult. Probably the reason there's so little of it.
But do you think there are perhaps some general patterns of what works with these settings and what not? Things that look like really useful tools or big potential pitfalls? Things you really should stick with to avoid getting too confusing, or conventions that really need to go to make the world feel alien?
I think one aspect about worlds with this style is that they should be left very vague and ambiguous about geography and history. I think I would go without a fixed timeline of history and only the most rough scrible for a map, if any. The characters don't have to be lost or confused about where they are or what's going on, but I think part of what makes this style work is that the audience has no clue what's behind the horizon or the next corner until they see it. I feel that the sense that anything could be possible on the next page and you just have to take it in stride and roll with it is quite a major aspect of these worlds.
Though you also need a clear consistency of style and tone that ties everything together that exists in the world. As creator you can't just make up everything on the spot and put it into the story as it pops into your mind. Then it's just wacky adventures and you lose the sense that it all is an actual world with its own rules and reasons.
When the goal is to be very different from the common standards, there's obviously no established procedures to follow. Which makes the whole thing a lot more difficult. Probably the reason there's so little of it.
But do you think there are perhaps some general patterns of what works with these settings and what not? Things that look like really useful tools or big potential pitfalls? Things you really should stick with to avoid getting too confusing, or conventions that really need to go to make the world feel alien?
I think one aspect about worlds with this style is that they should be left very vague and ambiguous about geography and history. I think I would go without a fixed timeline of history and only the most rough scrible for a map, if any. The characters don't have to be lost or confused about where they are or what's going on, but I think part of what makes this style work is that the audience has no clue what's behind the horizon or the next corner until they see it. I feel that the sense that anything could be possible on the next page and you just have to take it in stride and roll with it is quite a major aspect of these worlds.
Though you also need a clear consistency of style and tone that ties everything together that exists in the world. As creator you can't just make up everything on the spot and put it into the story as it pops into your mind. Then it's just wacky adventures and you lose the sense that it all is an actual world with its own rules and reasons.