Lore, everything is Lore.

[ProjectZ]

My experience with this world i am creating has been evolving from a singular point and expanding from it. I started with the creation of the world. Then went on to explain different eras in this world, I would often circle back and draw new stories from characters and places I have already written and made a permanent place in my world.

But as i spent more time on this world, and its lore, and i finaly moved to creating a story. Everything I've been writing has seemed like more and more lore and i cannot find a good starting point for it. Has anyone ever ran into this kind of issue, and if so any suggestions?

 

[Jessquoi]

Sounds like you're writing the background for you story, but haven't actually started the novel part. You need some characters. Either create them from nothing or base them on people you know, that will you give something to work off. Characters make the story. In the end, there is no story without your characters, so once you have enough background knowledge about your world it would be safe to put a couple of characters in there, give 'em a few problems and see where it goes!

 

[TheokinsJ]

It seems what you are doing is the natural thing that most writers want to do. Info dump.
Info dumping is basically telling the reader everything about your world and overwhelming them with information that detracts from the story. My advice is to write lore later or separately from your book. Think about all the lore from well known fantasies, books such as Narnia and the Lord of the Rings, most of the lore is not mentioned in the book, but the authors wrote the lore and consequently there are wiki's and websites devoted to the lore of those books. Lore should not be the focus, as excited as you are to tell the reader everything about your world and all the interesting places and things there are, you need to restrain yourself and focus on the story and the characters. Hope this helped .

 

[wordwalker]

One way to organize a story is to start with a character --which probably leads to reams written about his culture and life up until now-- and name his problem. The story is simply everything in the world that complicates or helps with that, and everything he can and can't do about it, lined up into a sequence... if the sequence helps the character grow.

 

[advait98]

It's been kind of the opposite for me. First I constructed the plot, then I went on with the characters, then I went on with the lore.

Put all your lore to one side, and imagine your world from a fresh perspective. Likely that you have a preferred city or setting or colony or society, so base a character along the lines of that.
With all that lore you made, I assume that there are legends of evil and dark and stuff... I'm sure you get my drift.

Of course if the problem isn't the characters, but that you're getting distracted by all the lore in the attempt to lay the foundation of your plot... try to merge the lore ... or disjoint the lore?... any two. I'm sure you have several interesting facts about your societies, etc., so maybe build a conflict related to that.

And if it's none of that and I misconstrued your question and this post is a waste... I'll be in the corner with my red face.

 

[Ophiucha]

It's a classic problem; I think every fantasy writer has fell into it at least once in their lives.

I find a good way to decide where, in the vastness of the world you've created, to start is just to consider what you really love about the world. Like, if you're really proud of the work you spent on the religion, why not start with a nun or a monk? Write their story so that you can explore the religion. If you're really proud of the architecture, you could write about a thief who jumps from the rooftops and clings to the windowsills ala Assassin's Creed. Find the elements of the world that you love and give your characters a reason to be involved in them, or make a character whose conflict or lifestyle revolves around it.

 

[Filk]

You have some good advice above. Focus on a single character and minimize the setting. Show their tiny world and, if possible, make them ignorant of the wider world. Hopefully that will focus you enough on something manageable and get you into your story. Don't be terrified and avoid proper nouns, but don't introduce them too quickly. The ignorant, unworldly character is a good mechanic in that they can be verbally taught what the reader needs to know, but don't be too blatant with it. Maybe write about a farmer clear-cutting or burning forest in some pioneer front area for pasturage. There can't be too much going on out there hehe.

 

[Mindfire]

I'm actually going to advise you in a different direction than most other posters. I say, especially since you're just starting out, go with your strengths. Worldbuilding seems to be your strong suit, so use it to your advantage. Surely your world must have myths and legends about heroes of days gone by? Or perhaps recorded history of great leaders in troubled times, of traitors, invaders, famines, or plagues? Delve into the history of your world. Find one of those great events, and then you have your story. Because that's what fantasy essentially is- fake history. Just take one of your people's legends or historical accounts and flesh it out. What in the accounts is accurate? What details have been forgotten? What was it like for the people living at that time and how did they view the world? The basis for your story is in the lore. Find an interesting event and write about it. Don't worry too much about character at first. Just get the draft done. It doesn't have to be perfect and if it is, you're a freak of nature. Just finish the draft, and then you can worry about characterization, voices, sprucing up the prose, etc. during revision.

 

[Mindfire]

Lol no you've given me some valuable feed back, at least the second part. I drift away, and been doing so from the main story this world revolves from writing legends and things of this sort. Perhaps its just a matter of knuckling under and just trying to get to a certain point in it where i can contently create lore that has to do with events happening in the story.

But I still have a problem with where to start, ive drafted 3 different starting points and on all of them have become backstory...thats my real problem.

Well you have three options.

Option 1: Start at the beginning. Write a story based on the earliest of your three eras, and then subsequent stories can show how the world evolves as time moves on.

Option 2: Start at the end and go backwards. This way, your first story can draw on and reference all the history for the world that you've so far created, which might lend to a deeper, richer feel. Subsequent stories can then go back in time and show the events that have only been referenced previously, but not fully explained.

Option 3: Start in the middle, and then go forward and backwards with sequels and prequels. That way, you can do both, although you won't have as much history to draw on as in option 2, and your world wont do as much evolving over time as in option 1.

 

[ProjectZ]

You need some characters. Either create them from nothing or base them on people you know, that will you give something to work off. Characters make the story. In the end, there is no story without your characters, so once you have enough background knowledge about your world it would be safe to put a couple of characters in there, give 'em a few problems and see where it goes!

I have more characters than I should lol. The singular point from where ive created the world is a character. This is where my problem lies...I have alot of information, i know where they fit chronologically. I know which character i want to focus on, i have his background figured out, his progress, various obstacles, antagonists. I have everything i need to start. No idea where to start.

I think that ive become too attatched with the idea of my character and i feel that everything about him, past and future is important. I will either mention it, or have it happen in the story depending on where from the start those ideas are. If i start too early i'll have too much to write (which may not be a problem) if i start too late then i will have no where to go.

 

[ProjectZ]

It's a classic problem; I think every fantasy writer has fell into it at least once in their lives.

I find a good way to decide where, in the vastness of the world you've created, to start is just to consider what you really love about the world. Like, if you're really proud of the work you spent on the religion, why not start with a nun or a monk? Write their story so that you can explore the religion. If you're really proud of the architecture, you could write about a thief who jumps from the rooftops and clings to the windowsills ala Assassin's Creed. Find the elements of the world that you love and give your characters a reason to be involved in them, or make a character whose conflict or lifestyle revolves around it.

I don't think that applies to me, I was wrong not to mention i have the idea for the story. But great advice, to more fully understand a place or person(s). I could use this advice to create more back story and lore. Though that is my issue at the moment lol. It will help when my intent is to write lore.

 

[Ophiucha]

Hmm, well if your problem is just starting the story... why not just start at a point of conflict? Don't worry about the backstory and lore for your first draft, you can decide what's needed there later. Just find the point where the story begins, the 'call to action', the confrontation with the antagonist, whatever it may be, and move forward from that moment. And I mean literally start at that exact moment. If your character is pushed into the story by their uncle's house being burned down, open the story with a description of the fire. It sounds like you're tempted to just give the character's entire life story since you've planned it all out, so don't give yourself the opportunity to. Not to start out with, at least.

 

[Lathar]

You could create a character who isn't very knowledgeable about the world he lives in - say a youngman who has lived in a village for his entire life and then decides to travel abroad. As he progresses through his journey, he will learn and percieve the world for us, the reader, to learn.

 

[Jabrosky]

I have to second Mindfire's suggestion. In fact the problem I have with the "story first, setting afterward" approach recommended by the other posters is that in many cases, setting does have an effect on your range of story possibilities. If you've decided on a world with a more or less Bronze Age level of technology, you can't exactly write a story about computer hackers. Of course, over-defining a setting can feel constraining, but knowing the basics can help generate ideas.