Encyclopedia of Ideas

[Map the Dragon]

I thought some of you might get a kick out of this, or may want to try it out yourself.


Basic Idea: Keep a Word file of your ideas, this is especially helpful if you have a close writing friend who you can meet with every so often. My best friend and I sometimes write together, but both have our own novel series. For fun, and as a cure for writer's block, we keep an encyclopedia of ideas. It's actually a lot of fun, especially for those of you into worldbuilding. He and I will sit down and just comd up with ideas for various categories of our fantasy worlds.

We categorize into three vague categories: Creatures, People (cultures or races), and Places.

We just write as we go and each keep our seperate file. The idea here is that we have numerous ideas from which to draw as we continue writing. We then color code....I highlight in one color if I use an entry. If he uses one, it's another color. A third color signifies our co-written uses (like our short stories). Anything not highlighted is still up for grabs. We just have a rule that once one of us uses something, the other has to email it over to take it off the board.

We both got some of our best and original creature characters from this process.

 

[BeigePalladin]

sounds a plan, will be back later with the stuffz that runs through my fevered imagination

 

[Map the Dragon]

It would be cool to post some of our unused creations here....as long as we know and agree they are all copyrighted!

 

[Telcontar]

Each story world I write in has its own file to this effect. Hardly as elaborate as yours, though - I just list words and define them, and I write out various important scenes that have occurred to me. Saved it all under "<story or world name> Ideas" and it gets tucked away until I'm ready to actually write the story.

 

[Map the Dragon]

Each story world I write in has its own file to this effect. Hardly as elaborate as yours, though - I just list words and define them, and I write out various important scenes that have occurred to me. Saved it all under "<story or world name> Ideas" and it gets tucked away until I'm ready to actually write the story.

I should have done this with my novel, but did not. I got lucky, though. My publisher and editor kept a reference doc where they documented and alpha-organized all the names, place, etc. found in my world. It's making it a lot easier to write book two with that printed and on the desk next to me.

 

[SeverinR]

This always sounds like an advertisement, but I use;

MS onenote,
I have characters section;with a character substory section, monster creation section, Towns and cities section,
I have a section for pictures of places I might use in my writings.
Each of these columns has endless pages under them, and even subpages.

You get three notebooks to start,
then you have files across the top of each notebook, then a page down the right side, each page can have a subpage,
so basically 3 endless filing cabinets. It has really helped me to organize.
You can use the search engine to find what your looking for in all notebooks.

 

[BeigePalladin]

so, current ideas I have shelfed. if anyone wants to use one, then feel free

idea 1 - tradition fantasyish:
the setting is in the oh so overdone fantasy world multiverse type thing, on a world that was created by the old gods (now mostly depowered, but still a force to be rocked with) as a prison world, after heaven and hell nearlly oblitorated each other in a grand scale ivine war - this world was created to hide away the unspekable thingies both sides unleashed. However, the gods where fearfull of some other forces (one of the multitude of new gods) discovering this, not quite uderstanding, and freeing these things, so they created 9 seals on the prisons, and gave the world a heavily cribbed backstory* from other distant worlds, to try and deter people...

it didn't work

*yes, my gods are lazy procrastinators, as I don;t see people to who creating anything is much effort will pay much attention after the 3rd aeon

Idea 2 - webcomic thingymawut...
set in the same world, this was the idea for a casual webcomic/graphic novel type thing, foccusing on what the old gods from above are doing now. Since their war has ended, both sets of od's have come to accept one another, and can interact quite well (think old childhood rivals for details, or the relationship between the vices and sins in Sins).

Idea 3 (hard scienece fantasy (not to be comnfused with science fiction))
this is kinda a super-hero thing, with a twist. it's set in a semi-dystopian future, where super powers can be purchased by the highest bidder, though the treatment has some side effects (namely madness, and the chance to mutate), and in the aftermath of a war started, and effected, by these powers - until a world wide EMP spike neutered the world, leaving it a mix of high technology and low tewch, depending on the area. The plot focuses on Alesiha, a soldier in the army of the something Alliance (a direct alliance of a few of america's states (it having split up earlier), a fair portion of europe, and england)), as she uncovers a lot in her own country to overthrow the millitary ogliarchy, and is forced to decend into the world of crazy super-heorics and soldiering...and death... and betreyal.. and stuff

idea 4: dark crime fantasy.
A person is kidnapped, and their body sacrficied to be the host of an evil cult's body-snatching ancient mage patron, leaving the spirirt disemodied. this spirit then sets out using it's spirirty goodness too uncover who it was that forced them out, regain it's body, and bring said cult down...

and avoid death, who's a bit... odd

 

[Derin]

Tiddlywiki.

I've just started using it and it's brilliant. You can build your world and plot ideas into a wiki.

 

[hhippen941]

i have 30 pages of planning typed into my laptop for my novels- you are completely right with how hopeful they are and also they make writing easier and keep you from having a lull or writers block thank you soo much for telling others how helpful this method can be!

 

[SeverinR]

I do this and almost never have traditional writer's block.
If I am stuck in a story I look for interesting places to include in my worlds,
think of a new animal/creature to include.

My latest was the process for becoming a lich. Don't have a story for it, but it will be there for when I do. (included good and evil means to become a lich.)

 

[Jester]

I use a similar concept to keep track of the ideas I come up with while not actively brainstorming or writing; its a simple stream-of-consciousness word document that I go over once a week to see if anything is usable. If anyone hits writer's block let me know, I may have something buried there I'll never use.

Out of curiosity do you guys prefer hand-written or typed notes for your work?

 

[Kaellpae]

Needs more Bunnicorns.

 

[Ice Queen]

Usually I have so much worming around in my head; it's difficult because my story is constantly changing! I write pages and pages of notes about characters, plotlines and so on; then I change my mind about the story's direction and I have to write more :c I wish my brain could stick with the plotline for once! (I suppose it helps that I'm not entirely sure what my plotline IS...)

Drat!

I prefer to write notes; but when I go to actually write chapters and such I find it easier to just type it on my laptop.

 

[SeverinR]

Needs more Bunnicorns.

First picture in my mind was a floppy growth on a foot. (bunions and corns)

 

[Map the Dragon]

Out of curiosity do you guys prefer hand-written or typed notes for your work?

I am totally on the computer now; I type just about everything. I try to keep a notepad around for spontaneous ideas, dreams, etc., but sometimes I just say I'll remember something and type it out later. Alas...sometimes, I forget

 

[Kaellpae]

First picture in my mind was a floppy growth on a foot. (bunions and corns)

That would be a very gross growth.
I'm hoping the second thing in your mind was a cute, fluffy bunny with an awesome magic horn?

 

[Draconian]

Me I just write ideas on paper and write some of chapter on paper and some of them on computer.