World Building Fun

One of my challenges this year is to write something out of my traditional 'comfort zone'. Not that I can ever claim to be comfortable with my writing, it bleeds me dry most days. Anyway, encouraged by a fellow Writers Abroad member Nicola (published as Nina Croft and a star at the paranormal romance genre) I decided to try out writing in the fantasy genre.

This genre is quite like any other because you can make a lot of it up. I have 'written' three novels, all historical and in varying states of completion. The research for this kind of thing take some time and whilst you can play around the edges, you really do need to create the world that was. This week I've been creating a whole new world all of my own! I've found it immensely satisfying, I suppose largely because it has allowed the child in me to surface once again. Always one for making up tales, mostly ones that got me into trouble one way or another, I've forgotten how good it was to really let your imagination loose, without constraints or experiences. Whilst I suppose much of the world I have built must relate back to something that I know - that old nugget that nothing is original comes to mind - a lot of it is made up. I'll give you some examples:

My world is Tasosia and it's a world of dryads, fauns, trolls (oh yes) and talking animals. My main character has been called Xanthe, but I'm thinking of calling her Ayla, which means moonlight. This change of heart came about because my world has three moons about which I plan to write a short novella, this first one is called Wolf Moon. Tasosia has to have its villains and these link to the three moon phases, each dominated by an evil warrior Empress (I can't think of the female version of a war lord - war lady sounds silly...). Ayla is the last of her species with special powers but she has been trapped on Earth since she was little and knows nothing of her life on Tasosia until regression therapy takes her there...

Does it sound daft? Probably. Do I care? Not at all, I'm having such great fun. Will it be a good read? I hope so and if not I've learnt, yet again, a whole deal more about the craft of writing.
So my plans for the weekend? I'm off to visit Tasosia to have a chat with Ayla and find out what is going to happen to her... Until Later,