Worldbuilding & Lore: When Is It Too Much? (Patreon)

Creativity, making things... For those that like thinking and developing ideas, be it through art, writing or otherwise, things don't tend to come out of nowhere, materializing from the ether. Sometimes, these ideas are fleeting- Little tid-bits that hold our interest for a little bit, cool thoughts, but nothing we seriously want to develop and expand upon, perhaps a side-story within another frame at most. Other times, they stick with us, becoming a recurring theme among our works, or further yet, becoming the basis for a larger project that stays with us for months, or even years.

Of course, not everyone has much of a creative drive or the desire to tell a story of their own, and that is entirely fine. But for the content creators, trying to share a story of their own, or giving an already existing one a personal twist, ideas come and go, thoughts cross our minds. Incorporating things into our already existing project? Starting something new? Ah, the curse of never quite finishing something the way we want to, and moving on to the next! All those WIPs in our folders, that we swear we WILL get back to!

It can be a bit discouraging, right? Spending so much time developing and expanding, ideas, designs, entire worlds. Planning ahead, but never ending writing anything about it. Starting it, but the inspiration and drive just doesn't want to come back, abandoning ideas for long stretches of time, and feeling guilty for it... Getting too ambitious, going too far, enough is enough sometimes. You gotta limit yourself, right? Focus, concentrate, your efforts for the current story, avoid the superfluous side-stuff hovering in your mind, and gun it to the end! It's time to reduce the scope of your ideas, set hard rules to not get off-course, and ignore everything else that doesn't match the current vision you have for your work!

Nah.

I am here to argue there's no such a thing as 'too much planning or world building'. That there's no reason to limit yourself and hold yourself back from exploring the ideas you want to. I am here to argue, that meandering, expanding and being ambitious and too in-depth, is actually a good thing. And yet the same way, too, I am also here to argue that not going in-depth with your planning, and leaving things vague to focus on other aspects of your work, is equally valid.

Woah, wait, hold on...

Okay, so, that is not 100% true. Let us say, for example, that you are developing a high fantasy world. Medieval times, no Magic to be found, or very sparsely, and a very specific vibe of heroic tale. If you have your rules set, then simply fiddling with other ideas that may break these rules could ruin the vibe you were going for, a tonal shift, anachronistic issues... When I say that worldbuilding and developing ideas should be done without restriction, I don't say that you should forego coherence of the world you have built. 

If you have a set of rules in your world, you should try not to break them. There's exceptions of course, if the breaking of the rules is the point of the story, for example, introducing a foreign agent in it, or if the tone of the work allows for it- Humor, in particular, often benefits from not being too strict with these rules. But in general, there's some things you simply cannot do without altering the course of a story majorly, introducing plot-holes, or breaking the illusion of what you have built.

What I am arguing, however, is that these rules can be more flexible than you realize, that your ambition is an important part of what may make your work interesting, that all those scattered, undeveloped ideas can be the source of something great you never considered. I am saying that the things you didn't think would work can actually be a great source of inspiration, and the vague little things you'd have liked to include, but were unsure about, probably would've worked just fine.

So gather all those old unfinished documents and WIPs that you have pushed aside, all the side-ideas that didn't go through, the vibes, the feelings, put on a smile, and let's get right into it, shall we?

The Development

Let's consider the following example: You've had a good idea for a sci-fi setting. Perhaps it's going to end up as just brief fiction in some forum, or perhaps you want to expand it into something bigger. Whichever the case, you've got cool space stuff in the brain, alien races, tech! The whole vibe! You're so pumped, excited about it, and begin doing research, the minutia of space travel, drives, of galactic councils and colonizing other planets, of friction between populations. Amidst the science and politics, you begin to lose your drive. All these hours looking into already well known and established media make things seem a bit daunting. You had a lot of cool ideas, but you lack the cohesion to pull them off- The skill to actually get there, right? You're looking into scientific formulas and theories and ways to achieve a galactic civilization, and the math is kind of giving you a headache. Can you go THAT deep? If you can't figure out how to make this work then it all falls apart! The idea falls through, your enjoyment and drive to make it, disappear, and it soon becomes a forgotten idea, a reminder that you're maybe not cut out for this genre, this kind of story...

Or how about this? Let's consider: You're working on a fantasy world. Have been for a while! You've got a cool thing going on with magic and a few cool species you want, but the story is kind of giving you trouble. Things are maybe a bit too serious and dry, and it makes it difficult to come up with good dialog. But the world is cool! You just... Gotta keep going with the idea you had. You also had something cool that could have happened here at one point, but... Oof. Doing so would not fit the current vibe of the story, and the way things are going? It's good. It's REALLY good but it's simply not what you're working on right now. You just gotta ignore it and slog through more of the dialog and story to get to other parts you liked more, and hey... Is this whole thing worth it? the original excitement you had about the world is kind of wavering... It's just not fun to actually write it. Maybe it was all a bad idea. Maybe it's time to give it a rest?

How about those old characters you enjoyed that you ended up not doing much with, and simply faded when you moved on to a new project? What about some cool idea you had, but it felt excessive, too nerdy, that you were going 'too deep' for what was otherwise a minor, temporary project? How about your favorite series, how it makes you want to do something similar, but ugh, no, you'd just end up COPYING them, what is even the point, you're not going to make something better.

Maybe this idea is too unfitting.

Maybe this is too in-depth.

Maybe I am spending too much time working on it.

Maybe I don't have the time to spend developing this.

I am not smart enough or good enough to pull this off.

I have ideas and standards I want to meet and this would clash too much with the vibe I want to go for.

I can't. I can't. I can't.

Isn't that really frustrating?

Restriction and holding oneself back. A lack of confidence. A fear of deviating from the original idea. Sometimes you're too fixated on something and ignore other possibilities. Other times, there's just so much you become overwhelmed with choice, and end up not doing anything at all.

I don't know how relatable this may be, in all honesty? I've seen artists talk about it, other people mention similar struggles. I've seen friends go through it first hand. I myself have had to deal with a good bunch of it as well. So I assume, even if not these particular, specific instances, if you're one with a creative drive, that would want to make something in a future, that has tried to get something going, only to crash some time after, you can at least relate to the general feeling of frustration, of leaving projects behind, of abandoned ideas, for one reason or another.

And you know what? Losing your drive for no particular or discernible reason can happen. There doesn't need to be a reason behind it, for you to simply give up on something that you used to enjoy. However, the end of it is the beginning, and I feel a lot of people forget that. You lose your drive, you no longer want to keep working on your latest project, to deal with this particular vibe or setting, so you scrap it, you change it, you toss it away in favor of something new that will hold your attention again, help you focus, get you back on track. But then, what if things turn the same way with this new idea? What if it's not worth it focusing so hard on it?

This is what I want to talk about. This is the feeling I've pin-pointed among people I care and love, who are extremely creative, and love to make, and share what they make, but often don't feel the drive to keep going.

To you, I ask, why do you hold yourself back? To you, I ask, why do you forget and scrap after things didn't work out? To you, I ask, who is judging you other than yourself? Are you being fair with this assessment?

Let's take a look back.

Restriction, and Growth

Your Sci-Fi idea failed to launch. Too daunting, too in-depth... But you used to like the idea, and the vibe, before starting to go overboard with it, didn't you? You liked space, you liked alien races... Let's start there. Who cares about the specifics of why FTL drives function or the hierarchy of inter-planetary politics? If that is too much, if that ruins your attachment to the world, why do you have to go THAT far? To emulate another successful series? You don't have to live up to impossible standards, and you can give things a twist of your own.

What about that Fantasy world? Obviously you have some cool worldbuilding! You have a system of Magic and a world that you kind of like, but, ugh, it did feel so dry didn't it? And the cool idea you never got to use? A shame. ... Why not? Why did you hold back from it? would it have needed you to rethink stuff? To change the vibe, of the world? Why not do exactly that? You make the rules, and if the rules are hindering your enjoyment and not letting you explore things you enjoy, are they truly worth it? You don't have to be strict with yourself, perhaps what you need is not to start from scratch, but identify the things you don't enjoy.

Why did characters you liked simply end up fading? They're yours, why not use them again in a future project?  The nerdy idea, too deep for its own good, going too far... Too far for who? You obviously liked it, didn't you? What is wrong with indulging yourself and digging deep into these 'excessive' things? Your favorite series influences you so much, you want to do something different, to not copy it! Do you really think your series is wholly unique and with no inspirations? If it's influencing you so much, doesn't it mean it touches exactly on the kind of thing you love, and would like to make yourself? Are you really going to deny yourself of exploring your favorite topics and subjects just because you've seen examples of them being used before?

And so we reach the crux of the issues. Ah. All the doubt we have, about ourselves and our works. Our arbitrary restrictions. Rules, self-imposed, that end up ruining our enjoyment of that which we'd otherwise love to create.

When I set out to write this Essay, I was focusing on the 'going too far' aspect of it, as the title indicates. You have a world. You start going too far, too deep into it, and you end up worrying that people won't enjoy it if it becomes too intricate. You simplify things for the sake of an imaginary audience, and in the process, end up curbing the very excitement you had for your world, and it falls off. But this is just one example of the many creative issues people can go through. It didn't feel fair to comment about this, without broaching on the exact opposite- Feeling the need of being much more specific than you're comfortable with, doing too much research, holding yourself up to standards that ruin your enjoyment.

Listen.

The WIPs you have. The ideas that never went anywhere, but you wanted to explore. If there was, at any point, a desire, a drive to do something with them, it means they held a kernel of enjoyment for you. At the very least, there was a core factor or two that kept you going. It can be the vibe of the world. It can be the characters. It can be something as simple, as a single line of dialog, or a plot point.

But then things don't work out, and you abandon it. Oh well, next time will be better, maybe? You can keep trying and trying and trying again! But every time you try, alongside experience, you gain biases, and fears. That you cannot make these things you enjoyed work. That you were too much. Not enough.

Failure is a step towards success. But failure in itself is not the end of the step. As I mentioned, it's the beginning. You can't simply fail, give up, and start anew. Why did it fail? If you keep imposing the same rules and restrictions on yourself that killed your previous project, no matter how much you love and enjoy your new one, it will end up just the same, a drag that doesn't work. What did you enjoy about it? You may be retreading old territory, but if you're adding a new spin to it and changing the things you didn't enjoy, what is wrong with it? After all, you like it, don't you?

You like it.

Don't you?

Yes, you.

When you write, when you draw, often times you want to show it to other people. You want it to be seen, and to be seen, is to be judged. You have to keep a standard of quality! You have to make it good. So you judge it yourself, first. Herein comes this issue to light. The author, who judges their work too harshly, and holds it to too high standards, dismissing its value. The author, who worries their own tastes are too unique and specific, sanitizing their work of the things they enjoy, for a broader appeal. The author, who feels too self-indulgent, and tries to hold back from what they loved. The author, being influenced by other works, fearful of creating an inferior copy. You will be seen, and judged. So you are harsh, needlessly so.

But in the end, aren't you the primary thing that should be taken into account with any work you create? You are the author. The one that has to make it happen. That is in charge of thinking everything, and solidifying it for the audience to consume, afterwards. Why would you ignore your own tastes? Why would you give so much weight to a perception of a potential future audience, enough to shut down and shy away from topics you clearly like?

So I say, there should be no restrictions when you create.

Because if you like a character, you like them for a reason. Because if you think a plot point is interesting? You think so for a reason. Because if you've put hours upon hours of research upon something out of interest and love, who cares if it's too nerdy? It's a show of love and passion, there's a reason for it, and you shouldn't have to make it less deep. Because if you enjoy the vibe, simple as it may be, without going into details, well you're still enjoying it aren't you? There's a reason for that enjoyment, and you shouldn't have to feel like you need to match the level of complexity of reality just to enjoy it.

So gather up all of those old ideas of yours. All your unfinished work, all of your dusty OCs. You liked them for a reason, didn't you? Find that reason. Indulge in it. Bathe in it.

You create to be seen. But creation is an act of expression. It comes from the heart, and it comes from you. You and everything that makes you. What you love, what you hate, like an indeleble signature, sticks to your work and clings to it. You can try to get out of your comfort zone and create something new, if you want- But when you're letting your ideas flow? Never forget what feels good. It's your work. It's your world. If you like it, why not try to incorporate it? If it's not working, why shouldn't you change it?

Why be rigid? Why be strict? Why be punishing, and start over time and time again from scratch? That something didn't work doesn't mean all of it was wrong.

It's not that simple, of course. Of course it's not. Sometimes we're just stubborn and have our ways of doing things. Sometimes there's other factors involved, in pushing ourselves too hard, or feeling shy of expressing ourselves. It's not easy, to express ourselves, and 'just do it because we enjoy it'.

But I truly believe it is the ideal creatives should strive for. A work of love and enjoyment will always reach people more than something that follows an ideal. Something with Soul will resonate more than something technically Perfect.

Worldbuild as much as you want. Overthink as much as you want. Ignore the technical details in favor of the fun and joy as much as you want. In the end? You create things that you enjoy. Cling to the reason behind it, hone it, and even if you end up having to restart time, and time, and time again?

No amount of discouragement will ever take away the enjoyment you find in these things, the reason behind your enjoyment, and eventually, you may end up touching someone who enjoys the same things as you.

That is all. Be good with everyone in these trying times, but in particular, this time?

Be good with yourself. Because we often hold ourselves back, or push ourselves too hard.

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