July 10: What are you good at when it comes to writing?

Worldbuilding.

On the one hand, I was doing that for fun for, like, fifteen years before I actually took to *writing*, so that's sort of to be expected. On the other hand, it's much more in my comfort zone and where my talents lie than writing, which sometimes feels like dragging thoughts out of my head with rusty razor wire, so.

@cerebrate ouch. That sounds painful. We’re you world-building before for games?

@BranwenOShea

Nope, although I did play a game or two in some of its earlier revisions!

The idea for it just turned up in my head one day, I started scribbling notes down about it, and, well, the joy of the art took over!

@cerebrate That’s cool. So initially it was you experiencing the world in your mind?

@BranwenOShea

Pretty much. I had this dream/daydream of a place that didn't exist, and it all grew from there. It's grown and changed a lot over the past - wow, twenty-five years or so - but somehow it's mostly felt more like exploring it than creating it, if you know what I mean?

@cerebrate I know exactly what you mean. So I’m curious. Did you make up the characters, or did they eventually show up in the world?

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@BranwenOShea

It's a mix, really. Some characters just popped up and introduced themselves while I was wandering around in there, and some I went looking for when I needed someone specific.

(On occasion, I've made someone up deliberately, but usually I don't have to make too much of them up before they start having Opinions on Who They Are, Actually, Mr. Writer, Please Note.)

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