Advice/Help Help!! I have an idea but i suck at organizing my ideas and how to describe things

[HorizonsBoon]

So basically i have a world which is supposed to have all these themes going for it. Scifi, dystopia, solar punk, magic

and i cant get it all together because im not sure where to start and from whos perspective, and making a group rp with it has been the mosts tressful experience i have had, and im trying REALLY hard.

Auuugh even now i dunno where to start

 

[The Great Sage]

When I was a kid I had a method that worked quite well for me. I'll give you an example in case it helps you out. Historically I did this type of thing on drawing paper, but MS-Paint works awesome for it. Let's start small by making a little village or something:



So now I have a tiny village. I'll put someone in it now. In that little castle lives a young baron who lords over the surrounding farmholds. This baron wants nothing more than to be an adventurer. So let's give him somewhere to go:



So now I have a story about some idiot who crosses a bridge and goes into a cave for whatever reason. You flesh that out and then make another little story about another idiot going to another place, and draw that in.

Over time, your little world will grow until it's giant. It takes time, and the more time you spend on it the better and bigger it'll be. Just gotta start small and work your way up.

 

[Idea]

Well, to be frank if all you have is a collection of themes in the world and perhaps a few other such vague details then I would argue that's a pretty big issue towards forming a story.

Assuming you just want one of those "sandbox" type things were you kinda just let the players make their own characters and form their own stories without being pushed or invited in any particular direction by you, then you need to properly define the world (by which you can read "universe" if this is a place with space exploration), and that implies both developing its specific aspects and highlighting the ones that most define it. Of course, you don't have to have every little thing nailed right away, but something needs to be there rather than a vague sense of what could be.

If you want an actual plot, something with actual story focus then you need to not only define the world more you need to establish some events that are going on so that you can pick something to prompt your story. It doesn't even have to be totally related, but to have a plot you need to have events, and to have events you need a setting where those events take place and could take place.

 

[Jagdish]

Have you tried looking around existing group roleplays for ideas? I'm not advocating you copy and paste. Rather, look at several with a critical eye for what appeals to you and what seems to succeed toward your goals, whether that be longevity, activity, or pure aesthetic. Find formats you like, toss out what doesn't work for you, and fill in the details of your world or plot.

You could also start with the classic "shoddy first draft". For this, you basically just dump your words and ideas all down onto a paper. It won't be pretty. It might not even be legible. It will be out of your head, though, and you may find a more coherent format in the mess now that you have given your ideas some form.

 

[GojiBean]

Greetings HorizonsBoon .

Try these steps in the order which they're presented and see if it helps get you anywhere:

1) Define the world's central theme.

The central theme of the world is the most important trait it possesses because it defines and breathes life into all other points which stem from it.

- For example, in the Lord of the Rings story the central theme is (arguably) "War." Humans vs. Elves. Dwarves vs. Elves. Humans vs. Dwarves. Treants vs. Orcs. Everyone vs. Orcs. So on and so forth. There's always a war or a conflict going on somewhere regardless of how much magic is or is not involved, how many races you see, etc. War is the most commonly observed event and it's the most important historical element of the worldbuilding which defines how the rest of the world came to be, which races settled where and for what reasons, and why some elements of the lore are the way they are.

So what is your world's central theme? Is it the fact that it's dystopian? Is it the fact that it's solar punk? Is it the fact that there's magic?

What's the most important part of your world?

2) Define your world's secondary theme.

The secondary theme bows only to the central theme, but supersedes all other aspects of the world in terms of importance.

- Again, using LOTR as an example the secondary theme is "Weakness." What do I mean by "weakness?" Specifically, I'm talking about character weakness. Frodo's small frame and frailty despite the immense weight on his shoulders and the burden he bears as Ring Bearer. Sam's inability to be firm with Frodo throughout most of the story and constantly giving in to his choices even when he knows there's a better way. Boromir's hunger for power which almost leads him to steal the ring. Gimly and Legolas' inability to put aside their racial differences for a good chunk of the story. Aragorn's haunted past and indecision in the present regarding his heritage. So on and so forth.

The weakness of each character, rooted in their history and choices made leading up to their introductions in the story overall, lead them down personal roads of success and redemption. And the resolution to each of these weaknesses is found where?... War. The central theme of the story.

3) Shape the world.

To the best of my understanding, solarpunk is a hypothetical world where humanity solved its major problems like pollution and climate change through sustainable means and living in harmony with the world at a level currently unattainable.

If I am correct in this, how would this element shape your world? What kinds of technology are we going to see in how we harness solar, wind, and water based energies? What will we see regarding other potential forms of energy such as, morbid as it may sound, making fuel out of the ashes or bones of the dead?

On another front, what have we done to deal with the pollution that we had accumulated up until the turning point when we finally went clean? Did we eject it all out into space? Did we bury it? Burn it? How did we clean up after ourselves?

Solarpunk leaves a lot of room for you to play with ideas and organize them however you want. But it's always best to start with the most basic questions first because they're often the most important. You can't define a world if you can't establish how it came to be. A world isn't just solarpunk because solarpunk. It had to get there somehow. And whatever it came from is likely not as pretty or clean as what currently is. Does that make sense?

If it's dystopian, why? Solarpunk and dystopia are, by nature, opposites. One's about what the world looks like when everything goes right. One about what the world looks like when everything goes wrong. So is it dystopian, or is it solarpunk? Is it half and half? What's the ratio or the percentage of one over the other?

And, if you plan to keep both elements, the biggest question of all that needs answering is "Why do both dystopia and solarpunk exist in the world at the same time?"

Again, because these elements are effectively opposites the reason behind why they can both exist at the same time becomes a major one. What about your world allows this? How could things go so right to create a solarpunk world, and yet so wrong as to create a dystopia? And if the dystopian part of the world is smaller than the solarpunk, why? How did it get there to begin with? Where did the people of that region/continent/nation go so wrong, and for what reason? If it's the opposite and it's more dystopian than solarpunk, when and why did that small part of the world do so well and go so right when the rest of the world went wrong?

4) The Magic system.

Is this a hard magic or a soft magic system?

If the difference between them is not clear:

- A hard magic system has very strictly defined rules as to how magic works and what its limitations are
- A soft magic system is the opposite and has very unclear or undefined rules which allows for more creativity and flexibility within the limitations of the magic itself

For example, if you use "Mana" as the source of magical power, you're using a hard magic system. Without mana, no magic. That's a very strict rule which constrains all elements and forms of magic in your world.

A soft magic system would be more akin to Avatar: The Last Airbender. We know that "Bending" is a form of magic in the world. But there's no strictly defined reason as to why it exists, how it's done, who is a bender and why, etc. A lot of it is left to the imagination and is why there's so many different ways to use the Bending forms from start to finish which keeps things interesting.

So it's wise to decide which form you want and how, if you go with soft magic, to still create limitations without inhibiting the participants (or yourself) too much. It's a delicate dance. But you should be okay.

5) What are the major Scifi elements?

Scifi as a genre simply means "science fiction," meaning it delves into what's not real and sometimes not even possible within the realm of physics and our understanding of the rules which govern how our universe works. The Marvel MCU, for example, falls into this category. A lot of the magic and abilities of many of the Marvel heroes are illogical, break the laws of physics, and transcend the reality of space and time. They could never actually exist. But in science fiction, they do.

So, what about your world makes it fall into the realm of science fiction?

What about it doesn't make sense in the real world, but does make sense in your story?

---------------------------------------------------------------------​

Hopefully this gave you a good idea on where to start.

When you have an idea for a world, it can always be a daunting task to bring it to life.

But the best places to start are small ones. Simple questions which need answering in order to define and shape how the world will be viewed and, more importantly, interacted with by yourself and anyone else who becomes involved later on.

Cheers!

~ GojiBean

 

[HorizonsBoon]

Greetings HorizonsBoon .

Try these steps in the order which they're presented and see if it helps get you anywhere:

1) Define the world's central theme.

The central theme of the world is the most important trait it possesses because it defines and breathes life into all other points which stem from it.

- For example, in the Lord of the Rings story the central theme is (arguably) "War." Humans vs. Elves. Dwarves vs. Elves. Humans vs. Dwarves. Treants vs. Orcs. Everyone vs. Orcs. So on and so forth. There's always a war or a conflict going on somewhere regardless of how much magic is or is not involved, how many races you see, etc. War is the most commonly observed event and it's the most important historical element of the worldbuilding which defines how the rest of the world came to be, which races settled where and for what reasons, and why some elements of the lore are the way they are.

So what is your world's central theme? Is it the fact that it's dystopian? Is it the fact that it's solar punk? Is it the fact that there's magic?

What's the most important part of your world?

2) Define your world's secondary theme.

The secondary theme bows only to the central theme, but supersedes all other aspects of the world in terms of importance.

- Again, using LOTR as an example the secondary theme is "Weakness." What do I mean by "weakness?" Specifically, I'm talking about character weakness. Frodo's small frame and frailty despite the immense weight on his shoulders and the burden he bears as Ring Bearer. Sam's inability to be firm with Frodo throughout most of the story and constantly giving in to his choices even when he knows there's a better way. Boromir's hunger for power which almost leads him to steal the ring. Gimly and Legolas' inability to put aside their racial differences for a good chunk of the story. Aragorn's haunted past and indecision in the present regarding his heritage. So on and so forth.

The weakness of each character, rooted in their history and choices made leading up to their introductions in the story overall, lead them down personal roads of success and redemption. And the resolution to each of these weaknesses is found where?... War. The central theme of the story.

3) Shape the world.

To the best of my understanding, solarpunk is a hypothetical world where humanity solved its major problems like pollution and climate change through sustainable means and living in harmony with the world at a level currently unattainable.

If I am correct in this, how would this element shape your world? What kinds of technology are we going to see in how we harness solar, wind, and water based energies? What will we see regarding other potential forms of energy such as, morbid as it may sound, making fuel out of the ashes or bones of the dead?

On another front, what have we done to deal with the pollution that we had accumulated up until the turning point when we finally went clean? Did we eject it all out into space? Did we bury it? Burn it? How did we clean up after ourselves?

Solarpunk leaves a lot of room for you to play with ideas and organize them however you want. But it's always best to start with the most basic questions first because they're often the most important. You can't define a world if you can't establish how it came to be. A world isn't just solarpunk because solarpunk. It had to get there somehow. And whatever it came from is likely not as pretty or clean as what currently is. Does that make sense?

If it's dystopian, why? Solarpunk and dystopia are, by nature, opposites. One's about what the world looks like when everything goes right. One about what the world looks like when everything goes wrong. So is it dystopian, or is it solarpunk? Is it half and half? What's the ratio or the percentage of one over the other?

And, if you plan to keep both elements, the biggest question of all that needs answering is "Why do both dystopia and solarpunk exist in the world at the same time?"

Again, because these elements are effectively opposites the reason behind why they can both exist at the same time becomes a major one. What about your world allows this? How could things go so right to create a solarpunk world, and yet so wrong as to create a dystopia? And if the dystopian part of the world is smaller than the solarpunk, why? How did it get there to begin with? Where did the people of that region/continent/nation go so wrong, and for what reason? If it's the opposite and it's more dystopian than solarpunk, when and why did that small part of the world do so well and go so right when the rest of the world went wrong?

4) The Magic system.

Is this a hard magic or a soft magic system?

If the difference between them is not clear:

- A hard magic system has very strictly defined rules as to how magic works and what its limitations are
- A soft magic system is the opposite and has very unclear or undefined rules which allows for more creativity and flexibility within the limitations of the magic itself

For example, if you use "Mana" as the source of magical power, you're using a hard magic system. Without mana, no magic. That's a very strict rule which constrains all elements and forms of magic in your world.

A soft magic system would be more akin to Avatar: The Last Airbender. We know that "Bending" is a form of magic in the world. But there's no strictly defined reason as to why it exists, how it's done, who is a bender and why, etc. A lot of it is left to the imagination and is why there's so many different ways to use the Bending forms from start to finish which keeps things interesting.

So it's wise to decide which form you want and how, if you go with soft magic, to still create limitations without inhibiting the participants (or yourself) too much. It's a delicate dance. But you should be okay.

5) What are the major Scifi elements?

Scifi as a genre simply means "science fiction," meaning it delves into what's not real and sometimes not even possible within the realm of physics and our understanding of the rules which govern how our universe works. The Marvel MCU, for example, falls into this category. A lot of the magic and abilities of many of the Marvel heroes are illogical, break the laws of physics, and transcend the reality of space and time. They could never actually exist. But in science fiction, they do.

So, what about your world makes it fall into the realm of science fiction?

What about it doesn't make sense in the real world, but does make sense in your story?

---------------------------------------------------------------------​

Hopefully this gave you a good idea on where to start.

When you have an idea for a world, it can always be a daunting task to bring it to life.

But the best places to start are small ones. Simple questions which need answering in order to define and shape how the world will be viewed and, more importantly, interacted with by yourself and anyone else who becomes involved later on.

Cheers!

~ GojiBean

Thanku sm!! There is definitely alot I have to consider when making the world, and I'm really trying to not like....burn myself out again.