Building Inward And Outward: Methods Of Worldbuilding
Let's take a closer look, shall we?
Contents
- Building Inward
- Building Outward
- So, Which One Should I Use?
Building Inward
Building inward means that you start with general concepts, then hone in on certain aspects of your world. For example, first you create the continent, then the regions and empires, then the counties, etc.
This strategy can be especially useful when you're in the early stages of developing something. It allows you to establish key concepts about the given region, without spending lots of time on specifying details. For example, you can say 'people in this county communicate with gestures a lot, and they value objects and gifts', without having to actually create those gestures, gifts and symbols.
Building Outward
This is the opposite of building inward. Following this method, all you do is work on whatever you specifically need at the moment. For example, first you develop the building the story takes place in, and when it's needed, you create the village around it. If characters are to travel somewhere, you make whatever is on the way. Probably the most common example of worldbuilding like this is in the improvised parts of roleplaying games (like D&D); these are occasions where there's no time to develop a structure for the setting, so the GM just makes up whatever makes sense and organises everything later.
Worldbuilding like this can be more fun sometimes, because there's a sense of spontaneity in the process. But more importantly, it also saves a lot of time - obviously, since you only need to make lore that you'll actually end up using. To give an example, you don't need to know what's outside the city if the story only takes place inside and far outside. In fact, you don't even need to create most of the city, only the most important locations or those that have scenes set in them. While building like this, you should keep in mind that different, radical features are what really add novelty to your world, and thus make it diverse and interesting. In short: you should dare differ from previous lore.
So, Which One Should You Use?
There's no clear answer to this dilemma. However, you can make sure you understand these techniques and use them to your advantage by mixing them. Here's the way I do it:
- For general worldbuilding, I build inward. Making continents, empires, counties and mountain ranges doesn't require a lot of work or detail, which means I can easily create and understand them this way.
- When making more detailed lore, I build outward. Working on things like foods, magical effects, creatures and villages is the most creative process, and I find it easier to come up with ideas when I don't have to follow a rigid structure.
- When creating lore with clear boundaries, I build inward. If know beforehand that I'll need to create underground biomes for example, or one dungeon with set borders, I have the opportunity to structure everything and make it easier to understand how parts of it interact and create the whole.
- When having to make up lore on the spot, I build outward. This doesn't only happen in roleplaying games, but also in writing sometimes, when I reach a location I haven't worked on yet and still have momentum. I can, of course, return and patch any imperfections later.
Of course, you may have different creative processes from me, or you might have a different use for your world - so feel free to experiment and adjust your mixture of techniques to find the strategy that works for you. Otherwise, feel free to ask questions or request topics in the comments. I hope you found this lesson helpful.
See you next time!
Images from Pixabay