Inspiration for Constructed Worlds

In science fiction and fantasy terminology, constructed worlds are imaginary settings entirely apart from Earth and the real world.  Well-known examples include “a galaxy far, far away” for the Star Wars saga, and George R. R. Martin's continents of Westeros and Essos.  Authors like me love inventing new worlds for stories for a number of reasons, but two strike me as most significant: first, a constructed world's history can be tailored specifically for the needs of the story.  And second, a constructed world is just so much fun to create.  I have as much fun (and sometimes even more!) creating a new world as I do writing a short story or novel.  

But obviously a setting -- a constructed world, even one fully realized and fleshed out -- isn't enough.  How does an author get inspired for a story within a constructed world?  Does the world come first, or the story?  The answer, at least for me, can be either.  Sometimes my inspiration will be little more than a scene, or an image -- a trader in the desert, struggling to survive, driving his caravan and barely scraping by in the wasteland between two warring factions.  Or a proud warrior queen riding atop an elephant, both screaming as they surge into battle.  I build a world and even a story around these scenes.  Other times, the world comes first.  For example -- medieval European history and legend serve as the inspiration for a huge portion of modern fantasy literature, including many of my favorites.  I wanted to build a world inspired by American history and legend, which resulted in my first novel, Sailor of the Skysea.  Themes of colonialism, conflicting cultures, and a lively and dangerous frontier abound, just like they do in American history.  

Other times it's part of the story itself.  For my fantasy-satire novel, The Pen is Mightier, I wanted to explore the relationship between a writer and their work.  What would happen if an epic fantasy author discovered, to their amazement, that the world they created was real?  What kind of responsibility does a creator have for their creations?  

Different authors will undoubtedly have different sources of inspiration.  But the most important piece of advice I can offer to prospective writers is to write -- if you have a new world or setting idea rattling around in your head, explore it.  Write down how it works -- what are the political systems like?  What are the economies like?  What are the people like?  Do the same for an image, or scene, or story idea -- how did the characters get there?  What are the characters' goals?  Write, and explore, and good things will come from your pen and your keyboard!
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Andy Crawford is the writer of two novels: the fantasy adventure Sailor of the Skysea, and the satirical fantasy The Pen is Mightier, which is perfect for fans ofGame of Thrones.  You can find his books in paperback or ebook on Amazon below.

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