Writing

Way With Worlds: Why Worldbuild?

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ConstructionScene

 

Years ago at the end of the 20th century and the start of the 21st I began writing a column on worldbuilding and fiction – Way With Worlds. This was the age when people were suddenly able to get their works on the internet, via websites and journals and email. There was a slow simmer of amateur writers, should-be-pros, would-be-pros, fanficcers, and more. A column on worldbuilding seemed in order.

I’ve always had ambitions to write fiction, had worked on shared-universe newsletters, played RPGs, and more. Worlds were part of what I liked to do, and a good setting, a good living world/universe made things come alive. So I expressed my theories in hope of helping people, to use my knowledge gained over the years, and of course because I’m not overly good at shutting up.

The columns sat online for years when I decided not to continue them, and every now and then someone will read one or mention them to me. Over the years I do less fictional work directly, yet am still involved in worldbuilding when I help friends with games, edit books, and when I run the inspiration site Seventh Sanctum. Of course, I still have plenty of opinions.

Now even more people are writing, and making videos, and self-publishing. So I decided to revisit the columns and rewrite them, expand them, and use what I learned in over a decade.

And the first question is still as burningly relevant as ever? Why Worldbuild?

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Introducing Informotron Press!

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When I first started writing I didn’t know how much the writing bug would bite me – so I had several websites for my books.  Over time I consolidated them because, well, it was hard to maintain, a bit useless, and didn’t let me really leverage what I was doing.  So, finally, all my books are consolidated under my new imprint:

Informotron Press.

It’s all written in Bootstrap (which is what I rewrote Seventh Sanctum in), and in fact the Sanctum rewrite made this go much faster.  Frankly, the whole Bootstrap thing is working for me – and the relatively standard, scaling layouts really do work.  Bootstrap isn’t just a tool, it’s got good practices built into it.

So now, when you send your friends and family to my books (hey, Christmas is coming . . . ), they can find out about all the other books available.  Best of all, when I post my various resources I can make sure more people get them!

So go check it out, let me know what you think – and remember more books are coming . . .

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, publishes books on career and culture at http://www.informotron.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

 

Geek As Citizen: The Role Of Republishing

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I’d like to take a break from my analysis of Geeks as Citizens to focus on something I’ve been thinking about in regard to our social role – specific advice as opposed to my more general ruminations.

Actually, Geek As Citizen is going to go permeant here at MuseHack. It’s been quite inspiring, I think it’s useful, and it’s more applicable with actual practical examples. This is going to be one of those.

I’ve been speculating (which is my normal state) on how we geeks create and write a lot of things. Certainly I do because . . . well you’re here at this blog. I’ve been doing this and other writing for years.

Chances are you can or are writing various columns, blog posts, message board responses, and more. Sure, some of them may not seem useful, or relevant,for the ages, or even things you want to admit to writing. But I’m willing to bet some of them are pretty important and not overly humiliating.

So I want to suggest that you make an effort to ensure your great content gets a larger spread and a longer lifespan.  Yep, I suggest republishing.

I suggest this as part of “Geek As Citizen” because I consider part of good citizenry in our communities/countries/world to be maximizing our contributions and ensuring they get the widest reach possible. So, as a citizen geek, with so much that you’ve done over the years, I’d advise making sure more people can get it.

(Besides, you’re probably a lot more prolific than you appreciate)

Consider these possibilities:

  • Repost your work (especially past work that’s fallen into obscurity) on blogs and other sites, as long as you observe proper procedure (timeframes, duplication of content policies, etc).
  • Consolidate your work on your own website for easy of access. If you’ve got some long-running stuff give it it’s own website.
  • Take your work and bundle it up in a convenient document like a PDF or ePub for easy distribution (and learn something about publishing)
  • Take your work further and distribute it for free with Smashwords or something similar.
  • Go all the way and rewrite/edit the work into a full-scale book and/or eBook to get it out there. Maybe consider free eBooks and a physical book that actually costs (even if it’s only the POD price).

Now think of the advantages of doing this:

  • First of all you archive your works. Yes, you should be doing it anyway (which perhaps I’ll address more later), but it is the kind of initiative that helps you preserve them for posterity.
  • Secondly, it makes your works accessible in new formats. You didn’t think of Kindle when you wrote that adventure module a decade ago – now you can put it in that format.
  • Third, it lets you publicize your works as you advertise the new format. Even sending files to friends can result in them saying “hey I know someone who may want this.” Of course if you actually put usable content in new formats you might want to promote it.
  • Fourth, it helps you get in the habit of doing this. Trust me, it’s worth it.
  • Finally, it distributes your works. Which is kind of the point anyway, but still.
  • Oh and “double-finally” it gives other people the same idea.

Thus your work survives and propagates and has a chance to do more good. Pretty nice addition to any set of activities a citizen geek may take up.

It might even make you a little money – my books Epic Resume Go and Quest For Employment involved bundling up various tips, blog posts, and advice into books.  You might even find you have another career ahead of you . . .

– Steven “Republisher” Savage