I’m a bit of a Michael Kirkbride fan, and a bit of a Tolkien fan (same as everyone). MK’s work on the Elder Scrolls series sets the bar for how original, offbeat, and deep I want my work to be. I want to be able to say I wrote a world from the ground up and filled it with dynamism, surprise, mystery, and drama. Unlike Tolkien, I’ll never be one for conlangs. I wouldn’t know where to start, but more importantly I wouldn’t know why to start. Tolkien came to storytelling via conlangs, and that’s just not me, so I tend to imitate MK instead.
You’re writing a world. Did you set out with a scope in mind? What sparked the desire? Are you, like me, writing lore instead of constructing an actual narrative because it’s just more fun (at least for now)? Who/what do you admire for worldbuilding?
My #1 goal was to have a setting for my TTRPG games (formerly D&D, now Pathfinder 2e). The primary objective is for it to meet the needs of setting adventures in those games in my world. Also, it would be cool for it to reach a point where regular players in my games might learn a bit about it themselves. But that is a less realistic goal and more of a hope.
At this point I’ve dropped all pretense of writing for anyone else’s appreciation, and it has honestly taken my output to the next level. Trying to make what we think other people will like is creative poison. Just write what makes you happy, and if anyone else is lucky enough to get it, you’ll get what you were looking for.