Before summer holidays i decided to try to start writing a book, or at least, a long and engaging story. I wrote some months ago a short fanfic and the few people that read it like it very much.
However, writing something original sure is much harder. I was about to start writing before noticing i would need some world building beforehand. I started brainstorming what fantasy races, cultures, etc… i want. I took some notes in Obsidian of how i want the world & characters to be: Their flaws, their strengths… Writing fanfic is much easier in my opinion, you have already all the fleshed out characters and detailed world.
Anyway, i didn’t write a single line of the actual story and feel like i am wasting time planning everything about the world. It can be frustrating.
Did you guys get stuck world building too? What approach do you have with it?
I start something short. Just like a writing short fanfiction, get some core scene in my mind. Then I backtrack what needs to be there for character’s background and motives. If I’m writing forest scene I don’t plan worldbuilding for city or empire unless the forest is part of common land.
Also, there’s nothing wrong with using established trope in your fantasy writing and worldbuilding. Most readers have basic idea of what elf is, and elf is not trademarked. You can borrow them and add your own twist (and if you feel your version of elf distinguishable enough, you can always replace them later).