I always feel better if I can check at least one box during the day. by checking a box, I mean, check off an item on a to-do list. I guess it’s just my personality type. I can’t not check off a box. I am productivity-driven. I love me a solid spreadsheet. And I love to check boxes.
Today the box (one of them) that I checked was completing the description of my continent, Pyranon. The process was delightful. I still can’t believe I did a decent job of tying together so much in about 1,100 words. You see, when Rob, Quincy, and Mark brought me on board Eldros Legacy, I quickly accepted, and then, even quicker, I started creating. Creating my fifth of our universe is the most amazing thing! The first thing I did was create a spreadsheet for the universe, specifically my continent. In that spreadsheet, I started new tabs for all the elements I think are necessary to create a world; races, transportation, politics, religions, languages, geology, all those fun things.
And then the spreadsheet grew into a full-on workbook of wonder. I mean, there is a huge amount of data there. I create a new creature, I log it there in the appropriate tab. I create a new kingdom on part of the map, I log it. I create a new character, and I log everything about him. Hair color, height, build, eye color, whether he stutters when he speaks or can’t stand spinach. I log it.
So, when the other founders and I decided we need to write up a description of our continents, I was a little worried. What elements needed to be included and which could be left out of the original description? What is the best format to deliver an actual info dump?
I don’t know if it was Rob or Quincy who first used this technique, but it was Quincy that mentioned it in one of our chat threads. They wrote a letter from one character to another and included the complete continent description in the text of that letter. Genius!
So, I wrote my description. Pyranon is riddled with juicy court intrigue. In the first books, a wedding takes place that has potential to change the course of life on Pyranon. I used the groom character to write the letter in his voice. It’s a letter to his bride. I managed to get the important parts in his words to her and it was great fun.
Box checked!