: Re: Creating An Original World I've been thinking of a few ideas for characters and concepts, and I am aiming to create a massive world: a world with its own deep history and rich lore. However,

@Turnbaugh521

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Developing your world around a central concept or thought experiment that you want to explore is a tried and tested method, as is basing it on the needs of your plot and extrapolating from there. Both might, however, fail to provide you with inspiration for the details that are not directly connected to that central theme, in which case you might end up with a setting that has little to offer besides said theme. Since you're aiming for "deep history and rich lore", that is probably something you want to avoid.

Genre mashups, or setting your story in a less well-explored place and period in human history, can work very well if you're interested in adding "weirdness" or unfamiliar elements, while keeping it easily accessible. Bonus: Agents and editors nowadays seem to love that, and it's easy to pitch.
It might, however, require a lot of research (especially the latter option). Depending on your requirements, this might also still feel too derivative.

There's also a few RPG-esque games out there that focus on creating a world rather than playing "in" it, usable on your own or with other players. If you think a more structured approach might help you, that might be worth checking out.

I practice a very simple form of this, starting with a basic impression (a song, a painting, a period in history, something that piques my interest), then defining a small set of "powers" that represent concepts I'd like to explore: natural laws that differ from our own, magic systems, gods or important technologies, plot demands. These "powers" then take turns introducing elements into the world or interacting with them. That usually allows me to build a deeper and more complex world. Randomized elements (Tarot cards, lists of famous quotes, I've even used an online poetry generator once) can help provide inspiration.

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