: Re: The concept of "Exotic Culture" and the necessity of a new world A personal point of view on the necessity of a new culture in fiction "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away",

I would say there's a couple reasons to create a world.

"Wonder" as a point of interest

As you mentioned, the genre is one reason. Something that appeals to readers of Sci-fi and Fantasy is being introduced to something new that inspires awe. (Think space stations the size of the moon or secret societies of wizards)

The writing podcast Writing Excuses covered this concept well here: writingexcuses.com/2016/02/07/11-06-the-element-of-wonder/
Abstracting an issue

When writing about an issue (politics, social issues, or plain ol' human condition) it can helpful to abstract the situation by using a completely different setting. When writers use a familiar setting, they are working with all the societal symbols and baggage that comes with it.

For example, it would be difficult to write a fictional story about a politician in a familiar setting without also evoking a gut reaction from your readers. Even if that story doesn't use the context of modern politics, the readers will still automatically apply the context to everything you write. So creating a new world is a strategy to distance the readers from the issue by forcing them to evaluate everything with fresh eyes.

I believe Writing Excuses also talks about this in their podcasts on writing Issue: writingexcuses.com/2016/11/27/11-48-elemental-issue-qa-with-dongwon-song/
Distaste for research

I lied! There's a 3rd reason to build a world. Sometimes a writer wants a setting reminiscent of a real time/place, but can't be bothered to get every location/date/figure 100% accurate. In times like these, it can be liberating to say "this is an alternate history 1800's" so you only have to sweat the details you enjoy writing about.

(This can also open a can of worms with regards to cultural appropriation, but that's another topic)

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: What type of literary device is referring to a famous quote in a song? In his song Land of the Free, the artist, Joey B., sings: And everything I do or say today that's worthwhile Will for

: Autobiography vs Perspective When discussing the life story (fictional/non-fictional) of an inanimate object (like a brick not AI), is it appropriate to claim this endeavor as an autobiography of

: How to write strategy and schemes beyond my real-life capabilities? I am interested in how to write compelling schemes, large-scale strategies and tactics etc. There are lots of fictional stories

: Writing order of Chinese names can anyone tell me whether the written Chinese name should be in the order of "surname + given name", or another way around? And of course, in academic writing.

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