I can’t tell you just how many worlds are in mine. And this includes the “real” world, too.
I’ve been in love with sci-fi and fantasy since I was a child.
Star Wars, Star Trek, the original and reimagined Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad series, the Dragonriders of Pern – so, so, so many sources for great stories in fantastical worlds.
Even after visiting these fantastic worlds – sometimes many times over – I have my own ideas in my head. Magic systems, intergalactic travel, incredible futures, and crazy mashups. There are so many worlds in my head.
Some of these have found their way to the page. From Wildfire to The Secret Computer World of my childhood, to The Source Chronicles, The Vapor Rogues, The Void Incursion, and Forgotten Fodder – this barely scratches the surface of the worlds in my head.
Does that make me crazy? Maybe. But I am perfectly okay with that.
That’s because I’m fairly certain that’s the nature of being a creative. Ideas abounding and evolving. Inspiration from various experiences and sources creates new ideas, new worlds, and new inspiration.
Now the biggest question for me is this – how do I take my storytelling and world-building skills to the next level to earn my living primarily in this way?
Storytelling and Worldbuilding for fun and profit
Not for the first time, I have been focusing on rebranding myself.
Author, Editor, Voice-Artist, and World-Builder feels like they are missing an overarching premise. Couple that with my nonfiction writing, podcasting, and speaking plans – and it feels like a connection should exist.
Enter Storyteller.
My recent employment with brilliant and talented entrepreneur Nova Lorraine has opened a whole new channel of thought. Many, in fact. But one is that she brands herself as a storyteller. And I very much see myself in the same light.
Working with my speaking coach, this will play a key role in the plans to launch my business as a speaker.
How does this tie to the worlds in my head? Easily. While I have a whole lot of amazing, fantastic sci-fi, fantasy, and Steampunk worlds in my head – I also have a vision of this world, our world, in my head, too.
That vision is not so much about me. It’s about what I can do to help make this world, our world, something better. Build new individual tools all of us can use to get the most we can from our life experiences. And undo some of the harm of the modern-day robber barons and demagogues.
Storytelling and worldbuilding are what I do in multiple ways, with both fiction and nonfiction applications. This is my joy in life, and I believe that I can and should both have fun and make a profit from it.
Ours is one of the many worlds in my head
Our world is presently rather messy.
The United States is combatting some distressing, arch-conservative, reactionary hate from a minority group with too much power. Ukraine is suffering an invasion from an overzealous autocrat. The world is still in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic to varying degrees.
Lots of people get all up in arms when fiction reflects the real world. This is not something new, folks. It’s always been that way. Hell, fiction has frequently not-so-subtly attacked an issue like, oh, say, tyranny, racism, sexism, classism, and more. The notion of “woke” culture isn’t new – but the information age and vast swaths of BS accessible across the internet have given the partisan and aggrieved platforms to opinionate, share “expertise”, and bully from.
One reason I write the fiction I do is escapism. But I don’t neglect to touch on real-world issues. Hence why my most recent work tends to not share descriptions of human characters – so that you can picture them howsoever you might – and includes nonbinary characters, among other things.
This is why I write what I do in my blogs and for my podcast, as well as these ongoing process creative work blogs. Because worldbuilding via storytelling is not just about the many worlds in my head. It’s also about improving upon this world.
Nobody can escape this world. Even with super-immersive games and the new Metaverse and Web3 options becoming increasingly available – you still need air, food, water, shelter, and other elements of the physical, material world.
I believe that this should not be a struggle, a constant fight, or otherwise painful. No, it can’t be completely pain-free, that’s unrealistic. But it can come from a more mindful, consciously aware experience. And that’s available to and for everyone, everywhere.
Many worlds, real and imagined
As a storyteller, I have all kinds of different ideas to share.
While many are fantasies of one ilk or another that I will put on the page (and would love to see on the screen), others are a better, less fearful world we all share.
You cannot change the greater good and the world at large from the abstract, over-arching elements down. It can only begin with each and every one of us, individually.
My ideal goal, as a storyteller, is to inspire you to think, be mindful, imagine, and ultimately create. This world that we live in together is built by each of us. And though it often seems like much of it is well outside of our control – we have more power than we tend to acknowledge.
The worlds in my head are separated along many lines. Fantasy, sci-fi, Steampunk, reality, potential reality. Each of these has a place – and I desire to share them with you for different reasons.
Here’s a key factor of any worlds we share: They cannot be made to control others in any way. Even in the worlds of my imagination, characters and situations don’t always arise as I envision. Sometimes they do the unexpected and surprise me (yes, I know they are my creation. But they take on a life of their own, and don’t always act how I thought they would. No, I am not crazy. Well, okay, maybe a little crazy. But I digress).
Bottom line – you cannot make anyone think or feel in any way. Period.
You might cause them to think and feel things – but you don’t and can’t control what that is. And the act of forcing control is probably the biggest problem in the world we share.
Storytelling and worldbuilding are not selfish
It is not selfish to begin to make the many worlds in your head come alive – real or imagined. Just remember that you’re the only one in there. And even when you share – elements will not be seen or understood by others outside of you.
Yet we can all work with this. Because this is an abundant universe. Each story has value and worth. Thus – so do you and me.
My values and beliefs are not yours. But sharing mine can influence or help you better codify, clarify, or form new ones. I can’t control you – nor would I desire to. Likewise, you can’t control me. But when we each assert self-control vis self-care and self-awareness – the worlds we can create, real and imagined, are full to overflowing with potential and possibility.
I can’t tell you just how many worlds are in my head. And this includes the “real” world, too. I believe that they are worthy of being shared, whatever form that takes.
I am worthy, too. And so are you.
Do you have many worlds in your head to share?
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