The Butterfly and Apophis

I’ve been thinking about the scope of building a world for the purpose of just telling one story. Being who I am I like everything to have a reason, if there’s a fantastical plot device I’m going to include then I’ll reason why it works, how it came to be, defining rules for it that make sense and not just arbitrary ones to fit around the story. If a mythical creature can’t cross water or is burned by religious symbols there should be a reason for it. If there are gods they shouldn’t just be all powerful creatures beyond our understanding to interject a deus ex machina wherever the storyteller sees fit but be driven by the same emotions and causes as mortals, albeit on a bigger scale.

I like things to link up, crossover, causation and relationships to develop. Plot devices can be clumsy and become the focus of the story, defining the plot, characters and moral of the story. However creative it is all I would end up doing is expanding an idea into a novel instead of telling a story.

But here’s the twist. Why spend months developing all of this then discard it once you’re done? Some writers will write a whole series based on their creation which is one solution, but why limit it to my own creative ability? I’m not arrogant enough to consider no-one up to my ability in understanding this world, and especially not in writing ability so why not create an open information source for other writers who wish to add their own tales? The fan fiction communities show that there is plenty of interest in this, plus ‘ownership’ of the brand could still be retained through official releases of short stories. This would give aspiring writers the chance to get published, to piggyback ideas and possibly develop them in ways not previously considered. It would give fans of the series more to read and give them a chance to build on a story they already love.

Just thoughts and brain dumping like usual, though the idea appeals to me a lot.