Sunday, August 5, 2012

Spend Some Time in the Real World

So you're the Creator? You spend your time and energy contemplating the Void (the web), occasionally you have a spark of clarity and inspiration (you find a good worldbuilding/name site), this leads you to pour order into the swirling chaos (you refill your coffee mug), and finally you shape a world.

Now before you go on to create a timeline, pantheon, solar system, languages, and currency exchange....log off and go outside! I know, I know, you're the Creator. The unblinking, omnipotent, invincible Watcher! An hour to you is days, years, ages in your world. But still, a little fresh air and time away is good for you. Even God rested on the 7th day. Odin had to sleep sometime. 

If you absolutely refuse to interact with the real world and find the very notion vile and abhorrent....well then, you are a true geek/nerd and I give you a tip of my hat. I guess you wouldn't be escaping into a concocted world if you were an immense fan of the actual one. Nothing wrong with geeking out.

Do not totally shirk the real world because you will be cheating yourself from a wealth of information and inspiration. There is so so much to draw from. It's a whole wide world out there. Open yourself to it, even if it means taking a book or idea pad to the park. Take a wander with a notepad in your pocket. Stare up at the clouds/stars. Look at birds, bugs, trees, etc....really consider them. Think of what they are, what they do, what they mean. If you open your mind to the questions most others gloss over it's amazing the stream of thought it will lead you through. Sit up on a hill/rooftop and watch traffic patterns. Think of why cars move the way they do. Why are the roads laid out like that? Is the timing of traffic lights significant? Where is everyone going? Destination and motivation is extremely important.

And if you still won't do any of that and insist on wiling away the hours in the hypnotic lambency of your monitor, at least check these out:

History of the Universe.com

FREE Physical World Maps

D-maps.com
 
I swear, the real world is interesting and you will get something from it.

1 comment:

  1. Hehe. I guess I fall into the agoraphobic category; as in id rather look something up on the interwebz than see it in the flesh. not an admirable trait, i know, but far cheaper than actually travelling to machu pichu, wouldnt you say? :p

    while on the subject though the wealth of information available on the net is almost overbearing there's so much of it, sometimes, switching off and relying on nothing more than your senses is a great relief and without all those techy distractions you mind find that you'll actually get some work done (I know I do, on the rare occasions that that i can face 'unplugging' myself).

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