Creating Worlds
Creating worlds has been a fascination of mine since I was a young kid. As far back as I can remember I’d write little stories with characters, conflicts and worlds. As I got into junior high and high school the stories would have added details and more complexity. As any writer or creator knows, there are a lot of creators that don’t ever see the light of day. I’ve had more false starts on creating worlds and stories than I can count. This is a passion I’ve always enjoyed.
Follow me on this, I promise it leads to something: At one point in my life I decided I was going to be a hugely successful science fiction writer with my supposed magnum opus being the best story I ever put together. I sat down and proceeded to write daily for months to hone my skill and to keep my creativity high. My writing finally hit a point I thought was good enough and dove into creating this world that I poured my heart and soul into. It had a little bit of everything that I really enjoyed and was passionate about remixed into a story and world that I lost myself in. It was a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, magic, mystery romance, and a kitchen sink. You never know when you are going to need the kitchen sink in a story!
One thing became clear in the creative process: I’m one heck of a sarcastic writer with a bit of a dry sense of humor. For those that know me personally, big surprise right? There are other things I learned in the process. These include getting the big publishers to pay attention to your work, having others believe in what you are creating, editors have a thankless job (but are highly loved and valued for their great editing skills!), and refine, refine, refine!
We are definitely lucky to be in a digital age where creators can go to the internet to publish and promote their own works and worlds. Every day there is a chance to discover another amazing creator to cheer on. As I continued to work on my story I slowly lost steam and it eventually came to a stop. I haven’t gone back and added anything to it, but I still consider it one of the best things I’ve ever created.
And this leads us to something...Dungeons & Dragons! While my years of writing have waned my passion for creating worlds has been fulfilled with becoming a Dungeon Master. I’ve had the honor of running long campaigns, short ones, and one shots. I’ve had the pleasure of introducing folks of all walks of life to the fun of D&D. Watching them learn and embracing D&D. Seeing that spark when they dive into the character that represents them and embodying the world that character lives in. D&D brings people together to create new worlds and stories together. I love this kind of collaborative storytelling. It has led to some of the best and hilarious memories I’ll have for years to come.
It is this combination of creating worlds and seeing others get that creative spark in D&D that is part of my motivation and belief in what Creators, Assemble! is doing and stands for. Creators, Assemble! provides a network of support, belief, and expertise for those involved. If you are a creator, an educator, or a new or passionate D&D player come check us out. Let’s start creating new worlds together.
P.S. I promise future blog posts about D&D.
- Dan Wood, Creators Assemble! Member at Large