#also you can tell that i was obssessed with carrie when i created them lmao

[alienshepard]

most of my ocs all have some telepathic (or similar) powers and mostly black haired love interests....I'm so boring lmao

[flying-elliska]

Ellieeee, in case if you haven't heard it before you're writing is absolutely incredible :D and i think one of the best parts of your works is the universes you're able to create. they're so palpable and whimsical all at once and i love how you're able to immerse us into the worlds they live in. as someone trying to write her own fics, do you have any general tips for worldbuilding and making these universes?

lovely question anon <333 sorry for the late response but here are a few tips :

- a lot of the worldbuilding happens, for me, before I ever start writing a story. To me being a writer, and a creator of worlds, is more of a general attitude in life (oof that sounds pretentious lmao ! but really it’s just a skill to develop). It’s about being generally curious, noticing little details and stories around you, reading non fiction and articles, and filing it away in your head as something you can use in a story later. I specifically have a notebook for this that I call ‘story texture’ in which I write down interesting details and stories that inspire me, descriptions of cool scenes/people/conversations I have noticed during the day, etc etc.

- It’s also specifically about training yourself to observe, and to develop a type of perception that is attuned to what, in reality, could make a good story. Not detail for the sake of detail - but detail that is interesting, that carries tension, atmosphere, meaning, emotion, character. Observe the link between ‘superficial’ detail and deeper social/psychological patterns, learn to ask questions. Why do people dress a certain way, for instance, how are they showing belonging to a certain group ? Why are public settings designed a certain way ? What are the practical details that show a building’s history ? Studying sociology and anthropology is a tremendous help in developing that mindset. (you don’t have to go to college for that you can just grab some books/articles!). 

- Then there is a more artistic approach to detail and how you can use it to paint a vibe/emotion/atmosphere - what makes you emotional about your environment ? What metaphors can you use to describe feelings ? How are aesthetics, sensations connected to meaning, to reflexion ?  You’re crafting an experience for your reader, you have to be convinced of it yourself - the more you can actually taste and feel it, the more it carries over. You want to avoid ‘white room’ syndrome (characters just talking and you forget the physical circumstances) - instead having sensory details make your story lush and immersive and also deepens your character because they each should have a different way of relating to their surroundings. Are they generally numb or noticing more gloomy details ? Are they a poet in love and noticing everything beautiful ? Are they high energy and focusing on utilitarian details ? Etc etc.

- You don’t want ‘dead detail’ in a story that is there just because. Nobody cares that your character ate an apple this morning - unless the apple reminds them of their youth in the countryside, or is a symptom of their obsession with health/fears of being ill, or they sliced the apple very carefully and shared it with a loved one, or they’re learning to enjoy fresh food again after a long time deprived of it, or they picked a bad apple and it echoes a sentiment that they’re unlucky in life, etc etc. What you want to figure out is to learn how to use little details, apparently innocuous, to allude to a much bigger world of emotion/character/social relations/history, etc etc. 

- When it comes to worldbuilding, I’m not really the type to obsessively figure out everything about my world before I start with plot, it’s really the reverse. I figure out what sort of emotional arc and characters and themes I want to write, then the plot, and the worldbuilding is in service to that. For instance, for Diamants AU I knew I wanted to write about toxic masculinity, family rivalries and the cycle of violence, I wanted there to be lots of morality dilemmas and a ‘love amidst chaos/as a force for redemption’ etc and the mafia setting and the Shadow grew out of that. The fact that all these families are obssessed with their status, their symbols, their theater of power grew out of my desire to explore the class/power inequalities within Lucas and Eliott’s relationship, and to explore the relationship between physical force/skill and political power tied to status, and the meaning of crime vs. privilege. As well as study Eliott’s character through the lens of privilege and what it means to refuse it. Plus I wanted there to be balls and shit because they’re such a fun setting in terms of drama, appearances, etc.I really believe that you have to build your world in ways that allow you to tell certain stories and not the reverse. 

- Ofc a lot of the time it goes more like...okay...what do i think is really cool/interesting lmao. Like at the end of the day...what do you think would be an interesting world ? Why ? What parts of that world would it thrill you to see ? And just...let yourself experiment without thinking too specifically about putting genre/trope limits on yourself. Like !!! Think about tropes that you wouldn’t usually see together and how fun that would be !! Also ask yourself : why are you writing ? What specific story do you need to put into the world ?  If you could be completely self indulgent, what setting would allow you to tell that story best ? What aesthetic are you really into and why ? What political and social issues and potential problems would any setting create ? Example : you want to write about soft nostalgic longing with an autumn vibe ? Coffee shop AU, but it’s haunted. You want to write about epic longing that spans centures ? Reincarnation star crossed lovers AU ! Etc etc.

anyway I hope this inspired you at least a little ! happy writing <333333