Does building a lore book counts as writing?

[doravg]

I mean, it is writing, but I was wondering if it is writing-writing. Because there will be just something like a mythos type collection of short stories, and I am not even sure I will be posting it somewhere. It is just that I generated some cool characters with Midjourney today, and some cool landscapes, and got the map too, which means I have so much material to work with. Character and world study, one could say. Something like a Magazine in McFantasy Land.

(I am a failure at taking writing breaks...)

 

[Simple_Russian_Boi]

Grandpa Tolkien released a book with the lore of his world and I think he considered it writing. It's not about plot or characters, but about creation. If you're creating something in written form - you're writing.

 

[LilRora]

I don't why not, at least if we're talking about writing in general. It's probably going to be much different from the average story, either in tone or in content, so I would hesitate to say it's the same as writing a story. It would be something in between writing a story and writing a glossary, if I understand right? Dunno how to categorize it best, but I think it does count as writing-writing.

 

[TsuruI_am_a_bot]

I mean, it is writing, but I was wondering if it is writing-writing. Because there will be just something like a mythos type collection of short stories, and I am not even sure I will be posting it somewhere. It is just that I generated some cool characters with Midjourney today, and some cool landscapes, and got the map too, which means I have so much material to work with. Character and world study, one could say. Something like a Magazine in McFantasy Land.

(I am a failure at taking writing breaks...)

Yes
Its like actors learning background of the characters they play = part of their job of "acting" (though now they no longer do it, or do it superficially)

Grandpa Tolkien released a book with the lore of his world and I think he considered it writing. It's not about plot or characters, but about creation. If you're creating something in written form - you're writing.

From hearsay from Chinese novels (that have MC use the book to get easy $ when in another earth)
Tolkien basically CREATED the elvien language in it.
And mindblowing, seems like it basically works, and can even have linguistic researchers affirming it.

That is how much of a BADASS the author was.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

Yes.

 

[LuoirM]

Are you... Typing words out?

But, some might define writing as "stuff for readers to see"

 

[esThr]

I am ironically making one for my story as we speak. (I blame my dra- ahem, backlogs mostly about WB and the story so I decided to split the two and have the WB as a seperate novel)
Imo it should count as writing.

 

[Jerynboe]

Is it writing? Yes.
Is it end product? No.
Is it easy to end up making a lorebook full of irrelevant details as a form of procrastination when you don’t feel like working on the narrative? Yes.
Is it a bad thing to know a bunch of random minor details and backstory elements that you can weave into the story? No.
Is it possible to make a lore book and then completely forget the many details and decisions you put in it, never using them in any meaningful way even in backstage ways? Yes
Worldbuilding fever is a well known condition in D&D dungeon master circles. It’s a fairly benign condition, but it should be managed judiciously or it can become malignant.

 

[georgelee5786]

It is writing

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

Do it with moderate discretion.

It depends on how is your current state of main novel writing.

Especially if you write lore to avoid writing the draft for your current novel, it would count as procrastination.

In terms of functionality, Lore is quite restricting your creativity to write than actually helping, If you write it for things before the story begins.

Its simpler to write goofy story your reader wanted to read and then write an equally complex lore that convincing your reader enough to balance and make sense of the current plot goofyness later on.

But if the goofy story is already written and now youre releasing the complex lore, it would be good.

Thats as far as i understand it anyway.

Remember that the chiken and egg doesn't matter at all, its the omelette that matters in the end.

 

[doravg]

Do it with moderate discretion.

It depends on how is your current state of main novel writing.

Especially if you write lore to avoid writing the draft for your current novel, it would count as procrastination.

In terms of functionality, Lore is quite restricting your creativity to write than actually helping, If you write it for things before the story begins.

Its simpler to write goofy story your reader wanted to read and then write an equally complex lore that convincing your reader enough to balance and make sense of the current plot goofyness later on.

But if the goofy story is already written and now youre releasing the complex lore, it would be good.

Thats as far as i understand it anyway.

Remember that the chiken and egg doesn't matter at all, its the omelette that matters in the end.

I just needed some backstory to know what comes when. Already wrote enough to know in which direction I want the story to go. Tomorrow I will start with the drafting! =)

 

[TheEldritchGod]

yup.

 

[Iamnotabot]

Yes. If memories serve me then house of dragon was base around 1 such book

 

[Thraben]

If you ever feel like writing lore isn't the same as writing an actual story, kindly remember that LoTR exists because a guy made several languages and then felt the need to justify them with lore. The story didn't come until much later. So yes, yes it does.