WotC Seeking Your Setting Proposals (was "Big Wizard announcement")

[Wolvorine]

Re: Re: Okay, I have a question

Start with an outline. Begin by launching your word processor. Most WPs today have an outlining function you can use. Even if your version doesn't it aint that hard to do.

First: Decide on your document's main topics. List them. Rearrange the order until it looks right.

Now this is one of my problems, figuring out what the categories are. What's really vital? What just simply has got to go in? That seems like the best place to start to me. I've tried picking up pre-published settings, but who wants to copy one like that? I don't know plagerism laws, so not me. And really, if there was an outline/template premade that you could refer to like that, it would make you think of details you may have overlooked. Creative spurs are always a godsend.

For further information check with your public or university library on the subject of writing. You should be able to find books on the mechanics of all aspects of writing.
Good luck with your project.

Well, one bonus I do have is that I have a dormant writer as a spouse. And while she doesn't write that much herself lately, she's a wonderful editor. hehe
Thanks for the well-wishes, and the advice.

 

[kenjib]

I've got a question now that I'm working on a submission.

4. Threats, Conflicts, Villains (What is the main danger to the world, and from whom does it come?)

The fact that this indicates a single predominant threat to the world seems to imply that WotC would prefer submissions with a strong "save the world against enemy X" theme, kind of along the lines of Dragonlance, Middle Earth, or Scarred Lands. Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk, on the other hand, have a more wide range of villains with diverse goals, none of them necessarily at the "save the world against them" level. If you tried to answer this for these two settings you would have a long list of regional villains rather than a single world-wide enemy.

The fact that they want strong fiction material does lend support to this as epic conflicts against an all powerful enemy are a staple and generally well received in fantasy fiction. They could have easily worded it "what are the major dangers of the world and from whom do they come" instead, which would have been more inclusive. I'm probably just reading too much into this though. Thoughts?

 

[Wolfspirit]

They could have easily worded it "what are the major dangers of the world and from whom do they come" instead, which would have been more inclusive. I'm probably just reading too much into this though. Thoughts?

Well, for one thing, Forgotten Realms has been out for a long time, and thus has had the creative input of a whole lot of people over the years.

If Greenwood had been making Forgotten Realms a submission to this Search (before it was a real setting), under villains he'd probably include "The Zhentarim, an evil army of merchants dedicated to taking over the world" or something like that. I really doubt that he'd be able to send in a 191 page Lords of Darkness in response to that question way back then

 

[Kordeth]

Cover Letter Question

I have a quick question about the cover letter--it's probably kind of silly and pointless, but I'm going to ask anyways because the submissions are blind, so Anthony and the other judges can't go "Hey! This is that guy that asked that silly pointless question! In the bin with this one!"

Okay, so, the question is: Whom do we address the cover letter to? I know what address it's to be sent to, but I just want a name to stick at the top. I know, I know, blind submissions and all that, but at college I had it drilled into my skull that you never head a letter "To Whom It May Concern" if you can help it.

 

[Ghostwind]

I would suggest merely addressing it to either To Whom It May Concern or Members of the Selection Committee

 

[grushnik]

I recommend the following:

------------------
Dear overleaders, you who makes the universe worthwhile, you who make the birds sing, you whose every word is a drop of honey,

Please select my world.

From
your flunky

 

[Talaysen]

To be clear:

I should put my name (and, of course, my contact info) in the cover letter, but I should NOT put my name on the entry itself? That's what it sounds like to me, from certain previous answers, but I'm unclear on this point.

 

[mythusmage]

Re: Re: Re: Okay, I have a question

Now this is one of my problems, figuring out what the categories are. What's really vital? What just simply has got to go in? That seems like the best place to start to me. I've tried picking up pre-published settings, but who wants to copy one like that? I don't know plagerism laws, so not me. And really, if there was an outline/template premade that you could refer to like that, it would make you think of details you may have overlooked. Creative spurs are always a godsend.

Well, one bonus I do have is that I have a dormant writer as a spouse. And while she doesn't write that much herself lately, she's a wonderful editor. hehe
Thanks for the well-wishes, and the advice.

Okay, what sort of world is it? What and who inhabit the world? What perils do they face? How do they get along with each other?

For my part I used (in part) the following main topics: background, geography, nations and people. There are others, but that should give you the idea. Or you can use different main topics.

Go through all the subjects that make up the world and eliminate those that really belong under other topics. For example, the Flurgal Beast really belongs under 'monsters'. Which, in turn, belongs under, 'lifeforms'.

If all else fails, expand on the answers you gave to the 6 questions on the one page preliminary submission.

Hope this helped.

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

outline for 10 page

The DMG has a chapter on "Worldbuilding". You could base your outline on how that chapter is set up.

 

[jester47]

Really? Could you give us a rough idea how it went? Could come in handy as an example...

If you can't find it before then, I will post it here on June 22.

|^)

ZOT!!! tehehe

AW