Okay, so before I go get my thoughts all knotted up and useless, I'll answer to
Lazy8's question first and
then read all the fabulous replies!
(I glimpsed a recommendation of Limyaael's rants in
mithrysc's post and I must say, I am a huge fan of them, too! They are great and really get you thinking!)
I think the most important thing is to take your world serious. Even if it is a comedic setting, if you don't accept the rules of the universe for real, then you cannot think of things that make it unique and you cannot experience it from your characters points of view.
Always try to think an aspect to the end, even if it seems to be a completely ridiculous one.
Personally, I don't believe a setting can be original or new - but the presentation can be! Think about stereotypes very carefully, but don't try to throw them out the window - otherwise you will get an anti-stereotype and that is just as boring.
And something I take very seriously, environmental possibilities: What kinds of plants grow in which region, what kind of animals would live there, how many of this kind of what and that kind of mineral would be needed to keep X-village supported, what do people eat and how do they protect themselves from wether during different seasons.
You can use real plants and animals as bases, and then modify them, make them more fantastic or 'unbelievable'.
And with that I am back to taking your setting seriously. You have to believe it to be as true as it is for your characters, and they
cannot start doubting conventions based on our,
this, worlds politics or changing traditions -
they have their own.
I'll give you a few examples of thinking a thought to the end from some of my own stories:
1) Okay, so the first one is a rather humorous setting, all things considered. This particular feature came about in a sports lesson in 6th grade. This world is inhabited by fantasy animals that are ball-shaped and have fluffy, blue hair. The blue colour comes from a mineral these animals pick up from the earth while moving forward in little hops and jumps. When they hit something that doesn't contain the mineral, they lose it in a big cloud but since they need it for survival they try to reabsorb it, by jumping back into the thing that now has the mineral all over.
Imagine them hitting a human.
Funny, right? The guy will be covered in blue dust and no doubt stand there coughing and cursing.
Only for the inhabitants there it is
not funny, as it is one of the most common causes for a violent and premature death, not to mention property damage and loss of livestock. In fact, these animals are called "Blaflu" by the locals, which translates to "blue curse" and the only reason they are still around is that the one time there was an offensive against them, it turned into a suicide mission rather fast, with hundreds of civilian deaths. What's more, these animals are actually so feared, that they dictate the whole regions economics (mining and trade of minerals) and spiritual believes (they are honestly believed to be a curse send generations ago by an unsatisfied deity)
2) This one is from a friends story we did some joint brainstorming on, but since she had forgotten
her own story the last time I talked to her, I feel safe in posting this one here:
She had one country that had magicians who could only make things "explode".
Young, as of yet untrained magicians are a hazard, setting things aflame, exploding walls and streets, taking someones arm out by mistake -
making whole cities sneeze themselves comatose...3) In Ferusch's story, the length of the hair is equivalent to the status of the person - what do you do with someone who goes bald? With babies? - Well, you better find a solution!
Just... don't stop halfway and call it a day when you design a world. There is always an astounding, surprising, funny, gruesome detail to be discovered when you set up the rules. So please, please, please
don't break them!
And you can start form any kind of idea - even the most ridiculous sounding one!
Asterales, I do not want to barge into your away-from-computer life, but maaan, going by your posts from the last two days, you need more sleep.
I always need sleep. Your comment made me realize, that while it's unfortunate most of you seem to start posting here, when I am supposed to have been asleep for some hours, doesn't actually stop me from going to bed! (Also, exams coming up. Oh, no! *cries*) So I'm not very active at the moment Huh, it turned out most of the answers weren't answers to Lazy8...
I don't know where I see myself in terms of OCC/TW. Until your post,
Unwary, I hadn't even thought about the fact that there might be a difference.
My stories are very character driven. Then again, the characters never exist independently of the world and I want to tell a very specific story in each case. Hm, maybe I see myself in the tradition of the Bildungsroman? So, actually my characters
do change a lot? I find it unrealistic if they don't... I chase them through hell and back and they stay the same? Nawww~
But usually I start with world and characters at the same time. At a certain point both of those are fully formed and the mechanics of the setting so strict, that a plot is bound to spring up.
But I usually
do have a very general idea of the themes I want to cover. In Ferusch's case that would be choice (crops up in all my stories, as it is a personal favorite, but in his it is almost the main focus); (following) other's expectations, the power of one person over others; redemption; loyalty and rejection.