Evan Writes

I like worldbuilding. It's something I've loved since I was a kid (tho I wasn't aware of the term). When I read novels, I've always enjoyed "looking at the background". The little details that make worlds thick, and hint at something beyond the characters and their shenanigans.  

Creating worlds in my head wasn't new for me, but it wasn't until I was a teen that I tried to put those stories in writing.

Fueled by a maladaptivish imagination and having discovered the endless world of fanfic, I started writing short excerpts about the many characters living in my mind. I took inspiration from mythologies, history, and various works of literature, but never with any seriousness. It was more a form of escapism than a serious project I needed to finish. My personal secret projects in which I could get lost and wander. 

Years later, with a couple of geeky friends, we had the idea of creating a collaborative story, in which each of us would create a region in a continent and write stories about our characters. Sort of like dnd, but without the tabletop aspect. It ended up in nothing, but left me with a sense of "I can do this, I want to do it, and it's fun".

However, from wanting to do something to actually doing it, there's a loooong stretch. It will not magically solve itself. It was hard, and it has been hard.

I fell into the research rabbit hole. Wrote some stuff that felt like the loose pocket change in abandoned pants. I completed a couple of NaNos, which gave me some content, but I didn't have a plan or a story. 

Then I discovered Flight Rising, and oh boy, that blew my mind. 

Flight Rising is an in-browser game where you can raise dragons. That was like kerosene to my worldbuilding. I began writing short descriptions for my characters, which led me to write a three-character scene (two Family Heads and a castellan extorting them for protection money). I loved that scene (which honestly I still haven't used again, but I'm working on that). 

Investigating how to flesh out the characters led me to the World Anvil community, and although I do not participate as much on the website or the Discord anymore, I've met lots of friends who have pushed me to fucking put my ass on the chair and keep working.

However, mind goblins are hard to beat, and insecurity has a way of getting loud and obnoxious at times. I tend to get ahead of myself or try to do everything at once, which leaves me overwhelmed. Or question what I do by comparing myself with everyone else. I don't want that. I want to enjoy writing again.

So this Tumblr is my attempt at fighting my insecurities.

I can't say I'm not good if I don't try. I can't say my writing is bad if I don't put it out there for people to judge. I will share so I can finally say I'm writing. Is it good? I don't know, but it's therapeutic. It's me doing something. I won't get better without practice.

Welcome to my journey. The world of Xalier, and anything that pops into my head. I have a hand on the brake and my heart on the wheel.