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Some people may be aware that at various points I've attempted to write books, or at least world-build. Said people are probably aware that this has been more of a daliance than a true effort, given that I'm not good with writing narrative and/or dialogue, and more importantly can never decide exactly which book I want to write. Will it be the near-future science-fiction? The Epic Fantasy? The Clancy-esque alternate-history? The not-so-Epic Fantasy?

More likely, I'll just keep world-building, as I find it quite fun, and at the same time frustrating. There's just the temptation to try and do too good a job - for each detail, you suddenly want to create six more supporting details, and so forth for each of these, until you've micro-detailed a particular Thing that possibly stands in isolation from both story and world. The history and architecture of a particular, non-essential city, perhaps. Even simply an important family in that city. Or the characteristics of a model of tank, and the process of its design and manufacture.

Most of all, I enjoy drawing maps - lots and lots of maps, which usually I dispose of within a few months as being inadequate, or contradictory. Especially as far as place-naming goes, as I wish to have a certain linguistical consistency in my created worlds, and each time I change my mind about the language factors, I have to rework the cartographical details.

And each time I learn new things about this world, and the way it was and is, in matters that would be relevant in the created world - such as in agriculture or sailing - I have to work or rework the details.

And occasionally I just toss the whole mass out and start fresh, using only the broadest outlines of the previous version (perhaps the overall continent shape and naming, the main characters and nations).

At the very least, it's an interesting hobby.

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