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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/17393
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Note, this might be off topic and belong on World Building SE?

I have always been far more interested with building the world my stories take place in than the stories themselves. I will spend large amounts of planning the geography so small pockets of interesting species can live secluded, how the trade between countries work, what the impact of mushroom forests could have on wild life, how airships can be used in warfare, and so on. After writing a chapter or two I get bored and abandon the project.

Are there manuscripts people have written that are simply an encyclopedia or history book of a fictional world, and are there some kind of guidelines that would help me write one? I always thought this is how Lord of the Rings was written; an interest in language and how races would interact.

Another question, would writing a fictional world's history book and maps even be practical?

Original score: 10