One thing I've discovered recently that's very helpful is do a little bit of world building then write a short story around what you've just developed - whether its a character or a city or a part of your history - cos in writing a short about it - you think of it in different ways which leads you to discover its flaws and develop it more in directions you like.
— twitch.tv/silentwillow
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📖 Notes & analysis
This works because world-building in the abstract lets inconsistencies hide. A city's history can sound finished on a notecard while quietly contradicting itself. Story forces specifics: a character has to walk through the market you invented, and suddenly you notice the economy makes no sense, or the quiet archivist you sketched would never actually say the line you need her to say. Say you've built a mountain kingdom ruled by silence. Write a short scene of a child breaking that silence by accident, and you'll learn what the punishment actually looks like, which tells you more about the culture than any outline could. The caution: don't let every sketch demand a full story before it's allowed to exist. Some ideas need to stay rough and untested a while longer, or you'll exhaust yourself polishing scaffolding before the house has walls.
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