After looking at the Codex Seraphinianus, The Visual Dome and reading the essay about an imagined film, how would you go about creating a visual and text presentation of a fictional world using AI tools? What steps would you take?
All of my strengths are in nonfiction writing, so I would be leaning quite heavily on ChatGPT to help me come up with my fictional world. I would start by focusing on one single element and brainstorming what could make that one element unique, because obviously I don’t want to just come up with a fictional world that is similar to what someone else has already created and produced narratives with. I might choose to center my world around this one element for whatever reason. Then, I would think about how that one element may impact other elements within the world and ask ChatGPT corresponding questions, just to see if it would come up with an idea or angle I hadn’t considered yet. For example, If a world’s primary source of sustenance is wheat, how might that impact its society? How might it impact its infrastructure and economy? What challenges arise when a society is heavily dependent upon this primary source of sustenance? How do they mitigate the effects of famine? How do they assign value to food, whether economic or social? I would use ChatGPT to bounce ideas off of, as well as testing the logic within my world. With this method, I can break down the worldbuilding process into smaller, manageable steps that don’t seem as daunting, while ensuring that my world is built in a way that is logical and makes sense.
What are some themes and ideas you want to explore in your world?
I want to explore power dynamics between individuals and/or factions within a society. I don’t think I would attempt the kind of social commentary present in the Barbie movie or Fight Club, but I believe that conflict is what makes stories interesting, and power dynamics are an effective way to set the scene for conflict. I am also interested in how events, however small, can lead to large events—applications of the butterfly effect.