Wednesday, June 12, 2019

From Physical to Fantasy: The Landscapes and Cultures of Greece as an Inspiration

Creative writing and world building for fantasy/fiction settings has always been one of my passions. I love writing stories and drafting maps, but I've always struggled with imagining myself creating a world that feels as real as the one we live in due to the restrictions of my own experience. Greece has changed everything for me.

Suddenly there is a medium between harsh snowy mountains and great rocky terrain - the blossoming subtropical climate apparent next to the waters of the island showed that to me. There is a place in between the desert sands with their sprouting cacti, and floral grasslands - there is a dry landscape dotted with greens, reds, pinks, yellows, and whites of the various flowers that still manage to grow there. There is a grey area in between the vibrant work life of a city like New York, and a community that relies on older methods of production - there is the rich history and modernizing businesses of Alikianos.

Since getting here, I've kept a list of all of the new things that I can think about and now describe more accurately. The sights I've seen here will influence my world building permanently. Besides, we're only two weeks in, and the list is showing no sign of ending.

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