Why an Archive?

This one's a little short, but I've been asking myself this.

"Why am I bothering to put together an archive?"

I'm not a high profile author, neither am I well-known (yet!). I don't have an expansive series published (yet!) nor do I really know what I'm doing (probably still don't!). But so what?

I've been worldbuilding for years. I'm not an expert. I don't even have my MFA, at least as of writing this. I've taught myself over the last decade on what it takes to make a great story. I've also been taught - worldbuilding shouldn't go too far because it takes away from the time you write your story. Well...that's true. Not gonna lie - that's very true. But there's just one problem.

My mind works different than yours.

I worldbuild to anchor myself. The worlds I am currently publishing have been worlds that I've been steadily building and adding to over the last eleven years. I'm basically already an archivist of my own worlds. I know more about the cultural practices of an obscure province in the middle of the Enkavur Empire (spoilers!) than I probably should. But I'm not apologetic. I know my people. I know my lands. And the more I know, the more confident I feel I know what my characters will do when they reach a crossroads, the ideals that drive my protagonists, and the motivations that drive my antagonists.

Here's a bet - more than half of you who are writers probably know what this feels like. You know that you have thousands of notes (maybe more) that you'll probably never use and yet you still keep them or remember them because they're yours. I just...put it to an archive that will be public to fans.

This is definitely not the only site, nor am I the only author in the world to put together archives or their worldbuilding and works. I'm not that naive LOL. But I think those authors who do this are onto something. What the hell are we doing all this worldbuilding for if not to open up our worlds? It's just that a lot of authors leave their archives private.

And that's okay. But...just not for me.

I want to share the intricate details of my worlds to others. I feel like I've done all this hard work and it deserves to see the light of day just as much as my stories. Maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew.

Having fun though. 😜