As a writer, I sometimes have trouble vividly imagining my fictional settings. It is not as big a problem as it sounds. Characters come first and, unlike film makers, novelists can get away with a less-than-thorough imagining of physical surroundings. A few concrete and enticing details are sometimes enough to anchor readers while engaging their imaginations so that they can essentially complete the scenery themselves.

However, this feels like cheating to me. I want to make my worlds as real to myself as they are to the reader, and with the fantasy genre in particular, world-building needs to be more than an after-thought.

This is why I became so excited when I heard about a software program in the early stages of development that seeks to guide the world- building process: StoryTechnologies, conceived by Brett Alistair Kromkamp, a software developer living in Norway. According to his website, StoryTechnologies is “about telling compelling stories using whatever techniques and media are appropriate.”

While in the past I have resisted computer programs used for writing, I could actually see myself using this software.

Brett is presenting 3-D video-game-type graphics – or 3-D modeling and animation – as a way to help writers build their fictional worlds. His 3-D sample renderings of buildings and exotic settings appeal to both the gamer and writer in me.

As a gamer I have often sought ways to use virtual worlds as inspiration for stories. With The Sims I used to build “sets” for my stories by customizing the houses to fit the personalities of my characters. I would use the camera feature to set up panels, taking photographs of my Sims in action and putting the frames together to make the panels look like comic strips. It was a lot of fun.

However, other aspects of game play got in the way of my story writing. The game required me to get jobs for my Sims to make money, which limited the kinds of furniture and other items I could buy to reflect their personal preferences. Plus, my hungry Sims were always yelling at me – understandably – when I spent money on furniture and other “stage props” instead of food. (“No sir, you may not have a cracker. Take this lava lamp, you hippy!”)

I have tried using other video games in a similar way. While playing the RPG Skyrim I was dazzled by the realistic-looking exotic settings, dreamy snow-capped mountains, fields bursting with wildflowers, and roaring waterfalls. I loved wandering around magnificent palaces, the kinds of places I would never be likely to visit in real life.

I was so inspired by Skyrim, I decided to consciously engage my imagination so that instead of just seeing and hearing my surroundings, I would imagine really being there; I would imagine the sweet scents of the flowers or how cold the snow felt, or how tired I would feel after walking long distances, how achy my legs would be, or how frost-bitten my fingers.

I kept a notepad beside me and took notes on the visual surroundings, kind of a virtual travel diary, just as if I were visiting real places. Soon my notepad was filled with detailed descriptions from the point of view of my avatar, a khajiit (or cat creature).

My descriptions sounded like excerpts from a novel. I would “hear” my cat character describing her surroundings and how she felt about them; I soon learned that she was a tortured creature and that her emotions ran deep. Her descriptions became the beginning of my latest novel, Paw, and my cat creature became my protagonist

However, the game Skyrim was not designed for me to use in the way I was using it. If I wanted to get to exotic new areas for story inspiration, I had to fight snow giants and wild beasts; I had to crawl through dungeons and figure out where to go; I had to honor the game mechanics and rules. Using Skyrim for story inspiration was inefficient.

Maybe that explains why I was so excited about the idea of software that would use 3-D modeling technology for the sole purpose of creating stories. The idea that I could give my stories a reality beyond the page, using 3-D graphics as reference points, was enticing.

I am now working on Part 2 of my Paw trilogy; in it world building is going to be more important than in any novel I have created thus far. To help writers organize their world-building thought process, StoryTechnologies involves other aspects of world-building such as politics, geography, religion, and culture – all of which writers of fantasy and science fiction typically consider.

Beyond organizing thoughts, 3-D modeling and animation technology could potentially create new ways for readers to experience the stories they love. Brett raised the exciting possibility that someday readers might be able to go online and interact with the fictional characters you have created. That would be way more awesome than The Sims.

I am looking forward to seeing how Brett resolves some of the complex issues writers face as he creates his software. Beyond world building, he is seeking elements common to effective story-telling in order to guide writers through that process as well, which – as any writer knows – is no small undertaking.

Brett has started blogging about the experience of creating his software and sharing his insights about writing, world-building, and 3-D modeling. His blog is StoryTechnologies.com. Follow it to keep up with his progress.

Until StoryTechnologies is released for consumer use, I might go play some Skyrim. The game may not be designed for writers, but it is strikingly pretty and realistic-looking nonetheless. For now, that will have to do.