Five Foundations Of Worldbuilding As a writer of fantasy and science fiction, I’m often asked for my tips on world-building. Earlier in 2012, I taught a workshop on it at my local library, and all year I’ve been meaning to put those notes online. Finally I have time to do it! So, here are my thoughts on world-building, with examples for you to investigate on your own. In the Beginning … If you look online or in books about writing fantasy, you often find lengthy lists of questions to ask yourself about the world you’re creating. My hand-drawn map of Ash’s world A lot of these world building guides also suggest that you draw a map of your fictional world. Of course, it is important to spend some time on world building, especially if you’re writing a story set in a secondary world.2 But I don’t think you need to get bogged down in answering 100 questions about the economics and politics and plant life of your world. Five Foundations of World Building Who has it? The ritual of the Sorting Hat The ritual of the Reaping Ramen!
How to Make a Fantasy World Map Any good fantasy world deserves a map, but how does a world map go from your notebook to an espansive illustration that provides depth and information? Read on as Isaac Stewart shares his process for making the map for The Emperor’s Blades, the first book in Brian Staveley’s new fantasy series Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne. The book is out on January 14th but you can read the first seven chapters for FREE right here. I was ten years old, holding a golden Nintendo cartridge in my hands. I didn’t play The Legend of Zelda to win. Oh boy, I had no idea where that little folded up map would lead me. Exploration For Brian Staveley’s excellent fantasy debut, The Emperor’s Blades, Heather Saunders at Tor wanted a two-page map that would match the feel of the book. Brian’s attention to detail was amazing! Before I jumped in headfirst, I needed to make sure of my destination. Match the design of the book. I asked Heather for samples of the book’s interior design. The Problem of Real World Maps
How to Design Your Climates Fiction Writing: How to Create a Believable World for Your Characters When you hear the term “worldbuilding,” what comes to mind? For some, it might be George Lucas’ classic Star Wars universe; for others, perhaps it’s the sprawling, gritty world of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, the not-so-distant future of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, or the richly detailed Middle-earth of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. An author creating his story’s world has the power to develop it in every way. Considering these elements is crucial to creating an interesting, engaging and believable world — in any genre, not just fantasy or science fiction. [bctt tweet=”In fiction writing, give your characters’ world the attention it deserves.”] Why do I need to build a world? Simply put, your characters need a place to live, work and play! Would the story of the two young lovers from very different backgrounds have been as gripping if it hadn’t been set aboard the Titanic? How does worldbuilding improve my writing? Worldbuilding, step by step
Character Trait Cheat Sheet - Kris Noel In order to create a relatable character, you must think about them as having several layers. Knowing and choosing character traits is important because you don’t want them to be one dimensional. It’s all not as simple as saying “this person is mean” or “this person is kind”. Think about the people you know in real life. I’ve listed some examples of character types: Adventurer: high levels of energy, bold, dominant, competitive, fickle, leader. Bossy: confident, competitive, stubborn, close minded, serious, lacks shame or guilt, wants a high status. Creator: artistic, observant, persistent, sensitive, introverted, becomes easily absorbed, enthusiastic, likes his or her own company. Extrovert: outgoing, talkative, not easily intimidated, expressive, enjoys being with others, seeks social situations. Fearful: driven by fears of rejection, unhappy, withdrawn, avoids stress, uncomfortable in social situations, problems being assertive. -Kris Noel My book My goodreads
20 World Building Questions for Authors to ask Themselves Author at work: now is the time to ask yourself these world building questions World building is the art of convincing a reader that a fictitious place exists. What do you do if you don’t know where to start creating that illusion? Well, to get you going, here’s a list of 20 world building questions you can ask yourself to get started. What is the geography like? Don’t fall into the Star Wars Trap of having mono-climate worlds (Tatooine = desert, Hoth = ice, Endor = forest). Why is that city there? Cities happen for reasons. What do people eat? If your world contains fantastical creatures, consider which of them are edible. The first person to discover a creature is either a scientist or an explorer; the second is invariably a cook. If your world is more Earth-like, take a cuisine appropriate to your climate and adapt it to your world. Who or what do they worship? Was your world made by one or more gods? How do they express that worship? Are there organized religions? What languages are there?
How to Write Better: 7 Instant Fixes Does your writing stand out? Do you worry whether your writing is good enough? I can see you nodding your head. You are not alone. Every writer has doubts about his or her writing. The good thing is that writing is a journey. On this journey, you can either travel the long road – or use shortcuts. Using shortcuts means learning to spot and fix mistakes in order to write better. Here are seven instant fixes that will improve your writing. But … what is good writing? Inexperienced writers think that ‘good’ writing is elaborate. No, good writing is simple. 1: The art of natural Check out an example of elaborate writing below (I’ve sourced examples of writing from free Kindle books chosen at random). This is from a story about a young girl who is at home with her young brother when a thunderstorm strikes. An ebony abyss claimed the den. I take this to mean, “The room went dark.” Maybe the author consulted a Thesaurus to create a sentence with special words. Your words should sound natural. Careful!
One Paragraph, Three Drafts - Diane Chamberlain I write many, many drafts as I work on a book. Recently, someone on Facebook asked writers to share different drafts of a single paragraph. I thought this would be an interesting exercise for me to share with you, my blog readers. I want to give credit to the Facebooker who suggested this, but I don’t recall who it was, so I hope that person will read this post and step forward. Until then, here are three drafts of the same paragraph of my work-in-progress, currently titled The Lies We Told. We are in Maya’s point of view here. Early Draft: A guy walked into the restaurant. Middle Draft: Adam said something to Brent and Rebecca, but I didn’t hear him. He started walking toward us–or at least, I thought he was heading toward us. I knew how quickly these things could happen. Final Draft: Adam said something in response, but I didn’t hear him. He started walking toward us–or at least, I thought he was heading toward our table. I knew better than anyone how quickly these things could happen.