Posted by moraphis -
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When starting to write a novel or a short story it may seem like you have all the information that you need in your head. Well, think again. Do you know where your character goes to relax or the garden that he or she likes? (If there is one.) What about the type of structures and buildings there? What about the history of the country that your character lives in? (Was it visited by aliens?)
You get my point. World building may seem something that can be conquered using an imaginative mind but as you get past that initial phase it becomes a tireless and tedious process. When most of us reach that part, we give up on filling in the blanks for the minutiae. In recent years, there has been a noticeable lack of effort regarding world building and it might be because most authors only briefly develop their worlds, just enough to make their story look seamless. This is most obvious in most fantasy and science fiction stories since a lot of world development is needed for them. However, this is where these underdeveloped stories lose out in gaining a strong readership. A strong foundation of good world building will increase the writer's chances of finding a hidden gem in that world and also allow the writer to create more sophisticated side-stories which will bring life to the original one.
So, how do you make sure that you story is not underdeveloped because of poor world building? It's simple. Before you even start writing you first chapter you should have a clear outline of the world. Ask yourself a few of these questions to get started.
1. Where does your character live? What about his or her friends/enemies? - Use this base to create a map in your head. (for fantasy and sci-fi) Or pick a location from the world map and use it as a base. (usually for contemporary novels but you can still use this technique for fantasy and sci-fi novels)
2. Once you have a geographical reference, you can start to fill in the map with the main locations and imaginary landmarks or features you intend your story to have. At the end, don't forget to create names for the extra land you might have drawn and don't be afraid to add in a bit more detail or change it a bit. Remember, you can always change the direction your story is moving in at this point. Make good use of the internet to help boost your imagination by searching for pictures. You might even want to use Pinterest.
That concludes the first step in world building and this does not only apply to fantasy but also to contemporary novels. It's almost like creating a treasure map, except that there is no treasure. (or is there?) By mapping out all the significant places your character will need to visit and also the irrelevant places (which your character might have an encounter with in the future) you can start to imagine the journey your character will have to take and what it will feel like to be in his or her shoes.
Categories:
the process,
world building