with Enisa Haines
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| Image courtesy of: www.123rf.com |
It's often said that stories are about characters and the conflicts they face. For example: Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy, each immersed in an emotional tug of war between their preconceived ideas of each other and the feelings they struggle against, in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Or Eve and Roarke, both fighting distrust and the emotional chaos attraction brings, in J.D. Robb's In Death series.
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Why are these characters so fascinating, and unforgettable? It's the world they live in. Who the characters are, what shaped them and what happens to them all depend on their imaginary world. For Mr Darcy and Elizabeth it's the customs, constraints and influences of Regency England. A technology-advanced, gritty New York City in 2058 is the backdrop for Eve and Roarke. Worlds that come alive in the reader's mind, worlds that are credible.
What makes them feel so real that readers are intrigued and willing to suspend disbelief and engage in the stories? World building, a term associated with fantasy, paranormal and dystopian tales and known in other genres as creating a sense of space, is the key.
How do we build a world?
- Start with a setting and time period. Visit or research the place if it exists today. If you're writing historical, discover everything you can about location and era. Use your imagination to create a planet/universe/alternate reality if you're writing fantasy/paranormal or dystopian.
- Add the main characters and the surrounding community. Learn how they function, what they value.
- Know past events that influence what happens in the present.
- Add conflict that results in chaos.
- Discover how the environment impacts on the characters and their conflict.
Spend some time on these details, add them together and you'll have a deep and complex world, one that has its own identity, its own unique sounds and smells and sights. You don't have to reveal everything about your world. Your characters and what they are experiencing are what's most important. Keep them in focus and show the details as a backdrop or implied. A backdrop such as the stage where rock star David Ferris performs with his band in Kylie Scott's Lick. Or the Highlands of 18th Century Scotland where former combat nurse Claire Randall is hurled through time into the lead-up to the Jacobite Rebellion in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander.
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| Image courtesy of: www.kylie-scott.com |
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| Image courtesy of: www.tvguide.com |
World building is your guide to your world. It's the essence of your story. It gives it the supporting framework and, most important of all, it make your story real to readers.
Is world building an enjoyable process for you or do you find it a chore?
Love to Love - inspirational quotes. A great boost for my writing muse.
Love to Laugh - sometimes reality is as amazing as imagination.
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Love to Learn - about the fantastic worlds authors imagine. I'm in awe of George R.R.
Martin's Game of Thrones.
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| Image courtesy of: denofgeek.com |
Good world building really does set a book apart, doesn't it? They usually have elements of our world today to make them relatable (eg. Medieval England for Game of Thrones) but can then go off that base to create a world only the author could have thought of by adding layers to the world. Thanks for an interesting post Enisa.
ReplyDeleteHi Cassandra. World building is mostly associated with science fiction, paranormal and fantasy, but it really is important in all fiction genres. It makes the stories memorable and that's what all authors want.
ReplyDeleteThanks Enisa. Some interesting points.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you found the tips useful.
DeleteI write contemporary romance, but I put a lot of research into world building because my books are set in remote places that many people might not have the opportunity to visit. I believe that giving a vivid sense of time, place and character backstory really adds to a reader's involvement in a story.
ReplyDeleteHi Marilyn. Yes, giving a vivid picture of the story, whether it's set in a real, existing place or in one made up, helps the reader get involved.
DeleteHi Enisa, great post on world building. I set my crime fiction novels in the real world of the eastern suburbs of Sydney - a place a lot of Australians can identify with but the police station I use is fictitious. Like Marilyn says, having a good sense of the world the characters live in gives more to the story
ReplyDeleteHi Karen. When you set a story in a real place it's essential you get the feel of it in its entirety so the reader can too. World building certainly helps do that.
DeleteI lurvvve it when someone does a fantastic world build or description, and I can see it, I can hear it, I'm there! It makes a book so much more intense and memorable. Marilyn Forsyth, Cassandra Samuels and Karen Davis from this blog have all gifted me with places I normally wouldn't or can't visit (thankyou *so much* girls), but have been vivid and exciting to read about. I love being immersed in another world. Part of the magic of reading. Thanks Enisa, great post and great pictures.
ReplyDeleteHi Malvina. I'm like you in loving fantastic world building. I'm transported straight into the story that way and it's like I'm living it myself. As you say, it's the magic of reading.
DeleteThank you Enisa Haines! You are so right; world building is essential in a book! It can take an ordinary story and make it extraordinary! For me, even more than the characters, it's the setting that transports me into the pages and keeps me reading.
ReplyDeleteHi Dee. Yes, the setting is a crucial part of world building. When you're immersed in the setting that's a plus in being immersed in the entire story.
DeleteHi Enisa. When world building is highly effective, I don't even notice it. I become so immersed in the story, it's as if I am there with the characters. I guess that's what you mean by suspending disbelief. It's what makes reading great fiction such a captivating experience.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon. World building when done right just pulls the reader in, doesn't it? Such an effective tool for writers.
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