World Building

Today I thought I'd talk a little about world building.  Most writers do world building, some more than others, and in fact there have been heated debates about how much is needed.  I recall watching a video interview with George RR Martin, the "Game of Thrones" author, and him talking about the degree to which he builds out the underlying foundation -- the world, the universe -- for his characters and stories, and how there was this other author (can't recall his name) who was of the opinion that world building was overrated.  Martin was disputing that, and pointing out how with the other guy's stories there were slips in continuity.  The other guy, apparently, believed the story was all that mattered and the rest was a waste of time.

I disagree.

Martin is correct; world building is important.  In fact, for my first series I stopped early on and took the time to flesh out the full history and universe my characters were playing in, just so there was something consistent to hang it all together.  By the time I was done that write-up turned out to be 60 pages, and covered everything from past races to current governments and all the framework and mechanics that made everything work.  For "Star Angel" I have a historical timeline from 100,000 years before the stories take place, along with write-ups for all major events.  I call it the "Star Angel Companion."  No one will probably ever read it.

It helps.  Greatly.  Especially in a fictional world.  Writers of stories in a modern or historical setting have it a bit easier, of course, as their "world" is pre-built for them.  Stories that take place right here on Earth, in the "real" world have our entire existence to draw from.  It's the world we know.  World War I happened and all the details are there for anyone to use and we all know exactly how it shaped events and how it might lead to any character motivations.  If you're making up a fictional universe, however, you may not be able to draw from that.  In some cases none of it.  And so for your story to work you need to at least have the basics defined.  Otherwise your characters are swimming in an ocean with no direction and no land.

World building is important.

Maps.  Histories.  Beliefs.  Races.  Lineages and hierarchies, changes in physics (if any), rules of magic and other fantastic knowledge.  Languages.  All these things become important, and merely winging it as you go along, fitting in these very important elements as a matter of convenience, placing the story first and not worrying over the details ...

That approach can create a sort of low-level vertigo with the reader.

And so I feel it's important to take the time to flesh out your world, your back stories, your historical motivations and all else that shapes the universe in which your characters live.  This can be work, no doubt.  But the reward will become clear the further you forge into your story, when you see how easily things hang together, how well the pieces fit, and how much what your characters are doing makes sense.

Doing so ensures continuity.  It removes distractions for the reader.  And, if you take the time early on, it most definitely makes it easier in the long run for you, the writer.

There you have it.  Two more of my cents.  :-)

As always, keep writing!

#TeamStarAngel

#MakeItBetter