[@Jim] Welcome to World Building 101. This course is a series of classes, to be presented over a number of weeks and covering a variety of topics related to world building in general.
[@Jim] Normally we will meet every other Sunday for these classes, but there will be some exceptions due to real life commitments on my part. These will be noted on the calendar.
[@Jim] The first exception is April 13th. There will be no world building class that day. The calendar reflects this (or it will soon). The next class will be in 4 weeks on April 27th.
[@Jim] I plan to follow a format where I present a brief lecture on the topic of the day, mostly garnered from my readings on the topic(s) and my own personal experiences as a writer.
[@Jim] After the lecture, we'll go to questions and answers. Please hold questions for the end. If this works for all of you, great.
[@Jim] If not, I'm open to suggestions for ways to improve my presentations. I'm cutting-and-pasting text I typed up earlier, so hopefully this won't take too long. Let's get started.
[@Jim] Class 1: Why world build? The answer is to give your readers a sense of wonder, a suspension of disbelief, and to keep them reading (and buying) your work, preferably story after story ad infinitum.
[@Jim] You want to develop your world so as to fascinate the readers. This applies to fantasy, science fiction, other genre and even mainstream -- world building applies to
all writing.
[@Jim] In fantasy and science fiction, you want a sense of otherworldliness that will make your reader say, "Cool - I wish I could see that!"
[@Jim] In other genre or mainstream, you want your setting to support your story. You may draw on a place you know well, research it, or you may make it up.
[@Jim] Either way, you want to give your readers something other than their own back yards in the way of setting.
[@Jim] Readers read to escape their worlds, even if the story is set somewhere not too far away. It's still not their backyard.
[@Jim] Or, if it ~is~ their backyard, you had better get the facts straight. I have stories that are, in part, set in San Francisco.
[@Jim] One critiquer here on Holly's site pointed out a flaw in my story based on setting. I corrected it, so it will be right when it sees print.
[@Jim] But had I not caught it, and readers hollered "That's wrong!" after it was printed, well... that's what world building is for (and critiques as well.).
[@Jim] So how do you go about it? First, you have to ask a few questions and make some very basic decisions.
[@Jim] These apply whether you're writing fantasy, science fiction, any other genre or mainstream.
[@Jim] They apply a little less if your story is set on Earth -- you don't find too many, if any, mainstream novels set on other worlds.
[@Jim] So the first question is: is your story set on Earth? Or is it set on an identical-to-Earth world?
[@Jim] If so, then you have simplified your world building a lot, at least as far as gravity, number of moons, how tides work, etc.
[@Jim] But if you set your story in London or New York City, you had better get the details right, or have a good explanation for why they're different (alternate history stories, for example), or your readers will shoot you down.
[@Jim] And, if your story is on Earth, you don't want to have to explain too many differences. What explanations you ~do~ give had better be in story context and not a lecture on your world building or alternate history.
[@Jim] Many writers on Holly's boards are fantasy and/or science fiction writers, so we'll dwell on that for a bit.
[@Jim] World Building
must be in background. Few people will buy your book to read a treatise on how to build a better world. The Silmarillion only sold because The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings preceded it.
[@Jim] As Holly commented to me once, citing her editors' comments to her (I'm paraphrasing): your readers don't care about your story's worldbuilding; they care about your story's action.
[@Jim] But you need to work out some of the details in order to have a sense of believability in your world. You want your reader to believe that your world might really exist.
[@Jim] You *don't* want your reader to throw down your book in disgust, saying, "I don't buy that!"
[@Jim] This is true whether your story spans a globe, a continent, a country, a province, a city, a town, a block, or just a single room.
[@Jim] Skillfully done -- as background, not lecture -- world building imbues a sense of reality that carries your reader along and elicits a willing suspension of disbelief.
[@Jim] Readers expect research in a historical novel. They don't expect Rameses the second to meet queen Elizabeth, or Moses to be concerned about nuclear proliferation, so if you have things like that, there had better be some very good reasons.
[@Jim] In Fantasy and SF, readers expect not to have to deal with world-blasting lasers if the level of civilization is more or less present day. You have to have consistency in your world building.
[@Jim] Fantasy often deals with medieval-like settings and if this is the case in your work, the reader will be thrown out of the story if bad guy draws sword and good guy shoots him with a pistol.
[@Jim] But what if that's important to your story? If so, then you need to establish early that firearms exist as well as more traditional medieval weapons.
[@Jim] Then it's okay for our hero, Indi, to shoot the guy with the sword. See what I mean? (Raiders of the Lost Ark isn't a medieval story, but the idea is the same.).
[@Jim] I could cite other examples, but it all comes back to the sense of wonder and the suspension of disbelief. That has to be an integral part of your story if you want to hold your readers.
[@Jim] Don't bore your reader with big expository lumps. Research what you need to make your story sound believable, and keep it mostly in the background.
[@Jim] Let your characters communicate your world to the reader by acting it out as they move through your story. Your story
must come first.
[@Jim] Be consistent. Use a few vivid details in your descriptions rather than a lot of generalities. A well thought out world generates such details automatically. But be consistent.
[@Jim] Fantasy and SF in particular deal with other worlds that are sometimes different from Earth. This is good, if you do it right and avoid the many pitfalls of storytelling.
[@Jim] One story that I can recall critiquing on this site (I don't remember who wrote it) dealt with people on a very arid world where water was a precious commodity. The environment deeply affected the story.
[@Jim] In this course, we'll talk about worlds in general -- how they compare to Earth and Earth-like environments in general.
[@Jim] In future classes, we'll discuss the sizes and heat outputs of stars, distance of planets from their suns, gravity, moons, tides, magnetic fields and magnetospheres, lengths of years and days and more.
[@Jim] Don't panic.
[@Jim] This isn't a physics class. I'm not here to teach you astromechanics. But if you want to keep a certain level of wonder and believability, you may need a little of this for your stories.
[@Jim] But we'll keep it minimal. Just enough to give you some background for your story. For those who want more hard science, we'll let you talk to Bob Billing and crunch numbers to your heart's content.
[@Jim] For me, I'll do the minimum necessary to get the story told. I can put things like orbital distances, rotations, solar output and so on into a spreadsheet and play with the numbers if I
feel like it.
[@Jim] That sort of thing is coming up next class. In future classes we'll cover other topics like maps, inhabitants, cultures, measurement of time, languages, levels of technology, weather, writing for different climates, characters and putting it all together.
[@Jim] Now let's go to questions... anyone?
[ksej] I have a question
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Where do you start?
[@Jim] Start with the planet and work your way down... start with the story idea and world build around it.
[@Jim] Nick?
[ksej] how much do you need to build or research?
[ksej] I'm getting bogged down and deciding I need to know the soil type of an area where one scene takes place
[@Jim] That depends on the needs of the story... if, for example, you're building a new fantasy world, you'll have land and seas (maps), people and critters living there, a history, etc.
[silverfire] so, in other words, start with the idea of a society of magic users that is disrupted by new type of magic and then work out the details of the society?
[@Jim] Types of soil can vary... color and appearance, what crops they can grow in it, does it support grasses and herds, etc.
[@Jim] That works, Silver.
[silverfire] Like the history and other things of that nature, and if the world is the same as earth, basically, leave it alone?
[@Jim] Well, that depends on your story needs... if set on Earth, is it today, or 1000 years ago or 1000 years in future? What's different? Nothing? Ok... you still need to build your setting... a house, city or town or whatever.
[silverfire] when you, personally, write a story, do you work out all the details first or do you work out enough to get you started and then write? (and work out the rest later)
[ksej] oh, good question silver. I'd like to know that too
[@Jim] Your town will have its own history, and maybe some specifics to make it interesting. Me personally? I work out some first... for my current WIP, I did the map and the general history first.
[@Jim] The map is Pangaea... the world continent of 165 million years ago... and the history is an alternate Earth-like world where humans showed up about 1500-to
[@Jim] to 2000 years ago.
[silverfire] what bogs me down, I think, is that I get writing and then I hit a point, sooner or later, where I need worldbuilding and I haven't really done any.
[silverfire] and at that point, it's hard to switch gears, lol
[@Jim] That's ok, too... many folks world build very generally, vague ideas really... and fill in details as needed.
[@Jim] What you need to do is start a file (or files) with your world building notes... when you need them... and then refer to them as needed. That way you stay consistent.
[silverfire] true; there are different types of writing and worldbuilding--I just need to find out which one is best for me.
[@Jim] Holly has some excellent articles on world building ...
http://hollylisle.com/fm... they may help you.
[@Jim] I also have some template files that I use to get started, based on Holly's recommendations... you can download them from
http://home.att.net/~james.k.mills/World_B.zip -- just save the file when it asks you to.
[@Jim] There are two files in the zip... in two formats for a total of 4 files. One is on world building and the other is on character building. I've found them useful and I hope they'll help you, too.
[silverfire] how does one keep the languages consistent? I tend to make up phrases in whatever fantasy language as I need them.
[silverfire] I know some writers go and actually construct the grammar and lexicon and all that, while others don't. I'm just wondering if there's a way to determine how much you need or not.
[@Jim] Think of English grammar... noun verb object. Some languages change that around or think of it very differently. You categorize your languages in broad terms... who speaks it in what areas, how did it develop, what's similar to neighboring languages, etc.
[@Jim] Then you work in more details...
[@Jim] How much you need is an individual call... it's
your call... it's
your story. Do as much as you feel you need... no more, no less.
[silverfire] so in other words, put my linguistic training to use
[silverfire] lol
[@Jim] Yep.
[silverfire] Unless I'm trying to write the next LotR, though, I think I probably won't want to or need to go too far down into the nitty gritty.
[@Jim] There are some notes from a seminar I attended on Alien Languages on the Transcripts board... you may find them interesting to read.
[silverfire] like, for instance, [p] alternates with [ph] in these environments
[silverfire] hmm--I may want to check that out, then
[@Jim] LotR wouldn't sell nowadays... too much world building exposition... and too much elvish language. If it wasn't a classic, you'd never see it.
[silverfire] yep
[@Jim] Editors today are very different from 50 years ago when Tolkien wrote.
[silverfire] true of a lot of older books--they moved at a slower pace, with longer paragraphs and sentences, as well
[@Jim] Very true. You have to keep up with what the readers and editors want today if you want to sell.
[silverfire] today's readers want a much faster read, in most instances.
[Typosaurus_Rxe] I just re-read LotR and I still found the world compelling
[silverfire] true; that just means that despite what the mainstream people think, stuff like that is still good writing
[@Jim] Yes, no doubt... it is compelling... but an editor today would look at it and wince.
[silverfire] yep, and not only that, most readers would look at the length of the book and wince
[@Jim] Mainstream people tend to think of all genre as trash...
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Like LotR is any worse than the Wheel of Time
[@Jim] Well, it
is a trilogy. Six books in three volumes, really.
[silverfire] I can't imagine a reader new to Janny Wurts, for example, reading one of her Mistwraith series books (or whatever the series name is)
[silverfire] lol, Typo
[@Jim] Oh, imo, LotR is far superion to WoT.
[@Jim] Both sell well, however.
[silverfire] and, I didn't mean mainstream as in non-genre; as in "middle of the road, not pushing boundaries" thinking
[Typosaurus_Rxe] I quit reading WoT after about the third book, not that I didn't like them but out of shear exhaustion.
[silverfire] heh
[silverfire] and that's why new writers won't get books of that length published, probably
[silverfire] heck, my sister bogged down on Tad William's Otherland
[silverfire] which, while long, is nowhere near as long as WoT
[Typosaurus_Rxe] That's okay by me, I would catch old age and die if I tried to write a Wheel of Time sized work
[silverfire] lol
[silverfire] I didn't know you could "catch" old age
[@JimM] Even Tolkien didn't get LotR published as a 'new writer' -- he had at least The Hobbit first.
[silverfire] it's viral, then?
[@JimM] It's inherited, actually.
[@JimM] More questions?
[silverfire] yeah, from what I've heard, editors prefer to wait until an author has a fan base before launching any long books or series
[silverfire] not really; I think I had what few questions I had answered, lolù
[silverfire] -ù
[@JimM] True... though if they like your story, they'll usually sign for two books or an option on your next book. It's good business practice for them.
[silverfire] darn Italian keyboards
[@JimM] Any questions, Typo?
[@JimM] lol
[silverfire] not quite used to typing on 'em yet
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Can you treat the world like a character, impacting the action and growth of the characters and the story?
[silverfire] interesting way of looking at it
[silverfire] does that mean that the world can grow and change and mature over the course of the story?
[@JimM] Well, yes, you
can ... characters change and they can change the world.
[@JimM] Yes... it can... depending on how you write it.
[silverfire] besides the obvious "world is changed by characters", that is
[silverfire] lol
[@JimM] Characters can certainly change the world as far as people are concerned... look at the impact Frodo had on the world by destroying the ring.
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Some of my favorite books have had worlds that had significant impact on the characters and the story
[@JimM] The world can change... earthquakes, etc.
[silverfire] of course, if you decide there is a "Gaia" figure . . . there's the world as a character, right?
[@JimM] Yep. And those can be very interesting stories, too.
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Dune for example is greatly affected by Arrakis being a desert
[@JimM] True. Very much so.
[silverfire] most of the time, though, for the world to have a serious impact on the characters, it needs to be a world that's foreign to the characters
[silverfire] it seems, based on all the stories of that nature I've read
[@JimM] Not necessarily... if you found yourself destitute the world of Rome would have a great effect on you.
[Typosaurus_Rxe] I was considering a project with a kind of ensemble cast. Someone would always be a stranger wherever they go
[silverfire] true, but Rome would be a strange world to me anyway
[@JimM] Or if you were back home and out of money, goods and a place to stay... that environment would have an effect.
[silverfire] true
[silverfire] but I'd also be in a different world--that of the homeless
[@JimM] But we tend to try to conquer our environment... and that's a story in itself.
[silverfire] it intersects with my old world, but is not the same
[@JimM] Well, true, but still in the same setting more or less.
[silverfire] sounds interesting, btw, Typo
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Different climates and weather patterns affect cultures. I was going to try to work things like htat into my project
[@JimM] Hmmm... amnesiac... always a stranger.
[silverfire] lol
[silverfire] or, even worse, the syndrome (I forget its name) where you cannot remember the present since whatever accident or whatever brought on the damage
[@JimM] Jehane is going to be doing classes on weather and climate as part of this world building course. Probably in a couple of months... you can see the last weather class on the transcript board.
[silverfire] you can remember the past clearly
[@JimM] Yeah... I've seen some documentaries about people like that.
[silverfire] strange thing is, you can actually learn new things without knowing that you learned them
[silverfire] like motor skills, or a new piano piece
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Memory is a funny thing
[@JimM] Yes... or relearn things you've learned a thousand times before but forgotten.
[silverfire] yep
[@JimM] Any more world building questions?
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Sudden loss of consciousness will often result in a loos of up to 30 minutes prior to the loss
[silverfire] you'd be wondering why you suddenly got gray
[Typosaurus_Rxe] How deep do you go with worldbuilding?
[silverfire] oh, oh , I know
[silverfire] it depends, right?
[silverfire] lol
[Typosaurus_Rxe] lol
[silverfire] j/k
[@JimM] Yes, it does... as deep as you need to go... you can start your story and realize you need more... or you can world build forever and never get to the writing.
[silverfire] might be fun, but not very productive
[silverfire] heh
[@JimM] Guess I got a little repetitive on the 'it depends' didn't I?
[silverfire] nah, not really--I was just joking around
[Typosaurus_Rxe] How close to editors or readers pay attention to your world?
[silverfire] so much of writing is "it depends"
[silverfire] um, it depends, I think
[@JimM] Every story is both like all others and unique at the same time...
[@JimM] Editors don't care much about the world building as a rule... they're interested in action, conflict and suspense.
[silverfire] sometimes when I'm reading, I pay closer attention to the world than I do at other times
[@JimM] ... and how well it will sell.
[silverfire] if the world is inconsistent, the readers will probably care, I think
[@JimM] Yes... and that's the whole point of world building... any inconsistencies have to be part of the story and explained...
[Typosaurus_Rxe] There have been books that it seemed the world was the fans favorite part
[silverfire] that's the main thing, isn't it? Is being consistent. It doesn't really matter how plausible the world idea is on its own; as long as it's consistent, readers will buy it.
[@JimM] Yes to both... but a world book isn't worth much without a compelling story.
[silverfire] like Darkover, you mean?
[@JimM] Yes... or Middle Earth, or Pern, or Matrin...
[silverfire] interesting world and society concept that lends itself to many stories
[Typosaurus_Rxe] I was thinking about Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books
[silverfire] ah
[@JimM] True... all you need do is come up with a fresh new twist and you can make a writing career.
[silverfire] yeah, the world there was interesting, but I didn't really care for those books too much
[silverfire] too depressing and the main character was a cad
[@JimM] They tended to be a bit on the dark side... but very interesting world building, no?
[silverfire] yes
[Typosaurus_Rxe] What I was thinking was that whenever I ran into a fan of those stories, the fan always raved about the setting
[silverfire] I liked Mirror of Her Dreams much better
[@JimM] Any final questions? I'll try to wrap up.
[silverfire] not that I can think of
[Typosaurus_Rxe] I quit after the first book because I didn't like anyone in it
[silverfire] at one point, the main character rapes someone and later, his daughter from that is all grown up and they fall in love
[Typosaurus_Rxe] But there are series where I have wanted more info about the world
[Jim] god disconnected again :-/
[Typosaurus_Rxe] w/b
[silverfire] lol
[silverfire] wb
[Jim] ok... Next time: How to apply astronomy, solar system planning and planetary planning to your fantasy or other story, assuming it's different from Earth. The physics of world building, but not too heavy on the science or math -- just enough to get the story background you need.
[Jim] That'll be in 4 weeks... same day and time.
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Glen Cook's Black Company series started with very sparse information about the places they went
[silverfire] A friend of mine, in my old writers group, was doing something based on a complex solar system, with two suns, where the planet orbited between them
[silverfire] the main overt story was about the impending loss of life due to passing too close to one of the suns
[silverfire] or something like that, lol
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Toward the end of the series, I feel like I have lived there
[Jim] I think we've discussed that sort of thing once or twice in these classes... more common in SF stories, but would make an interesting fantasy, too.
[silverfire] yeah, I can see that
[Jim] Ok... thank you both for coming to my class... hope to see you next session. Bye!
[silverfire] bye
[Typosaurus_Rxe] Bye
http://www.jameskmills.com
Some of my work may be read at my forum: http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/74198
Mail to: Jim@HollyLisle.com