World Building Tips | Creating Setting & History in Fiction
Transcript:
Do you like world building?
I love world building, probably a bit too much.
In case you didn’t know, world building is the process behind developing all the nitty gritty details of the setting and society your characters live in.
It a very important part of building a novel, though obviously a bit more so for science fiction and fantasy than contemporary. It can be a fun process, because world building can be anything from the type of food your characters eat to the religion they practice, from the magic they use to the language they speak, and so on and so on.
There are so many things you can play with when designing a world.
Too many things. It’s very easy to get lost or overwhelmed.
Here’s the guiding rule behind smart world building: Story comes first.
Story comes first is basically the guiding rule behind most writing advice, but it’s especially important here. There’s a common theory that most writers take one of two approaches when it comes to developing a story.
Some people are character first writers, which means they have a better time building characters or internal motivations before anything else.
Others are plot first writers, which means they have a better time building stories around the events that take place.
When it comes to world building, it doesn’t matter which of these you lean towards.
You need to have a good balance of all three: character, plot, and world if you want a good story.
So how to you connect world building to your characters and plot?
Start by asking what your story needs. Your world should be an extension of the ideas you intend to share. For example, a sleek metallic science fiction landscape is a fun place to set a story in, but is it the right place for a novel with coming of age themes?
It depends on what you want to focus on.
Maybe your main character is struggling with what’s expected of her. Maybe she’s discovered a giant secret that tears apart everything she’s been raised to know. Maybe she doesn't know what to believe in or who she’s supposed to be. Let’s say your plot has her make her way into the underbelly of her picture perfect world, peels away the shine and glamour of the finished product. For all the glitz and glow, there is hard work, tough decisions, and mistakes behind success. So then, yeah, that works.
That’s a reflection of the journey she makes to discover who she needs to be.
That’s an really glossed over example of what I’m trying to get across, but the point is that your world works best when it fits into place with all your other elements like a well-oiled machine.
Try not to waste much time on things that don’t matter to the story.
I struggle with this.
I have a ridiculous obsession with wanting to make sure my stories are believable as possible, which leads me to wasting time and stressing myself out over the tiniest details of my fictional world’s economy or tax system.
Not to say that isn’t important, but it’s not the main focus of my plot or my character’s ambition and it doesn’t really help me write.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about the bigger picture.
Lots of novelists (and I’m pretty sure all TV show runners) create what is called a Story Bible. A Story Bible basically a big binder (or digital document if you’re more technically inclined) that contains all the rules and important details of your fictional world. This is where you would keep information you might forget about, need to refer to, or build upon two books down the line. If you refer to your Story Bible, you’ll avoid contradicting yourself and stay on track with your long term plans.
Even if you’re not writing a series, keeping all your details in an easy to find document is a really good tool. But don’t worry about knowing everything right at the start!
It’s perfectly okay and even recommended to build as you go.
Whether you want to iron out key details before you start writing comes down to whether you like to outline or not, but it won’t ruin your novel not to know everything when writing your first draft. Most things are imperfect in a first draft. You can always refine or change your mind when you revise.
World building works best when it’s not explained to the reader.
What I mean by this is that details are a lot more believable and even easier to remember when they are shared through dialogue or action instead of pages upon pages of exposition. If we learn of a world detail because of how it immediately affects something the character is doing, it’s given instant context and helps keep the reader engaged. The last thing you want is to pull your story out of focus in the middle of an important scene.
“Okay, Lily,” you say. “You’ve said a bunch of things I should avoid obsessing over when writing my novel, but what should I focus on?”
I’m glad you asked.
Conflict.
I’ve mentioned conflict on this channel before, but in relation to world building, conflict is a great way to connect your world to your story. Conflict is essential to good story. Your plot is defined by conflict. Your characters need internal conflict. Therefore, your world should also be in conflict, or at least on the verge of it.
Look for ways to show tension in the everyday features of your fictional neighborhood. Conflict can come from overabundance as easily as it can come from rationing and despair. A perfect world typically only looks so on the surface. Look for small opportunities to show unease.
You can also gain a lot of suspense from intentionally holding back.
Mentioning something casually that turns out to grow into something sinister later is always a fun tactic. If you do it correctly, your reader may not even notice something vital is missing until its absence is brought center in a cruel and devastating reveal. It’s fun to hint at things you don’t have the time or space to expand upon.
One of my favorite things about the Harry Potter series and it’s deep and enchanting world is how it builds and builds upon itself with each book. Rowling does this with careful care not to get sidetracked from what immediately matters to the story.
It is a truly magical experience to read a later book in the series and realize that a passing comment or casually mentioned object in an earlier story is a crucial element to the plot of the current book.
Rereading the series is like exploring the world all over again, noticing new details or understanding others with a clarity you didn’t have before. It’s this attention to detail that makes the Harry Potter universe so immersive. Even objects the characters take for granted can be extraordinary to our muggle minds and knowing that the smallest thing could mean so much to the bigger picture is a big part of what dazzles readers.
There’s so many pathways you could walk down and discover a whole new world.
I repeatedly forget that the Wizarding World and Hogwarts aren’t real. I have to constantly remind myself. It feels like a foreign country I’ve heard a lot about but will never get to visit. I haven’t seen it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Most of us aren’t good enough at world building to get entire theme parks based on our worlds, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do our best anyway.
Your setting is more important than you think. Your characters, your plot, neither will work if your reader can’t connect with the world they live in.
It’s not too terrifying a task to hint at that deeper, endless world.
You can start by casually mentioning a bigger detail in the midst of something else.
This could be the title of a book your character pushes aside as they look for something else. The name of a building or a street sign. You don’t have to say “It was in the Murder District, where years ago…” just saying Murder District is intriguing enough. There are lots of opportunities to explain further later on.
It’s always a good idea to keep a reader curious. If they want to know more, the only way they can find out more is by reading on.
Most importantly, focus on what excites you.
Your world, like all your writing, will shine brightest when you are happy to share it. What interests you most? Why did you chose this setting for this story in particular? Don’t be afraid to be detailed about what you like about your world, maybe you’ll find that’s what resonates with readers the most.
What excites you about your world? Tell me in the comments.
If you’re not subscribed yet, you should know I do weekly videos on writing, books, and everything that excites me about fiction. If you like that, you may want to join me.
I’ll see you really soon. Thank you for watching. Have a great day. Bye.
