Category Archives: World Building

Creating a fictional world with rules and characters

MY 100TH BLOG POST!

HOW TO INCLUDE WEATHER IN YOUR WRITING

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So this is my 100th blog post, and I’m pretty excited about it. There are not too many ways to celebrate through cyberspace, so I figured I’d just link back to my first blog: PLOT H LES.

That said, let’s get to it. One aspect of setting that’s often neglected is the weather. Though it is sufficient to write a one-word expression to describe the heat and then leave it alone, I prefer subtle reminders of how the weather is affecting the characters.

As writers, it’s important to remember that we are recreating or creating events. These events are impacted by the weather conditions that the character must endure or enjoy. Continue reading →

WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE

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HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHARACTERS BELIEVABLE

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Risk taking is what defines good writing. It’s the unexpected that makes the reader’s bottom lip tremble in anticipant trepidation, waiting for your story to unfold. These risks are tough, because we want to maintain a story that’s consistent, and taking those risks teeters on the edge of being unbelievable.

Continuing from yesterday, let’s define something a little more clearly. Even though we are jumping off a bridge, make sure that there is water underneath. We aren’t plummeting to our literary deaths; we simply want to make the thrill ride is exhilarating. Continue reading →

TRICKSTER

FANTASTIC FANTASY

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HOW TO WRITE BELIEVABLE FANTASY

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One of the dumbest ideas for a novel would have to come from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Think about it. Some kids go to a house where they’re not wanted and they find this wardrobe. After finding it, they realize that this glorious piece of bedroom furniture is enchanted. Not only that, but the wardrobe, if opened by the right people, has an entirely different world hidden within it called Narnia. That’s ridiculous!

But this is where it gets crazy. Continue reading →

WE’RE BETTER THAN THAT

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HOW TO USE YOUR WORLD IN ALL FICTION

I would like to post one more thing about world building since I took Friday off. I’d like to keep a promise that I made early on that I would show the importance of world building to all fiction writers. Keep in mind that these topics will be explored in even more detail later on, but these posts have merely been introductions to topics. Continue reading →

LAND AHOY

STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW

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HOW TO INCLUDE GOVERNMENT AND POLICY

One thing that has to be evident in any novel is the sense of government and justice. We discussed before in CHARACTER CHARACTER how a character needs to have a sense of justice within. But there needs to be some type of governing body that dictates justice even outside of his personal conviction. Continue reading →

LET THERE BE LIGHT

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HOW TO BUILD A WORLD

This is a high five to the fantasy / sci-fi writers out there. It really doesn’t matter what kind of fiction you’re writing, this will help anyone who is stuck on world building. I’ll explain how this helps any fiction writer later this week. But follow this thread, and the rest will make more sense later.

Continue reading →