Discussion → Group Topic: World Building

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    H-M Brown
    Jul 12, 10:43am

    With all the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror finally popping up left and right, here on Fictionaut, I am sure that there are readers out there interested in writing one of their own. So I figure, why not have a group topic on how to write Speculative Fiction. Have a little reference point for writers seeking a little knowledge in the art. So to start, we will talk about World Building.

    Or in this case I will tell you all how I approach World Building and maybe help give aspiring

    In The Impossible Man, I summed up the world right at the start. For one page I described Denfair City and it's five districts. Then I went into detail on one destrict, Little Edo, because it was the primary setting and finally I described the store itself because its the stage set for the story. But I summed up the city in one page so that the story's pacing would not stall as the reader progresses onward. Most importantly, it also sets up the rules of the world and prevent me from dropping something random about the world that would disconnect the reader. I gave enough details to give readers expectations of each district I would introduce but not too much where I would not have leeway to adjust the setting whenever appropriate.

    Another way I apporach world building is what I did in Arcana Magi Main Series. Since it is set a few years in the future, technology and the world is not that drastically different. The city of Newark still looks the same as is New Jersey itself. So the world building came primarily from the Avalon Tech skyscraper. Since the first chapter was set in an office, I did not have to go into great detail just yet with the world building. That was because I chose character development first. The world building came in Chapter Three. Now rather than summerizing the world, thus causing the story to stall, I instead let the characters walk the reader through the world by letting Reya act as a guide for Alysia and give her tour. This in turn allowed me to world build while moving the story along.

    Well that's how I approached world building in my stories. How do you all approach your world building?


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