The Wonders of World building

The Wonders of Worldbuilding

Greetings and Salutations,

So you enjoy reading and or writing. You have stumbled upon this blog, so I think it is a fair assumption that you do. What is it about those stories that grip you, that make them feel grounded and real? What in turn breaks submersion for you? Is it character? Or plot? It might very well be. But what out the setting?

Every story you have ever read and will ever read is set in its very own specific setting. This setting is key to bring all the story elements such as character development and plot together. The setting is the stage on which the characters perform their unforgettable adventures. It is the living and breathing world around the plot that if done correctly, suspends the disbelief, and transports readers into the realms of imagination.

You might think world building is only important for stories that take place in fantasy or sci-fi settings, on worlds vastly different than our own, and it is indeed true that world-building becomes increasingly important then, but it is important in any story. From historical fiction to detectives, thrillers to adventure novels, and indeed for literature as well as for popular fiction.

So what exactly is world building? It is vastly more than deciding upon the location of a story. It is thinking of every single asset that make our daily lives unique. And to then transpose those assets onto the story. It goes from creating landmasses, regions, and specific locations, to thinking of how these locations would come across on our senses. How a region would smell, how warm or cold it would be, how does the food taste? What sounds make up the background tune to this location. Then from there you think about the inhabitants and their cultures and history. Their customs and beliefs, superstitions and mythologies. Their hobbies and joys, as well as their greatest fears. What languages do they speak and how does this relate to their natural world? It is almost as if you are conducting an anthropological study as well as a geological and topographical study, and adding to that a study of history and religion.

This description of world building fits to any story, even those tales set in versions of our own world. The author still has to go through the exercise to determine exactly what socio-economic and political climate the protagonist finds him or herself in, and how this affects their interaction with the world. A well-built world, almost tells the story on its own. You take an interesting setting, and situation, and then you throw your character in and see what happens.

Now, let us end this blog with a challenge shall we? How about you build a completely unique setting for a short story. Think of any location, craft its biome and climate, its shape and size, its scents and sounds. Its wildlife, its peoples, its culture, beliefs and habits, and then have someone from somewhere else altogether find himself in the middle of that world. How would he experience it? How would the locals respond?  Good luck, and happy world building!