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If you're interested in writing, regardless if you're experienced or just starting out, you might find something useful in this tip series. Today's topic is a doozy. We're gonna go over many methods that should help with your world creation skills. And how you should display those skills without it seeming boring or contrived.

Introduction

Greetings. All you beautiful, creative people. Today's lesson only applies to creative writing. More specifically, it applies to fantasy writers (and sci-fi writers), who just want some help. hugs

Depending on what you want to do, and how you want to do it, your world will reflect that. You don't have to write 400k + words of world building before you start writing - you are not Tolkien. You can, if that's what you want to do. If you wanna write an epic fantasy series, then go for it dude and/or dudess. But you don't have to do that. Regardless, if world building is a slog for you to drudge through or an enjoyable experience, this blog will most certainly help you out.

Iceberg

Ah, the good ol' Iceberg. If you have studied creative writing before, then you should already know about this fella.

The gist of the iceberg is that the reader only reads the top part, the visible part. So as an author, you only show that small piece at the top, when in actuality you know (or you give the impression that you know) the bottom half.

Now, as I said before, you don't actually have to have the entire iceberg ready. But, you need to make sure the reader thinks that you do. Making the process of discovering your world fun, is as important as having a compelling world. It doesn't matter if you've written 400k+ worlds of world building. If discovering that world is a dull process, then that world will not get the attention it deserves. And the story will suffer.

The trick to remember is that the reader doesn't see the entire iceberg. He sees what he wants to see. Play with this idea.

The Learning Curve

When I say learning curve, I'm actually talking about the process in which the reader tries to enter your world. It might be steep, it might be shallow, but the learning curve is there. And for some, me included, it is a joy to unravel the author's puzzle.

At the beginning of every fantasy book that I read, i feel like I'm back in school. Learning everything from the ground up. Then by the time I am half way through the story, I have already read all the required material, and am ready for the test!

Some authors have a really steep learning curve. Lord of the Rings is an example of such a fiction. Dump all the information in the beginning, and pray the reader falls in love with it. Most, however, have a shallow learning curve. Where the world is slowly revealed to the reader. And it's like a puzzle. Going through these puzzles and understanding what's what, can be a really enjoyable experience.

Builder Tips

So, uhm, I'm gonna say something really stupid here but: being imaginative is really important. If you are able to create a distinctive world, then that will go a long way towards reader satisfaction. I have finished plenty of stories where the world kept me going, regardless if the characterization or the pacing was off. Creating a compelling world is paramount.

So assuming you already have something whipped up: You can change one thing in your world, and then extrapolate questions/answers about said thing. You can do this through questionnaires or brainstorming. This is basically showing only one part of the iceberg, and milking that part for all its worth. :)

Having a Watson type character is another really common, and useful, world building tool. Some might say it's kind of a "cheap trick", but I think it could still work if done properly. Doing it properly simply comes down to the character being fun, and his interactions and reactions make sense with the world you have created around him.

Introductory character scenes that dwell on the character's past are also really good world building tools. Since they allow the writer to do good world building, without explicitly stating the world building.

Last, but certainly not least, is that getting inside the character's head is vital! Presenting their view of the world, in the way that character would see the world, does wonders for your world. If done right, it allows for the character creation and the world creation to mesh, thus creating a really unique reading experience. The writing greats have perfected this, and I feel you need to understand how important it is to creating a great story.

Conclusion

Truth is. Someone could probably write an entire course on world building. This topic is so extensive, it's not even funny. What I brought to you is hopefully some understanding behind the core principles of world building. To make you more comfortable in the wilderness, as they say.

An important thing to remember is to have fun with it. This is a good lesson for writing in general, but it is especially true for world building. Where the reader will most likely feed off of your excitement for this world. And that goes a long way, true me.

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Missed the previous parts of this tip series? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

What was that? You want the image sources? FINE: 1, 2, 3