Guest Post - Thoughts
on World-building - C.S.Marks
This is the tale of
Gorgon Elfhunter, a monstrous, mysterious creature who has sworn to
destroy all the Elves of Alterra—until none remain. It is the story of
Wood-elven heroine Gaelen Taldin, who has sworn to rid her world of the
Elfhunter even as she is hunted by him. The conflict between them
creates a tangled web that blurs the line between Light and Darkness,
love and obsession, free will and fate. Filled with moments both tender
and terrifying, thrilling yet thought-provoking, it is a timeless epic
fantasy suitable for readers of all ages. Join the Company of Elves,
dwarves, mortal men, and delightfully intelligent horses. Come to
Alterra—the “World that Is”.
Thoughts
on World-building - C.S.Marks
I write in the world of “what if?”
The proper name these days is “speculative fiction,” encompassing fantasy,
science fiction, horror, paranormal, and...probably a few others I don’t even
know about. It’s a blast, and I love it, but it’s a challenge sometimes.
All fiction requires a certain
amount of scene-setting and imagination, but placing the reader in my own
version of “what if?” requires actual world-building. I’ve noticed that some
authors do this better than others. I used to consider world-building secondary
to character development, but I have since learned otherwise. The world is the
foundation on which the story rests--it’s the framework through which the
characters move and act. You have to have a believable, solid, intriguing stage
to set them on.
In my humble opinion, the best
fantasy worlds provide that solid, believable underpinning without
overshadowing the characters or the story. I dislike books in which the author
seems to be trying to “one-up” the rest of us by making his/her world so rich,
so fantastic, so uber-complicated, that we get lost, and not in a good way. The
best imaginative transitions are seamless, as though I not only received a
permanent visa to the author’s world, but I didn’t even have to stand in line
to get it. I can go there whenever I feel like turning pages, and feel as
though I belong. And I don’t have to work too hard at it.
This is not so with all
readers--some like to be shocked and amazed with over-the-top, wildly
imaginative worlds that stretch their sensibilities to the limit. They have no
way of explaining how various phenomena came to be, and they don’t care. They
agree to suspend disbelief. This may be, to some extent, a product of our
video-game culture, where stuff just happens “because it can.”
OK. I suppose you could call me
stodgy (and you’d be right!) but I enjoy worlds that I can actually believe in.
I believed in Middle-earth, for example. When I was twelve, I dreamed of going
there. Tolkien is the undisputed master of world-building--he got it right--and
as far as I’m concerned, he’ll never be equalled. It’s a rare author who has
his skill-set, not to mention the amount of time required.
So, what about us lesser beings? We
have skill-sets of our own, and, in my opinion, we should capitalize on them.
Every author has experiences, abilities, and special insights he/she can apply
in world-building. And we should have at least a basic grasp of the laws of
physics and chemistry...we live by them every day. They are part of our “tool
kit”, too. After all, we’re building something here, hopefully something our
readers will deem worth reading. What tools do we have available?
--The Laws of Physics and
Chemistry
Your readers live by them--it’s
harder for them to relate to a world in which those laws are violated/ignored
too often. Even “magic” should be well-established, if not actually explicable.
--Your Own Experiences
I can describe ecosystems, habitats,
and weather better than those who have lived their lives indoors, because I was
a field biologist who spent countless hours in wild places in all weathers. Any
part of the story involving horses is likely to be well conceived because I
have spent thousands of hours on the back of a horse in all terrain, etc.
--The Lessons of History
If your characters are human, and
behave as humans behave, modeling your fantasy society on an actual one will
help you be consistent. Readers are often better at spotting inconsistencies
than writers are. Nothing jars me out of a fantasy world faster than a writer
whose world-building contradicts itself.
--Other Works of Fiction
There. I said it. Writers are also
readers, and we cannot help but be influenced by books that captured our own
imaginations. We should not strive to emulate them, as we need to carve out our
own place, but we certainly can learn from them. Knowledge rarely comes upon us
spontaneously--it is conveyed by those who have gone before. I could probably
cite influences from Dickens, Homer, and others, in addition to the obvious
influence of Professor T.
OK, so our tool kit is getting
there. Now, what do we do with it?
--A World Needs a History!
The best world-builders have fleshed
out the history of their worlds, though they may not share it all with readers.
History is something we draw upon in our own world--it gives us context. If
your fantasy characters have no context, they are incomplete. It’s difficult
for them to move forward when they have nothing behind them. Some writers
simply take a period from our own history (War of the Roses) and convert it
into fantasy.
--Cosmologies and Belief Systems
These are also helpful to give the
characters context and to help them be three-dimensional. They also help the
reader identify with them. Stories often turn on spiritual beliefs, just as in
our world. These can be some of the most intriguing, yet tricky, aspects of
world-building.
--Climate, Geography, and Natural
Phenomena
Fleshing out these details can be
important to help put the reader (and the characters) in the scene.
Remember--they should make sense and be consistent. I cheat--my world is
earth-like. It’s modeled after parts of North America.
--The Bestiary
The world should be populated with
critters, and you can decide what they are, where they live, what they do, and
what to call them. I have a few opinions on this, as I am a biologist. The
critters should be able to exist in the environment you have placed them in. In
fact, it’s a big plus if you can explain how each creature evolved within that
environment. You don’t (and shouldn’t) have to explain this to your readers,
but you should understand it yourself. I pride myself on this in Alterra--yes,
we have a dragon, but it’s a dragon adapted specifically for life in a severe
environment. I’ve never seen another like it. Real creatures from our own
world provide excellent inspiration for believable fantasy creatures.
--Magic Systems
I am in no way qualified to comment
on these. Alterra is not a very magical world, and any supernatural phenomena
are innate, not learned. There are some primordial, powerful beings whose
powers are not well understood, and that’s ok--some things should remain
mysterious. Your magic system may be simple or it may be complex, but, as with
everything else, it must be consistent! And please, please do not use it for
convenience. I despise deus ex magica with the heat of a thousand suns.
I have just realized that I could
write many, many pages of stuff on world-building, as it is a very complex
topic, but I don’t think that’s what anyone had in mind here. So I’ll close
with a bit of advice: Make your world believable in any way you can, short of
boring us with unnecessary details. The world is important, but is still
secondary to the story and the characters who bring that story to life.
Challenge your readers and delight their imaginations, sure--but keep it
“real.” You want them to not only acquire that permanent visa, but to use it
year after year, to pass it to their children and grandchildren. That requires
a memorable, consistent, yet fanciful world for your characters to roam--a
world where we can watch your story unfold, and feel as though we’ve LIVED it.
Good
luck!
--CSM
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