Worldbuilding by Me, a Dummy

 

Hello, Readers! 

Let me tell you something you already know: worldbuilding is HARD. 

Building a world comes in many forms. Whether it is creating a small town for a contemporary YA tale or deciding how a new planet works in your science fiction realm, there is a lot to figure out. As a fantasy writer, my brain deals in magic and kingdoms, knightly orders and royal conflict, but I empathize deeply with those pulling their hair out over what a nation's main export will be and when they want their main holiday to happen in relation to the winter solstice. It can be far too easy to get pulled into the weeds and become distracted by the itty bitty details, then wondering later if you got to all of the important parts. 

(This semester, I'm taking a class on this very subject and learning a lot about organized and smart ways to create. Lots of what I write about in this post comes from those discussions with my class and the amazing "Wonder Book" by Jeff VanderMeer.)

If you're starting to craft a new land and are wondering where to begin, here are a few categories to get you started: 

• economy 
• geography 
• climate/weather 
• politics 
• religious customs 
• cultural conflicts 
• legends 
• technology
• gender relations

Though these are broad and certainly don't cover everything, they are a place to begin. Start by brainstorming a few facts about each of these categories and let what you come up with bleed into the other sections. Is your new land known for their metalwork and forging of weapons? Is that influenced by what they worship or their relationship with surrounding peoples? 

Once you've come up with a place interesting enough to write about, the next task becomes introducing it to the readers in a way that makes sense. No matter what kind of story you're writing, you have to have a character to follow and see the world through. Who this character is can do you a lot of favors and make your life a whole lot easier. 

Is this person a newbie? If they know absolutely nothing about what's going on, their curiosities and questions can stand in place of the reader's. Why is so-and-so in charge? What is with that building? Why does everyone have their shoes on the opposite feet? What they notice will point the way to what is important and let your reader feel like they have someone who is learning about the world just the same as them. Your MC will be their trusted partner in crime! 

    

Think Percy Jackson. I'm currently listening to a podcast called "The Newest Olympian" which is hosted by a 29 year old reading it for the first time. Not only is he narrating the process of piecing the world together, he's also marvelling at the masterful way Uncle Rick crafted Percy's introduction into the land of Greek mythology. If you're looking for a way to shove a character into a new world, take a look at PJO! 

Or is your MC a veteran? They can become a guide for the reader and show them every important detail because they notice them all and understand every inner-working. By way of their internal dialogue or the way they interact with their immediate surroundings, the exposition becomes incredibly revealing. From the get go, the reader gets to see the dangers of this world and become an instant cog in the wheel. There may be questions, but at least there will be a strong foundation to begin with. 

    An example of this is following Katniss. She's lived in District 12 her whole life and knows how she's lived, the culture of her district, the history of the games, and how she feels about all of it. That's a good place to start. From then on, Katniss learns about the ways of the Capitol and the politics of the games as we do. Head back to Panem for a reminder of what this looks like! 

So: Who is telling your story? Where do they live? And how do they feel about where they live? 

As one final tip, I'll offer a few helpful resources. I love a good map, and though a lovely friend of mine made me one using her graphic design skills, there are some amazing websites that you can customize to your every need. Here are a few to check out! 

https://inkarnate.com/ 

https://azgaar.github.io/Fantasy-Map-Generator/ 

https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator 

However you create your world, I am confident that it will be one you're ecstatic to write about and someone will be itching to read about. Now get out there and worldbuild! I know you can do it. 

Reading as a Writer

(trust me, the typo has been well and truly noticed

and quite sadly, only when it was uploaded)

Hello Readers, 

As you may know, I've been reading a lot more recently in pursuit of my 100 book goal. If there were any fears within me that I wouldn't be able to sink into a story the same for sake of necessary speed, they were fully dispelled today. To be clear, that means I sat on the couch and cried in front of my roommates as I read the last 50 pages of Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. Sure, the ending events were what got my tears started, but it was the thought of leaving the crows behind that made me feel so sentimental. It didn't matter that I'd known them for what amounts to less than a week, it mattered that in that time, I'd become a crow, too. 

Even though I've been writing for just about 11 years now, crafting my own characters and the ways they'll grow close to a reader, I still couldn't place the secret ingredient Bardugo used to keep me so wrapped up in the cast. I find there is still a mystery behind why we can connect to fictional people of all kinds through the medium of ink and paper. Try as I might, I can't puzzle it out and though I want to know so I can implement the same tactics into my own WIP, I am also satisfied to know that it keeps the sweet magic of falling in love with new characters, well, magical. 

It's because it's done a different way every time, each character a one-of-a-kind snowflake that fingerprints themselves on our hearts. It can't truly be replicated, only used for inspiration. Well, that is if you subscribe to the belief that plagiarism is a no go! 

My writer colored glasses may not reveal some secrets to me, but there are others I now understand because I can put myself in the shoes of the author. The amount of times I read a beautiful line (are you someone who highlights or sticky notes those moments?) and gasp aloud because it works so well or clap with glee when a rather twisted point of the plot finally makes itself clear has steadily increased over the years. In some of my reads this past month, I've taken a lot of mental notes on chapter pacing and dialogue tags in conversations between handfuls of characters. Now that I'm aware of what it takes to write a book, there is a whole new world of learning to be done. It struck me that the unconscious absorption of my favorite authors' work in all of the years before is what brought me to this point! 

I will admit, at times when I am not meshing with a work or find something odd about it that takes me out of it, I curse my new writer's perspective for allowing me to name the precise problem. It might be what keeps me learning, but I sure feel nostalgic for the days I could inhale a story without familiarity with its construction. I try to practice both, being just a reader and just a writer, for that reason. I can't let one or the other grow too rusty! 

Again, I've found myself to be long winded, but there aren't the proper words to dissect such a topic with incredibly clarity when your mind is muddled by post-Crooked Kingdom sorrow. 

I am always curious to hear about others' experiences and how reading at any point in one's writing journey changes with time. If you have a thought to share, please do! We all live our lives in this little community and sharing in one another's wisdom is how we can all grow. 

I wish you a week spent with a book that touches your heart!

A Bookish January Update

"Small victories are better than none." – Neal Shusterman

Hello, Readers! 

Here we are in February, one month of 2022 already come and gone. It's strange to think that one month ago, I told you all that I had big plans for this year and a goal of starting strong in a month of free time. In an effort to keep myself accountable, I made my hopes clear and now it's time to pay up! 

I've learned, planned, written, and read a lot more than I have before, which was incredibly refreshing and served as a stark reminder of my passion for all things books. It was hard to keep to the discipline I set, but it paid off tenfold in the excitement and momentum I gained. If you've set lofty intentions for your year or have a particular achievement you're pursuing, let me just say now– the work is hard, but the work is well worth it (I am using this post as a way to remind myself when the journey gets even harder)!

Let's start off with a recap of the books I read this month:

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Celtic Mythology: Tales of Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes by Philip Freeman 

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen 

Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore 

The Knights of the Cornerstone by James P. Blaylock 

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 

I managed to pull through and knock 8 titles off of my initial 100, which feels good to accomplish and also fueled my imagination a great deal. Though I can't remember who it is that said this, it was once noted that the best way to learn how to write is to read, read, read. I think I have the incredible authors above to thank for the amount I was able to accomplish in the last 31 days. I am lucky enough to be following in the footsteps of the minds who shaped my passions and showed me that my dreams are possible. 

All of these books were excellent reads and I recommend you give them a try! It's clearly been a month dominated by the magical Leigh Bardugo and I know February will look much the same as I step deeper into the Grishaverse. Do you have a favorite book you've read this month? 

Beyond the satisfying experience of being an obsessive reader again, I was also able to make a sizable dent in my WIP. I did a lot of world building, researching, and map drawing, building what I like to call my "book bible." It is a growing list of important characters, places, cultural institutions, magic systems, legends, and chapter outlines that are the absolute truth of the world I'm creating. Creating something from nothing is challenging to say the least, but working on all of this planning has helped me fill in some gaps that otherwise would have remained frighteningly empty. One of my friends who is gifted in art and graphic design was even so kind as to do a little work on the computer for me and now I have a full color map and portrait of my two MC's. It made me a cry a little to see them outside of my brain and brought to life beyond the page! 

I also managed to add approximately 60-70 pages (approximate because my additions were scattered), which places me a little beyond the halfway mark. Among the chapters that I worked on was the final chapter, which I stayed up till the most ungodly hours to write. But what can I say– when inspiration calls, you have to pick up! It made me weep at the computer, but it blew my mind to see the end point and what I am continually drawing my MC's closer to. One of my favorite scenes was a sweet, fluffy one I wrote as a reward for the emotional turmoil I put my cast through. I hope they accept it as my apology! It was honestly one of my favorites of the whole book so far and gives me the warm fuzzies. I'll give a few no context spoilers for you so you get the gist: midnight, a mostly empty library, a mini readathon, and a moment of vulnerability. Oh, and the alphabet. I'll bet that definitely clears things up– ha! 

To keep active and make things interesting, I tried to write in different places every time. I was in my room, the living room, and then eventually the public library. I sat myself down so I faced the Teen/Young Adult section, letting myself think of the day I have a book amongst those shelves. That thought and the absolute silence of the establishment keeps me on task and feeling like a bonafide author. I highly recommend taking advantage of your local library for the same purpose! 

Looking back at my month and how I did with the goals I have, I feel rather proud of my work. It was definitely filled with persistence, late nights, random spurts of plotting clarity, pacing and reading, and looking silly with my Writing Scarf around my neck (which is a Hufflepuff scarf, for those who aren't familiar with my trusty sidekick). Even though I had intended to spend it in more dance oriented ways to start off, I can see that my sudden wealth of free time was a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to return to the characters that have been screaming at me to keep their story turning and not let their lives lay fallow. I am so glad I did because now, just like when I started the first chapter, I can't get them out of my head. It brings me hope that one day other people won't be able to stop thinking about them. 

This isn't to say that I was the perfect image of productivity, though. There were days when I read but didn't write or write but didn't read. Some days I binge read and others, I read for only an hour. The same went for my time at the computer as words came easy some nights and others I was forcing them out. I learned a lot about being easy on myself through the ups and downs, but it's a journey. If the characters I write about aren't perfect, why should I have to be? I'll take my small victories when I can and push on. 

My bookish pastimes continue on as the year does and I am excited to continue my work on my WIP in my capstone class and in a few months, might very well finish a first draft and be able to share that in an exciting monthly update. What a dream! 

Wherever you are all in your writing and reading endeavors, I wish you energy and enthusiasm! And if you don't have that right now, just know– it doesn't make you less of a writer or a reader. It simply means you're in a book rut or have writer's block. And those moments don't last forever! So don't lose hope and let each new day bring a chance to start anew– a fresh page in your current chapter. 

This post is much longer than my usual, but I hope you can either relate to this chapter of Life in Longhand or took a little something for your own yearly goals. I believe in you! Your story will be told.