![]() If it’s fantasy, you might have races of elves, dwarves, and orcs. If you’re creating your world, this can be a bit trickier. ![]() However, if you’re writing an alternate world, then you’re likely defining cultures to suit your purposes. If it’s set in modern day New York, then your cultures are the same ones that make up modern day New York. If you’re writing a contemporary story, this is probably fairly straight forward. Deviations from those rules need clear reasons why. Does the sun only rise on the fourth day of the month? Do witches have magic that no one else can access? Are vampires allergic to moonlight instead of sunlight? Once you establish a rule in your world, you need to follow through on it. If your setting is made up, you still need rules. Nothing pulls a reader from a story faster than someone saying to themselves, “Yeah, that’s not possible.” If your setting is real life, then you’re going to have to obey real-life rules unless you can give the reader a very good reason why you’ve chosen not to. This allows your readers to fully immerse themselves into the story. What’s the tone of your world?Īre you writing a gritty mafia romance set in a fast-paced underworld? Are you writing a fun and fluffy cozy fantasy where things are generally peaceful? Do you want your world to be part of the plot? Is something happening within it that drives your characters to act?ĭesign your world so that it matches the tone of your novel. Will it be based on a real-world setting? Or are you starting completely from scratch? What general characteristics will it have? Is it set in the future or the past? Or maybe its timeline has no bearing whatsoever on the world as we know it. Start by defining your world in the broadest strokes. If you’re a Dabble user, you can use Notes in the pre-generated Worldbuilding folder to do this so all that rich detail you created is there at your fingertips when you go to draft and edit your novel. Grab a notebook, write the question at the top of the page, and start jotting down bullet points to help define your answers. Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Worldīelow is a list of questions to get you started on building your world. Questions to ask yourself about your world.Whatever method works for you, you’ll still want to ensure you’re covering a few basics to ensure consistency. And lastly, the kind that falls somewhere in between those extremes.The kind that gives very little to no thought to it beyond a vague notion in their head and then builds the world to suit their story.The kind that spend months and even years constructing every facet of their world from agriculture, to politics, to history before they ever write a word.There are three general types of worldbuilders: And you better believe that if you get the street intersection wrong at a random corner in Denver, someone from Denver is going to call you out on it. This can be especially important in a contemporary setting because they’re often based on real places. Even if your book is set in a contemporary world, you need to ensure the rules and principles of your world are followed. Worldbuilding isn’t just for those writing fantasy or sci-fi, though. You might hear people refer to books written in alternate realities as “second world” settings as opposed to ones that mirror our reality here on planet Earth. There are also certain readers (namely epic fantasy types) who live for worldbuilding and want to know as many details as possible about your made-up world. If they’re distracted by inconsistencies in your setting then they might have a hard time focusing on the story. It won’t make or break your novel like the characters or plot might, but it’s necessary for building a believable setting that your readers will embrace. Worldbuilding is the subtle backbone of your story.
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