Being a Better Writer: Building a World From Scratch – Part 1 · 9:29pm Apr 12th, 2021
Welcome back readers! It’s another glorious Monday, and I’m back with another installment of Being a Better Writer!
What makes it glorious? Outside of there being a new installment for BaBW, well, today marked the delivery of two new five-star reviews for Axtara – Banking and Finance, plus a contact from a new fan who loved it and is hoping for more!
In addition, it is finally spring where I live. Shorts weather! Biking weather! Said bike is at the shop, already getting worked on. I’m ready for sun and sweat!
But all in all, that’s a good start to any week.
So, my week is already off to a good start, so now let us switch the focus over to you, reader, and to what you’re here for to help your week have a strong start. That’s right, we’re just going to dive into today’s Being a Better Writer.
But first, really quick, I’m going to thank the support of all the Patreons who make posts like this possible. Thanks to these supporters, Being a Better Writer exists. Without them, it wouldn’t. Be grateful for the support of the following folks:
Frenetic, Pajo, Anonymous Potato, Taylor, Jack of a Few Trades, Alamis, Seirsan, Grand General Luna, Miller, Hoopy McGee, Brown, Lightwind, Thomas, 22ndTemplar, and Piiec!
Without them, BaBW couldn’t continue to exist! You have them to thank for topics like today’s being possible.
Speaking of which, what are we talking about today? Well, today’s topic is a big one. A really big one, by reader request. Today, we’re going to talk about building a world from scratch.
Or rather, we’re going to talk about step one in that process, because worldbuilding is a complicated, deep endeavor (and one that can run away with you if you’re not careful, but more on that another time). So today, we’re starting at the beginning—literally.
It’s time to try our hand at being a merciful (or not) creator. Hit the jump, and let’s talk about building worlds.
Wait. Not yet. There’s one thing I want to say first: Today’s advice is, wholly, more for planners. That doesn’t mean pantsers (those who write as they go) won’t find useful insight here, but let’s be honest: they’re a lot less likely to sit down and sketch out a world beforehand.
Okay, now we can go. Hit that jump!
Worldbuilding is one of the funnest parts of storytelling. If I'm not careful, I can devote so much time to it that by the time I actually start writing the story it was all for, I've burned myself out. With ambition, it becomes an easy mistake to make.
The very first world I ever created was a multi-year project called Arainia. It grew so big it ended up collapsing under its own weight and got scrapped, but some ideas from it have been reborn in some of my works over the last couple decades. It taught me the importance of holding back and only doing as much as is necessary to enrich the world the story is set in.