Write and build worlds, but how?

While going through my old browser bookmarks, I found a write-up on worldbuilding from many years ago. It's a very detailed checklist, reason enough to keep it around for all this time; but as it turns out, the advice contained within has aged badly.

At first I wanted to write a critique of the original text, but there's too much negativity in this world already, and after so much time, what's the point? So instead let me use it as the jumping point for some fresh, up to date thoughts.

(By the way, while the original is about tabletop games, most of the same techniques apply just as well to static fiction.)

First of all, conflict is an unfortunate reality, that occurs when individuals and factions with opposing goals meet. In real life, we do our best to avoid it, because it only ever brings waste and suffering. It doesn't "spice things up", it makes everything bitter. Treat conflict the same way in fiction, out of respect for all the people who are hurting somewhere right now.

For that matter, dare to imagine a world where people are tolerant of their respective differences. We need that kind of vision. And forget realism. The genre is called fantasy. If you can more easily imagine flying mountains than tolerant people, have a mirror.

Second, too many adjectives cheapen the text. Luckily, you need fewer than you might think. Consider:

The ocean stretched in front of the travelers, all the way to a horizon shrouded in haze.

Look, ma, no adjectives! Yet it could be an epic opening line for a story.

That said, don't avoid adjectives either, like other writers wrongly recommend. Just one, well-placed, can change your text dramatically. Contrast:

The ocean stretched in front of the travelers, all the way to a horizon lined with dark clouds.

This is why I love the craft of writing. Long fancy words matter much less. ( Read more... )