Whether one is writing a modern literary short story or a galaxy sprawling sci-fi epic, some degree of world building is required to create a plausible environment in which our characters can live and breathe. It becomes their playground where they learn and grow, but they bring themselves to the party, flaws and all, and are very often the authors of their own good or ill fortune.
The richer the world we create for them, the more refined and textured it is, the more plausible it will be to our readers. There’s a limit to what we can do though, and what the reader can absorb. If we dump a whole load of descriptive text on them from the outset, we risk disengaging them from the story. How then can we get across our vision without having them toss the book or story in the corner?
The answer is to reveal it little by little as the protagonist experiences, explores, tests the limits of, and learns about it, while being aware that their perception will be coloured by certain factors, such as their relevant life experience, any prejudices they may be nursing, and the prevailing attitudes they have towards themselves, others and their environment.
There are other factors we could consider, but in this post and subsequent ones, I’ll deal with these primary ones, starting today with life experience.
Life Experience
We are constructed of many parts, and though the sum may be greater, each facet of our beings plays a role in determining how we look at the world.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Into The Workshop to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.