So, “worldbuilding.” What the heck is that?
When I first read this word several months ago, I immediately thought of–you guessed it–Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling accomplished the unthinkable; she made the entire world want to pack up their trunks and go to school. And the only magical object she used? Words.
From the moment we were transported to Diagon Alley, the world of wizards was alive and uniquely tangible. We walked the cobblestone streets with Harry, feeling his same feelings of hustle and bustle and oh-my-God-I’m-a-wizard. And oh-my-God-those-are-bat-spleens. Did someone just say I can have a snowy owl as a pet?!
That, friends, is worldbuilding.
When your physical surroundings disappear from view, and your “be here now” attitude is sucked into a completely different, written here and now, you are experiencing the wonders of truly great worldbuilding. Especially if the world is built around a school because most kids didn’t get excited about that sort of thing before Hogwarts.
You can discover some other fantastic fictional worlds here.
But how do you go about the actual building?
Every author on the face of the earth has a unique process when it comes to worldbuilding. Mine is pretty straightforward. If you wouldn’t want to live in your fictional world (or, in the case of a series like The Hunger Games, if you wouldn’t want to escape your fictional world), how can you convince someone else to live there? (Hint: You may have to put the Imperius Curse on them. I don’t recommend that.)
Personally, I adore beaches. I saw more of them when I was younger, but since moving west, I have come to appreciate them more than ever (just another reason why I wouldn’t stay). I savor every second of sand and sea that I can get, be it in New Jersey or California. My heart feels somehow connected to the waves. Be that as it is, when I sat down to write my first novel, one of my top priorities was to create a beach haven. I wanted to build an environment where my characters (and you!) could allow their messy lives to fade into the background, a place where they could be free. Freedom is never closer than it is when my feet are planted in wet sand, and sea-foam is pooling around my ankles.
One setting sketch later, I wanted nothing more than to be standing on my newly created beach. Through years of outlines and drafts, I’ve practically moved there!
I’m jumping out of my skin in all of my excitement to welcome you into my world and onto my beach, but for today, I’ll leave you with this: Don’t pressure yourself to create the next Hogwarts. That’s no fun. Instead, pick a place that you love and draw inspiration from it. Build it up, and imagine every tiny detail. Make it crazy perfect. Maybe destroy it– I don’t know! Whatever you build, make sure that in the end, you would be willing to make it your home.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks