Jennifer Wilson's Blog - Posts Tagged "twilight"
The Importance of World Building
It is not everyday that you get to create a world from nothing, that you get to let your imaginary wiles run free and the end result is a fictitious world your readers will dream of being a part of. Yet, as said so many times before, with all greatness comes great responsibility. Your characters can make readers fall in love, burn with hate and thrive with hope, but if their setting is not believable all that hard work can fall apart.
The world you create is the foundation for your story, and as when building all things, if the foundation is weak so will be everything else built upon it. Great books are not just about storyline or characters. They are a blissful combination of many things, but it is their world that becomes the glue binding it together.
Every interaction, every character choice and personality trait can be driven by the world you create. Bella and Edward’s romance wouldn’t have been so dreamy in some Midwest cornfield and Harry Potter would have been far less impressive if he never got out from the cupboard under the stairs. Think of your favorite book. When you close your eyes, you can see not only the characters’ faces, but also everything that surrounds them. You can hear what they hear, see what they see, and above all else, you can believe that world exists.
In many cases this means making rules for your world and staying true to them. Either people can fly or they can’t, the sky can be blue or red, weapons can be new age or old school. Just make sure when you create your book’s world, you stay true to your own rules. If you don’t believe certain things could happen, then neither will anyone else. Creating an in-depth world can mean the difference between merely piquing your readers’ interest and drawing them in so deeply that they are standing next to your protagonists as they fight for their lives or fall in love.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Twilight
The world you create is the foundation for your story, and as when building all things, if the foundation is weak so will be everything else built upon it. Great books are not just about storyline or characters. They are a blissful combination of many things, but it is their world that becomes the glue binding it together.
Every interaction, every character choice and personality trait can be driven by the world you create. Bella and Edward’s romance wouldn’t have been so dreamy in some Midwest cornfield and Harry Potter would have been far less impressive if he never got out from the cupboard under the stairs. Think of your favorite book. When you close your eyes, you can see not only the characters’ faces, but also everything that surrounds them. You can hear what they hear, see what they see, and above all else, you can believe that world exists.
In many cases this means making rules for your world and staying true to them. Either people can fly or they can’t, the sky can be blue or red, weapons can be new age or old school. Just make sure when you create your book’s world, you stay true to your own rules. If you don’t believe certain things could happen, then neither will anyone else. Creating an in-depth world can mean the difference between merely piquing your readers’ interest and drawing them in so deeply that they are standing next to your protagonists as they fight for their lives or fall in love.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Twilight
Jennifer Wilson's Blog
Author of the New World series and The Chosen series.
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