It's been a little while since I had time to do this- the real world has such a way of interrupting my life. I found a real job, just before I was completely broke and on the streets; unfortunately, it's a job that doesn't even cover my monthly bills....
But enough of reality. That isn't why we're here, is it?
Today I wanted to talk about one of the most necessary items in any fantasy writer's toolbox- world-building.
Have you ever watched a fantasy or sci-fi film and found yourself completely lost from the word "Go"? You just had no idea what was going on, or what motivated the lead characters, or WHERE they were, even? That's bad world-building. Now, don't get me wrong- to me, a story is doing it's job most effectively when the reader (or audience, in case of film) is flung right into the middle of the action at the beginning. But after that opening salvo, a writer needs to draw back a little bit and set the stage. A bit of dialogue here, a little history and architecture there- in bits and pieces, through repetition of "facts" and the addition of layers of new ones, little by little a world is built. Words that seem strange to the reader at first become common- hell, sometimes whole LANGUAGES of the stuff. Places begin to take on a look and a feel in the reader's mind, as do names and faces. The reader becomes invested- he or she cares about this world, and the protagonist treading through it. This is world-building, and it's essential to the writer whose domain lies outside of the modern world we all live in.
Let me refer you to the master of this: the Master of Masters, in my humble opinion, and the one I must always bow down to in reverence; J.R.R. Tolkien.
Anyone who knows the man and his works will know immediately what I mean- when it comes to building a world (and populating it), no one can hold a candle to him. He doesn't tell his readers there are elves in Middle-Earth- he shows them in many forms, and gives the reader a knowledge of their culture and history, and gives them language, and song, and legend. And he does the same for all the races inhabiting his master-work, The Lord of the Rings. And as for "literal" world-building- well, if Middle-Earth actually existed, you could use Tolkien's book and walk from the Shire to Rivendell without ever losing your way. That is how detailed his descriptions are.
World-building. I cannot stress it enough. If you are an author of the fantastic, you must hone this skill. Don't tell me what your world is. Show me, through language and history and legend and song. Don't tell me how old it is- make me feel its age. Don't tell me what peoples dwell there- show them to me, as they live and breath.
I think of it as landscaping- because if you want to grow a garden, you must first till the soil.