Building a Better World

Worldbuilding doesn't just involve the world within your novel, but the history, society, and characters as well - noted in Reddit essay writing service's journal.

Worldbuilding is a key component to any novel’s creation, even if the story takes place in our world. The term world-building doesn’t just encompass how the world looks, but also how your characters talk, interact, their history, personality, and individual traits. It’s one of the longer legs when plotting a novel and can change over time as you continue to write the first, second, or third drafts. However, before beginning to write that first draft, you should sit down and outline your characters. You’ve heard of outlining a book, but as writers, we cannot possibly know the extent of our story until we get to know all of those it involves.

Your characters:

What do they look like – don’t just talk about their eyes and hair color. Consider other things such as complexion, the build of their body, and what they’re wearing. Do they prefer loose-fitting clothes due to hot weather or do they bundle up because of an endless blizzard?

Who are they involved with – just about every story has a little romance in it. So which of your characters enjoy the company of another? Also, think of what would happen if one of those characters should die. Could the living character survive without them? How would they react?

Siblings and family – there’s a chance your cast of characters may involve a pair of siblings or possibly a father and son team. Show your readers the kind of relationships your characters are in before things get too complicated.

Demons and closet monsters – we all have things in our past we rather forget. Are your characters running from something? Give your readers a chance to see the demons of your characters. Doing so will make your characters three-dimensional and easier to relate to.

Your world:

How big is it – how bigs your world? Not meaning the world the characters are on, but the boundaries they live within. For example, if you’re working on a young adult novel that takes place in a high school, then your world is only as big as that school. However, if you take a cast of characters halfway across the world such as in “The Lord of the Rings” then your world’s going to be a little bigger.

Society – is your society run by a government? What is acceptable within your world? Is magic forbidden? Does it even exist? Think of the laws your characters are expected to live by. These rules are important for your readers to know early on if your characters plan on breaking them. This means your characters are outcasts, giving them even more of a personality for your readers to relate to.

Language – think of the language your characters speak. You could use a form of elfish or if writing young adult, there may be some slang involved. Think of your target audience when building the language of your world. Do the two fit together?

History – even if it isn’t something your characters ever need to know, you should learn the history of your world. Go as far back as you can and try and understand where your characters came from. This is more of a plotting tool than something you need to put in the first draft. However, you may find a new angle to work at once you dig deeper into history.

There are countless traits involved when plotting out your novel and building your world. Those listed above are just a sampling of what you as a writer should consider. In addition to character relationships, you should look into how long they’ve known one another. Again, some of the information you uncover isn’t important to your potential readers, but it’s vital during the plotting process. The more you know about your world and those who live within it, the better.

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