Staying Within Your World
Posted by annastan on June 18th, 2010. Filed under: Craft, WIP.I love creating other worlds in the stories I write. That’s why I’m terrible at realistic fiction; even when I set out to write realism, fantasy always creeps in. I guess I like having control over the world and its rules. But the thing about world-building is that you have to stay in the world 100% of the time, and even the simplest things need to all be informed by that world.
The fact that characters need to fully inhabit their worlds might sound like obvious advice, but I’ve read more than one story in which the characters used references that made me pause. “Oh my god!” says a character. Wait a minute – do people in your story believe in a god? Hm, can you even say, “Wait a minute?” How is time measured in this world? But it’s not just about physical and societal rules; it’s also about what your character knows (or doesn’t know).
In my fairy tale retelling, I have dual narrators telling the story in close third-person. I found myself writing this line the other day: “His hope evaporated.” Hm…does this character even know what “evaporated” means? Even though it’s third-person narration, he’s the focal character, so using a word he wouldn’t know feels like cheating. The challenge is to find ways of expressing the character’s thoughts and struggles in a way that’s true to the character’s reality.
In another WIP, my character has lived on a secluded island all of her life. One thing I’m still figuring out is how much she knows of the outside world. When it comes to showing her world, she can’t simply go around comparing her society to ours. References to the outside world need to be traced back to a source (e.g. a wise elder), otherwise we won’t believe them. Not surprisingly, much of how this character sees the world is shaped by the ocean because that’s her reality.
World-building essentially forces us to forget everything we know about our world and to reinvent the world of our story. This is true for any type of story; even if you’re writing about the “real world” you still have to write about it the way your character sees it. That’s why it’s essential to inhabit your character, to see what she sees and to know what she knows. Then the world will feel believable to readers because it’s the world the character actually inhabits.
June 18th, 2010 at 10:33 am
I understand. I’m trying to write a cont. mg mystery right now and fantasy wants to keep creeping in. So far, I’m standing my ground.
June 18th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Great post—and great point. It makes me stop cold when I come across this in a novel. And it’s also disappointing because you put such trust in the story.
June 18th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Awesome, Anna. Thanks for putting so much thought into this. It’ll help me for sure.
Re: your island story: have you read ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS? I wonder if reading that would be a good exercise for viewing a setting closed off from the rest of the world.
June 18th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
I know this will sound weird (nothing new) but I learn a lot of the rules of the world from my characters.
June 18th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Laura, good for you for standing your ground! I’m sure your mystery has enough going on that you don’t need magic.
Andrea, that’s exactly it. You trust the story to take you to another place, so it’s such a disappointment when it breaks that illusion.
Jon, I have ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS and you’re absolutely right that it’s a great example of geographical isolation. Hm, I might have to go back and look at it again.
Lisa, that doesn’t sound weird to me at all. I try to plan out the world as I go, but often I learn the rules by what my characters can/can’t do.
June 18th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Hi Anna,
I’m drawn over this point. The world builder in me totally agrees with you, but then there is the other half that worries about delving too deep into a world that you lose your audience.
I think the conclusion I can draw from this is about finding that perfect balance between enveloping your reader into the amazing world you have developed while also creating enough familiarity so your reader doesn’t get lost or alienated.
A tough call I do think.
Great website btw, I love the design. It has a really warm and cosy feeling to it.
Have Fun,
Nate
June 19th, 2010 at 9:18 am
Re: Nathan’s point:
I think the best worlds, from a readers POV, are the ones that are character driven. Also, the world itself can be a character and can contribute to the conflict and tension of the story without getting tedious.
June 19th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Nate, I think you’re right about finding that balance. It’s tricky but, when done well, very satisfying. And Jon, I look at the character/world-building relationship the same way; if we care about the character then we’re willing to inhabit her world along with her.
June 19th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
World-building is the fun part for me. It’s getting rid of most of what you’ve built and just keeping what’s important for the story that’s the tricky part!
June 19th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Authenticity is crucial, especially in a fantasy. It’s a tricky proposition, staying true to your character and world, but crucial unless you want to annoy readers by including inappropriate idioms or modern language. I’m still surprised at how often that happens.
Sounds like you’re keeping an eye out for lapses, Anna. Keep up the good work.
June 20th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Wow. This is why I don’t feel smart enough to write fantasy and am much happier sticking to the real world! =) Course these issues are true in realistic books too. Would my character who’s lived in the inner city her whole life say something smells of moss and earth? Probably not.
June 21st, 2010 at 12:51 pm
@Jonathon & Annastan
That’s exactly it =) I believe it works in this way:
First the reader falls in love with your character.
They are then swept off their feet by the story.
Finally, and most importantly, they become obsessed with the world your character lives in and it is this obsession that creates a powerful franchise.
Just think Trekkies from Star Trek. They have gone so far beyond just loving the characters or story. They’re so obsessed with the franchise that they now want to live in the world and so Gene’s world now bleeds through into our own. I think that is where World Building comes into its own, when it becomes more than either the characters or the story.
But the initial “window” into that world is the most crucial point. Without it there is no entry point, no one to guide a reader.
I hope that makes sense
June 22nd, 2010 at 7:28 pm
I think that makes perfect sense. That’s why a story like Harry Potter works so well – we pity Harry from the beginning and we’re introduced to the magical world as he is. While the characters in the series might be interesting, it’s really the world that people remember.