I often think of a story as a collection of facets, like the facets of a gem.
These facets include: genre, theme, storyline, story beats, characters, and world development.
In this blog post, I’d like to talk about fictional world development in your novel.
Developing a unique world is vital to keeping your reader engaged.
For example, as you develop the world you should ask several questions:
What type of world is this?
For example, is this a fantasy or sci-fi world?
Fantasy genres often include: epic, high, dark, or contemporary. Sci-fi genres often include hard, military, space opera, or steampunk. Regardless of the genre, you’ll need describe the type of world you’ll be placing your reader into. Is the world war-torn, dystopic, or newly discovered?
Here’s your chance to push the envelope when it comes to genres and subgenres. The point is to create a special world that the reader can’t wait to be part of.
What does the physical world look like?
Is the world a rainforest, a desert, or a moon in a far-off galaxy?
Imagine how all of your senses would come alive in this world. What do the characters experience: strange weather, extreme temperature, long seasons, switches in the magnetic poles, or strange phenomena? What do your characters smell, hear, taste, and feel when living in this world?
What is the mood and setting of this world?
The mood and setting of your world should match your theme.
For example, if you have a dystopian world, then a dark setting may be most appropriate. However, if you have a war-torn world, then perhaps a chaotic mood and setting would work. The key is the place the reader seamlessly into the world you’ve created and hold them there.
Fictional World Development
I hope that you enjoyed this blog post on Fictional World Development.
Please stay tuned for additional blog posts on developing characters, storyline, story beats, and much more in the future.
