Go Teen Writers: Map-Making 101: Drawing the Map. Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms.
She writes weird books for teens in lots of weird genres like, fantasy (Blood of Kings trilogy), science fiction (Replication), and dystopian (The Safe Lands trilogy). Find Jill on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or on her author website. This past weekend I drove out to Utah Valley University, which is about an hour south of Salt Lake City, and presented two classes at the fifth annual Teen Author Boot Camp. I was so impressed with this event! Some 670 teenagers attended. I presented a class called Map-Making 101.
Do you want the map to: • show everything? For my map of Er'Rets, I wanted to show the entire known land, which was a single continent and a few islands. . • show points of a journey? • show the physical attributes of the land? • show the layout of a building? How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later. First, before I begin to bore you with the usual sort of things science fiction writers say in speeches, let me bring you official greetings from Disneyland.
I consider myself a spokesperson for Disneyland because I live just a few miles from it — and, as if that were not enough, I once had the honour of being interviewed there by Paris TV. For several weeks after the interview, I was really ill and confined to bed. I think it was the whirling teacups that did it. Elizabeth Antebi, who was the producer of the film, wanted to have me whirling around in one of the giant teacups while discussing the rise of fascism with Norman Spinrad... an old friend of mine who writes excellent science fiction. We also discussed Watergate, but we did that on the deck of Captain Hook’s pirate ship. Science fiction writers, I am sorry to say, really do not know anything. Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions.
How Much of My World Do I Build? First, let me say that worldbuilding is an essential skill for every writer, regardless of genre.
Not all writers need to concentrate on all areas of worldbuilding, but every writer must do some worldbuilding if he hopes to have a novel that is coherent, consistent, and real. Second, writers seem to come in three varieties — those who really have no idea what worldbuilding is or why they should bother with it; those who do know, but figure they’ll wing the details as they go; and those obsessive folks who secretly believe that they really can’t start the book until the whole planet is in place. I’ve spent time in all three camps — most of my time in the last one.
The system works. It can work for you. Build only what you need; imply the rest. What do you need? A — Special physics It used to be that the only places where you might run into special physics were in SF and fantasy novels. If you require special physics, however, you must now answer the following questions. B — Organized terrain. Patricia C. Wrede's Worldbuilder Questions: Index. Index About This Page This page is not Patricia Wrede's web site.
So far as I know, she doesn't have one. So if something is broken send your comments or complaints to me: webmaster@larseighner.com. Have You Mastered The First Law Of Magic? Welcome my dear Witches, Wizards, Warlocks and all you other magic folk sat in the rafters.
Today’s lesson is the most fundamental lesson you need in order to use magic in your story world. “An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic.” – Brandon Sanderson, 2007 In 2007 Brandon Sanderson wrote an essay proposing the above law as a rule of thumb to follow while including magic in a story. It rather makes a lot of sense and so I would encourage you to adhere to Sanderson’s First Law. If you have never read the essay then please first visit Brandon Sanderson’s website and read the essay before continuing this article.
The essence of The First Law is to allow you the flexibility to create a fantastic magic system for your world yet not fall into lazy story telling by using magic as a Deus Ex Machina. What is Plot - How to Write a Story from Beginning to End. On this page, we answer the question, "What is plot?
" and talk about how to create a road map for your own fiction. At the bottom, you'll find links to other fiction writing resources, including a free creative writing course. What is plot and how to get where you're going A story's plot is what happens in the story and the order it happens in. For there to be story, something has to move, to change.
The Power Of Limitations - Sanderson’s Second Law Of Magic. This article follows on from the article “Have You Mastered The First Law Of Magic?”
“Limitations > Powers” Brandon Sanderson, 2011. 25 Things You Should Know About Worldbuilding. Worldbuilding is one of those topics that bakes my noodle every time my brain chooses to dwell on it.
I have a whole bucket full of opinions, many of them in stark disagreement with one another. So, this list below should never at any time be taken as “25 Exhaustive Universal Truths About Worldbuilding,” but rather be regarded as, “25 Things Chuck Wendig Thinks About Worldbuilding At This Exact Moment In Time, Oh, Wait, Some Of Them Just Changed.” Kay? Kay. Let’s chat. 1. We’re talking about the revelation of your storyworld and its details through the story itself. 2. 7 Deadly Sins of Worldbuilding.