Wednesday's Writer's Tip ala Orson Scott Card - World Creation

There's much of interest in the bit I read about creating a world and I had to think about how it applied to other forms of fiction other than science fiction and fantasy. When having an idea for a story, one has to look at a lot of things Taking an idea from that small grain to become pages of words takes thought and planning.

The first thing is to look at the rules of the world you are creating. In a way, all works of fiction are fantasies since the writer's view of the world is what is shown. So what are the rules. In writing speculative fiction, the writer has to create these rules. In other genres, the rules are there but the writer has to decide which ones belong to the world they're creating. Take historicals there are certain conventions that apply to what the writer hooses to show. Customs change and there's nothing more troubling than to be reading a historical and have a modern kind of rule or convention creep in. Pulls the reader out of the story. The same goes for other genres. So the writer has to discover the rules. In contemporary fiction what does the law say about say wills, but is this the same in every state or country. Learning the rules via research is important.

Another important area is the scenery. Writing speculative fiction allows the writer to dream us worlds with more than one moon or with none. There are other areas where the writer can invent and explore. Scenery is an important ingredient of all fiction and the reader needs to be able to step into the scene and be there. Details are important and specifics rule. If you're writing about a hospital, a courtroom or any other setting be sure to bring in the senses so the reader will find familiar things in an unfamiliar setting.

So jotting down bits and pieces as you plan the story will add spice later whether the story takes place on a strange new world, the past or in the world where you live.