When worldbuilding, it’s important that the world you create is believable to the reader. In this video I go over four common problems that can reduce the believability of your world.
Comment Question: Can you think of any other common worldbuilding problems?
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In my current ms, I’m unable to find certain information in my research. As a result, I started inventing some information, but soon realized, someone might know if they were from England. I’m torn what to do. Either change them to something else, or leave what I imagined it to be. Tough decision.
Here are the big world building problems that I’m dealing with:
1) Since my main focus is on plot, I’ve neglected intentional world building altogether; but, I think a clearer world could really help my plot out! Maybe that’s why I’m stuck…
2) Knowing where to put descriptions: I never know what should be described, and when…Is it going to be in the way? Is it important? Is it boring? Will it stop the flow of the story? Ahhhhh!
Very good point about figuring out what the rules are and sticking with them, without going into a page-long description of why it works differently for your hero (and nobody else). I ran across an example of that in one of my writers groups recently and boy, it goes over like a lead balloon.
Sometimes I read manuscripts with overly complex systems. I can tell that the author grows confused by the monetary or magic systems that they create and start contradicting them. I think this comes from a misconception that the more complex system is the more impressive it will be.
The biggest issue I’m having (since I’m just starting to venture into creating worlds) is knowing when, where and how much information to describe. Your earlier video about telling (not showing) helped with that, but it’s something I need to practice more.
Something that always irks me when reading is when a writer throws in a rule that doesn’t really seem to fit the world, and it’s obviously just there as an easy way to move the plot along or to create conflict. I’d rather have it make sense and take a little longer to move forward or have less tension.