Just a headsup that the usual Monday post has been rescheduled until tomorrow.

No, not because tomorrow’s date is a numerical palindrome, although that’s probably reason enough for wanting to record a post on that day, i.e. 22 02 2022 reads exactly the same reversed (although the spaces have to be adjusted.)

The reason is because tomorrow, February 22, 2022, is the eleventh anniversary of the 2011 earthquake that, more than any other of the 10,000 plus we experienced, destroyed and seriously damaged so much of Christchurch, with the loss of 185 lives.

So I am sure you can understand why, having been here through it all, I prefer to post tomorrow rather than today. I’ll look forward to seeing you here again then.

Meanwhile, I hope you’re feeling well, positive, and motivated at the start of your week and have a great six days ahead.

Art: PJ Fitzpatrick

When I posted the WALL #4 progress update on January 6, I referenced the “Three C’s”:

• Characters Behaving Badly
• Continuity
• Contrary,( if not downright) Cantankerous Muses

I shared some insights into the phenomenon of Characters Behaving Badly last year, but thought you might be interested in the other two C’s as well.

So I’ll expand a little more on Continuity today and come back to Contrary, if not downright Cantankerous Muses either next Thursday or a little later, depending how the blogging aspect of the writing life plays out.

Continuity

The term arises out of film, I believe, but is equally applicable to long-form prose writing, traversing the spectrum from matters-of-magnitude through to far smaller concerns. A synonym would be “consistency”, although I believe continuity better captures the flow of detail and sense through an entire manuscript.

Evolution

of

Character

.
.
An example of smaller concerns would be if a character starts the story as a blue-eyed blonde and ends as a brown-eyed brunette. At some point the author needs to decide which it is and ensure all the instances of the discarded option are removed from the manuscript. This is usually something that takes place at second-draft stage, with any instances that have been missed picked up by the edit/copyedit/proof processes.

Generally speaking, the characteristics of my major characters don’t change that much, so this is not an applicable example for my work. The names of minor characters are far more relevant, especially as Haarth is a secondary world so the names are all made up. There are also a considerable number of named characters, so although the major players are generally not a problem, sometimes rank-and-file characters can end up with identical handles.

Again, this is generally something that can be fixed up while tidying the manuscript, rather than when writing new.

Tidying the manuscript

By implication, when continuity slows down the writing process it’s because of the larger matters, such as lining up events from past books with their consequences in the present, and also ensuring that characters, having espoused values and/or actions in one book, do not advocate for or do the opposite now. Unless, that is, the character has been established as being contrary and/or unreliable, or events have occurred that profoundly change their nature.

All these matters directly affect the writing-in-progress, so where a question or doubt arises it is necessary to check back—and sometimes to track the evolution of events and characters through the preceding books to ensure the circumstances in this book hold water. And most importantly of all, ring true.

Fortunately, I know the books pretty well, so know where to start looking. Nonetheless, the process can take time—but more so when I haven’t checked soon enough and find rewriting is required.

Consistency “through” the story…

Or as the hobbits found when first setting out on the ring quest, attempted shortcuts (or trying to ignore the continuity niggle) frequently make for long delays.

—

PS Did you know that there’s an AI called Continuity in William Gibson’s Mona Lisa Overdrive (the final novel in the Sprawl trilogy)? Names are an important part of both character development and worldbuilding, imho, and I really like this one. 🙂

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Previous Bulletins From Inside The Writing Life:

• A Little About The Writing Itself
• About Those Muses, Then…
• Naturally Self-Isolating
• Writing Novels, Posting Blogs
• Another Milestone Ticked Off
• A Game Of Two Halves
• Further Reflection on Writing Transitions
• Fun With Friends
• Those Moments Of “Grr-Argh”
• Sometimes It’s A Case Of “Oh Frabjous Day!
• “O Frabjous Day” Reprised
• Listening To The Silence
• Characters Behaving Badly
• Many Placemarkers
• The Authorial Break
• Of Puzzles and Gardens
• Wrangling The Roadblocks

Open for some serious worldbuilding business…

Over the last month I’ve been relooking at previous worldbuilding posts. (See the end of this post for links to the current series.)

I also took a wee sidetrip to Ursula Le Guin’s Steering The Craft, with a specific nod to the chapters that touch on worldbuilding. The term “expository lump” also stems from Steering The Craft.

Le Guin cites it as a general science fiction* writing term, but her book is the only place I’ve seen it used, so in my mind it will always be her phrase. She uses it when discussing “how to provide information in a narrative”, with SFF worldbuilding as a particular example. (See the earlier post here.)

‘Expository lumps’, according to Le Guin, occur when “information is poured out as a lecture, barely concealed by some stupid device.” When instead, the information should be an integral part of the storytelling: what Le Guin encapsulates as “breaking up the information, grinding it fine, and making it into bricks to build the story with.”

The reason I am citing Le Guin extensively is because I believe she’s right. I also consider her a master storyteller and worldbuilder, one from whom we can all learn, as writers.

The reason I don’t add “…or simply enjoy, as readers”, is because if information sharing of any kind is done well, in line with Le Guin’s “breaking up/grinding/story-building bricks” precept, then the process and its mechanics should be invisible to readers. We should simply enjoy and be immersed in the result, without being jolted out of the story flow.

Exposition can occur in any style of literature, but historical and speculative fiction are more vulnerable to it because of the need to provide readers with necessary background information they would otherwise not know. This is particularly the case with secondary (alternate) world fantasy, where the certainties of this world may or may not apply. Consequently, as author of an historically influenced, secondary world fantasy series, I’ve had to be doubly aware of the perils of exposition.

The greatest pitfall may be that having diligently researched historical influences (such as siege warfare for Daughter of Blood) or pondered the geography, culture, mythology, technology, and economy et al of one’s world, the temptation to Share It All can be exceedingly great.

I have two chief rules-of-thumb to try and avoid plunging headlong into the spiked pit of over-exposition:

1. Keep It Simple, Stupid — yes, the KISS principle is as tried and true for fantasy worldbuilding as it is in almost every other situation. The chances are always good that if one is keeping it simple, then lumpen exposition will be far less likely to occur.

2. Only Include Necessary Information: This principle is first cousin to keeping it simple, but I believe takes it one step further. The key is the adjective necessary. When considering what worldbuilding detail gets in and what stay’s out, the vital question is always: Is the information necessary to this story? If the narrative in all its aspects of story, plot, and character development and understanding will work without its inclusion, then the detail should not be in the book.

For example, The Lord of the Rings was published with six appendices containing detailed information on language, history, and other matters germane to the world of Middle Earth: all of which are fascinating to avid fans, but none of which are necessary to read and enjoy the trilogy.

An example from my own writing includes the background research undertaken for Thornspell, which fell into two main areas. I wanted the story to take place in Europe’s late Middle Ages, with an overlap to a faerie realm influenced by both the Sleeping Beauty tradition and the Arthurian cycle, the latter requiring investigation of both the Celtic and Germanic story variants.

In terms of the historical era, I like to say that I read between 4-6 nonfiction histories in order to include between 4 -5 sentences in the book. The fairytale and mythic influences are more deeply embedded in the story, but when it comes to specific references, the research-to-inclusion ratio is pretty much the same.

In other words, worldbuilding should resemble an iceberg, with the bulk of the work informing the narrative but only the tip visible within the story.

—

* I suspect Le Guin of using “science fiction” in the old way, here, as a catch-all for science fiction and fantasy, before the two became distinct genres and the term “speculative fiction” was coined to cover the gamut of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. (Although I can’t shake the conviction that all fiction, by its nature, is speculative…)

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Previous Worldbuilding Posts (in this series)

On Anything Really: What’s Coming Up

The Worldbuilding Journey Begins

On Worldbuilding: Reprised

My Worldbuilding — A Few Thoughts On Guiding Influences: Reprised

USA

The About The Characters post series focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, in large part because:

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ from: Legend Award Finalist’s Interview, 2013

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood — in alphabetical order, by name, of course!

—

UK/AU/NZ

Lord Isrradin: the empire of Ishnapur’s ambassador to Ij and the River lands.

“In Ishnapur,” said Lord Isrradin, his quiet words carrying to everyone in the pavilion, “we rely on our magi to protect us from the storms of wild magic that come out of the desert. Their fellowship includes those who can peer through the veil that separates present from future. And the seers tell us that a darkness is rising, an all-devouring hunger that presses on their minds and eats at their dreams. Its tide, they assert, will wash over the entire world—and no one who stands alone will stem it. We must unite while we still can and that—even more than trade—is why I am here.”

~ from © The Gathering of The Lost, The Wall Of Night Book Two – Chapter8, The Demonhunter

Always looking to the light ahead…

On Thursday I cited what I considered a very valid excuse for not commencing the “Heroes in Fantasy” post series on Supernatural Underground:

“…which is that getting that WALL #4 section I mentioned here finished has taken longer than expected. I’m really hoping today or tomorrow will see it done..”

And it did! So woo-hoo (toots vuvuzela) — because ticking off chapters and sections is all about keeping the story and the manuscript moving forward.

So although I still have to do that tax return and a few other items of administrivia, as soon as they are marked off, too, it will not only be “onward”, but back into the book and the series’ final section.

Have a good week, everyone!

—

P.S. If you’re following the worldbuilding posts, I’ll be back with the next one on Monday 14.

Taking a moment to appreciate the view, even if the quest-journey’s not done yet.

I know, I know, I was supposed to dive into the “Heroes in Fantasy” series on Supernatural Underground on Tuesday 1—but I do have the perfect excuse for not doing so (yet), which is that getting that WALL #4 section I mentioned here finished has taken longer than expected.

I’m really hoping today or tomorrow will see it done, though, after which I can think more about the heroes (and other far less exciting things, like tax returns. :-/)

In the meantime, I’ve shared a landscape photo that I really love “from inside Middle Earth” — all courtesy of my friend, the warmhearted and wonderful Jenny, who both took the photo and said “go right ahead” when I asked to share it.

I hope you like it, too: just click here to see and decide:

Coming To You From Inside “Middle Earth”

The Wall of Night Series map; artist Peter Fitzpatrick

Last week, I posted “On Worldbuilding”, a comprehensive post on an art and craft (worldbuilding, that is) I consider fundamental to fantasy and science fiction storytelling.

(So did the late, great Ursula Le Guin, as the quote in last Thursday’s post made clear.)

Today’s post is the companion piece, which specifically address some (but not all) of the guiding influences on my own worldbuilding.

~*~

From the Backlist: “My Worldbuilding: A Few Thoughts On Guiding Influences”

(First posted on February 25, 2019)

Books — & worlds…

… This week I thought it might be fun to take a closer look at what (I believe) informs my own worldbuilding.

In particular, last week I mentioned the “body” of worldbuilding having a “spine”, such as a period in history, which can then provide a guide in terms of events, personalities, culture, technology, clothes, social mores, and potentially landscape as well. (If one models the world on the place where a distinctive society or culture evolved, or formative events took place.)

This UK cover deliberately referenced the world’s historical influences

Another “spine” could be the importance of geography and the natural world that strongly imbues the iconic and highly influential Fantasy works of JRR Tolkien and Ursula K Le Guin.

I re-mention history and the natural world specifically, because I believe they are probably the two strongest influences on my own worldbuilding. While I don’t “consciously” pre-worldbuild, which I believe authors such as Julie Czerneda and Brandon Sanderson both do, I am deeply interested in history and have always read widely in terms of both nonfiction and fictional works on the topic.

The aspect of the world referenced in this cover is the influential dreamscape

Similarly, I am deeply interested in the overlaps between environment, landscape, and culture. And when a person spends a lot of time exploring, reading, studying, and thinking about any topic, it’s hard to see how that would not have considerable influence, however subconscious, when embarking on fictional worldbuilding.

In terms of my published work, I believe the historical influence is most evident in Thornspell, which evolved as a Middle European-style kingdom very much in the style of the Holy Roman Empire and its affiliated states in the early Renaissance period. The period is recognized in terms of clothes, technology (which includes armour, weapons etc) and the broadbrush of how the nobility live.

The main character is a prince so that’s why the focus on  the nobility, although the background of the world includes references to how other sectors of society live. There’s even the occasional reference to wider influences such as the evolution of swordplay, technology such as telescopes, and games such as tennis.

Keeping the focus “fantastic.”

But because Thornspell is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the prince, the main focus of the story and the world remains on the fairytale and its resolution. So I do not delve further into the wider events of the period in developing the story, such as the threat posed to Middle Europe by the might of the Ottoman Empire, or the divisions within Christianity as the Protestant religions emerged to challenge the hegemony of the Roman Catholic church.

All fascinating stuff, but beyond the focus of the story I wanted to tell and so not part of the worldbuilding for this story.

The dark world informed the original US cover for HEIR

The wider conflicts that characterized this period and others throughout history, not excluding our own times, undoubtedly inform The Wall Of Night series, but I have not drawn on any one particular period or conflict to inform the story, and by extension the worldbuilding. As discussed last week, a distortion of the natural world – that of a twilit, windblasted, and storm ridden environment – forms the primary “big idea” for building the world of Haarth. The environmental influence has remained strong as the world has evolved, because of the magic that imbues the world itself and takes different forms depending on the land and landscape in which the protagonists find themselves.

The historical influence does noticeably creep back, in parallel with the natural influence, in The Gathering Of The Lost (The Wall Of Night, Book Two.) In the realm of Emer, in particular, I have drawn – again, very broadly – on (what we now know as) France in the Dark and Middle Ages periods. So in terms of backstory, Caer Argent as the “isle of Emer” is based on the “Ile De France” as the ancient heart of the French realm.

The worldbuilding focus was continued in the US cover for GATHERING

Similarly, the role of Ormond holds echoes of the respective roles of semi-autonomous states such as Burgundy and Aquitaine in the development of France, while the “spring songs” nod to both the influence of the troubadors and the celebration of legendary figures such as Roland, Oliver, and Aude.

But because Emer is not France, those of you who are also history fans will understand, even from the one paragraph above, the extent to which I have “slipped” time periods and woven filaments from them together into a new whole that is Emer. The events, too, are not based on any particular historical events in any given period, so in that sense I really am talking historically influenced worldbuilding rather than historically guided storytelling or alternate history, both of which occupy distinct places (subgenres) in speculative literature.

The Keep of Winds, from “The Heir of Night” — art by PJ Fitzpatrick

As for the landscapes, whatever the historical influences may be, the description of the Argent Vale in The Gathering Of The Lost owes far more to Nelson in New Zealand than any region in France. (Just sayin’) 😉

As for the Northern March, while influenced by many wild and bleak landscapes I have experienced, when it comes to the particulars of the WALL story, I needs must own up – dear readers, I made it up! 😀

…in my humble opinion, one cannot go past Steering The Craft by the great Ursula Le Guin.

The subtitle promises “exercises and discussions on story writing”…(hooray!)…“for the lone navigator”…(that’s me!)…“or the mutinous crew.” (I’m pretty sure that’s the muses, in my case: O-o.)

My current theme is worldbuilding and while Steering The Craft is not specifically about that topic, I don’t believe anyone could read Le Guin’s passages on language, or how to make point-of-view work for the story, without coming away with a wonderful feeling for worldbuilding as well.

Le Guin’s world of Earthsea

BUT, for matters germane to the art and craft of worldbuilding, the most useful chapter may be “Indirect Narration, Or What Tells”: i.e. how to provide information in the narrative.

Here’s what Le Guin has to say about SFF in this context:

“This is a skill science fiction and fantasy writers are keenly aware of, because they often have a great deal of information to convey that the reader has no way of knowing unless told…The world of the story must be created and explained in the story…But it’s a tricky business.”

“I hear you!” many aspiring worldbuilders may cry, which is why I’m giving the book a shoutout as part of my current worldbuilding focus.

The subsequent chapter, “Crowding and Leaping”—about what stays in the book and what must be left out—is also useful reading from a worldbuilding (as well as a general writing) perspective.

Le Guin’s world of Gethen, aka Winter

The thing I most like about Steering The Craft, though, is the sheer joy and love of writing, in all its permutations and guises, that quickens to life and breathes out of every line.

In fact, it may just be time for a reread…

Introduction:

Open for some serious worldbuilding business…

Last Monday I shared the somewhat astonishing (to me) discovery that I have featured around twenty-eight posts on the topic of worldbuilding on this blog, in its life from May 2010 until now.

So before launching into fresh material, I felt that a review of the twenty eight was in order. Having completed that process, I believe several definitely merit a refeature.

Some of these posts focus on the art and craft of worldbuilding; others are specifically about worldbuilding, or aspects of it, in my own writing.

“On Worldbuilding”, the most comprehensive in the former category, was written as recently as 2019. Given both these factors, I am reposting it today—in total except for much of the introduction. (But for those who like their backlist reposts unabridged, I have included a link to the original immediately below the title.)

I also wrote a companion post in 2019, “My Worldbuilding: A Few Thoughts On Guiding Influences” , which focused specifically on my own books. Although not quite so comprehensive, I’ll repost it for you either on Thursday, or otherwise next Monday, depending on how the week goes.

You may also be pleased to know that twenty-eight preceding posts or not, I still have a few more worldbuilding thoughts to share—so there will be some new material posted as well. (Huzza for the new!)

Also, one of the sparks for looking at worldbuilding again was a reader’s question, which I’ll answer at or toward the end of the post series. So if you’ve questions to ask, please do post them in the comments. If they’re straightforward, I’ll answer them then and there, or otherwise deal with them later in the series.

For today, if worldbuilding interests you, I hope you’ll find some substance in “On Worldbuilding”, whether from a reader’s or writer’s perspective.

~*~

From the Backlist: “On Worldbuilding”

(First posted on February 18, 2019)

Recently on Good Reads (GR) I was asked a question about worldbuilding …

“Can you give any tips on how to construct a…how do I put it…believable world? I’m finding it a bit trying…”

… here are some key elements … that I can identify and which may help other worldbuilders…

May include maps…: artist, Peter Fitzpatrick

Experimentation:

Just as we’re all different in other ways, so too with worldbuilding: there isna going to be a “one size fits all” approach. If in doubt, though, try experimenting – approaching the worldbuilding in several different ways, e.g.:

• Think about the most compelling aspect of your world and write an opening scene that explores that and see how your thinking and the story evolves from there;
• Storyboard your world, i.e. sit down and map out how the world works in advance, using not only maps of terrain but also images of how it looks re landscape, architecture, people, their clothes etc
• Have some key headings such as: planet; continents; countries; geography; landscapes; vegetation; creatures; people; societies; culture; religion; technology; water, food, and other key resources. (And so on.) But even if you don’t feature all or any of them exhaustively in your story, you as author have to have an idea how they fit together – or even to consciously decide they don’t matter to your particular story at all so you can dispense with worldbuilding altogether.
• Daydream it: think about your world even when you’re not actually working on it. Allow it to colonize your mind and ‘doodle’ your ideas even when you don’t have time to write or world-build in earnest. (Keeping a notebook of some kind is really helpful for this.)

Approaches

In terms of the elements you’re exploring, though, and what you’re trying to achieve with your worldbuilding, here are a few more things to consider / play around with:

The Big Idea

I think it really helps to have a “big idea” that informs your world and therefore your worldbuilding. In The Wall Of Night series the original big idea was “darkness” – the idea of a “night world” in which the central protagonist/antagonist peoples are locked in age-old conflict. It was very influenced by my first reading of Norse myths (i.e. Diegotterdamerung: the twilight of the Gods) and also by books such as Alan Garner’s more Celtic influenced Elidor and – a little later – by Tolkien’s Beleriand in the backstory to The Lord of the Rings. (In its turn very influenced by Norse myth again, so there’s a certain circularity…)

As I grew up and my original world idea developed, I realized that a dark world, while atmospheric, made for challenging worldbuilding and difficult storytelling, so I revised the “darkness” back to more of a twilit world, with an accompanying stark and bleak landscape, that became the Wall of Night. I also originally thought the wall would be an actual constructed wall (like the Nightwatch’s Wall of Ice in A Game of Thrones) but the more I thought about it the more the “mountain range as shield-wall” idea took hold.

At which point I started writing, with the idea of the Wall shaping the Derai as they are first encountered, although as quickly becomes clear the Derai originally shaped the Wall, so “which came first” in terms of influence is by no means clearcut.

Other “Big Ideas” I (believe I) perceive in Fantasy worldbuilding, which pervade the stories, include:

• “Winter is Coming” – in George RR Martin’s A Song Of Ice and Fire series (aka A Game Of Thrones)
• “The Everstorm” – in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series
• “Land heirdom” – in Patricia McKillip’s The Riddlemaster of Hed series
• The four elements of fire, earth, air, and water – in Midori Snyder’s Orans’ Cradle series
• The language of music – in Anna Smaill’s The Chimes

Choose A “Spine” for Your Worldbuilding

If you think of a world as being similar to a human body, the spine is the central column, or core idea, that connects everything else.

Some of the key elements that are drawn upon for speculative fiction worldbuilding include:

• History: especially taking a particular period such as renaissance Italy in Guy Gavriel Kay’s Tigana; the Carolingian era of European medieval history in Kate Elliot’s Crown of Stars series; medieval Korea in Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts Empire trilogy; and colonial North America in Orson Scott Card’s Alvin Maker series.

• 

  Outstandingly influential worldbuilding

  Science: such as the strong emphasis on biology in Julie Czerneda’s worlds and again with Sanderson’s Everstorm and everything that flows from that; or music, its language and structure, in Anna Smaill’s The Chimes.

• Geography/Nature: outstanding examples include JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth where a strong vision of nature and its forms shapes the characters’—and the readers’—experience of the world; also Ursula K Le Guin’s Earthsea and the archipelago, and Mary Victoria’s world tree in Tymon’s Flight (Chronicles of the Tree series.)

Live It, Breathe It, Experience Your World: Make It Sensory

In order for the world to be real for readers, it must first be real in your mind so that the characters can experience their surroundings in a real way.

One really important way of doing that is to remember that the characters must experience through their five senses, i.e. the reader must also know what the characters are seeing; hearing; smelling; touching; and – where appropriate – tasting.

Yet it is not enough to simply experience, the characters must also respond emotionally to what they experience. For example, in any given situation, does the character feel fear or horror, foreboding or doubt; happiness or confidence? Do they respond to stimuli with joy and delight, or disgust and loathing?

The reality of the worldbuilding will help you, as author, to know how your characters respond. It will also help your readers not only understand what’s going on for your characters, but to understand environment and world through their senses and perceptions, i.e. the world becomes real for all involved.

And that’s it: I don’t think there’s a great deal more I can say in terms of a few quick tips but I hope something in here will help. 🙂

© Helen Lowe, On Worldbuilding.

Deep in the world of Haarth… (as is only right 🙂 )

…for the best reason, which is that I’m pressing to complete the current section-in-progress for WALL #4 by the end of the week, and I need to keep my nose to the writing grindstone.

By my reckoning, I have one more chapter to write. Earlier, I went over the “entry vector”, i.e. the preceding sequences from the POV character’s perspective, to ensure everything lines up — and so far, it’s reading pretty well. Fingers crossed the positives may continue and the writing go smoothly!

There’s not a great deal of downtime, but I’m using it to read through those 28 posts on worldbuilding, as per Monday’s post. When it comes to priorities, though, it’s the writing and WALL #4 all the way!

Although I did allow myself to be diverted temporarily when I discovered a wasp nest on the porch, the diversion taking the form of calling pest control immediately. All is well now, however, and my focus back on the writing. 🙂

Best without wasps…

On which note, time to get back to it!