10 Tips for Strong Worldbuilding

Рет қаралды 28,488

Күн бұрын

Worldbuilding is a staple skill for any writer, but especially for speculative writers creating sci-fi or fantasy worlds. These genres often hinge on excellent worldbuilding to support their plots and characters. Worldbuilding is a skill that requires both logic and organization, and original creative thinking. Every writer will need to do some amount of worldbuilding, but in this video we'll talk about it from a fantasy/sci-fi lens--but know you can apply this tips anywhere!
LEARN MORE
-Essential Worldbuilding Questions: • Essential Worldbuildin...
-How to Know if You've Done Enough Worldbuilding: • How To Know if You've ...
-How to Create a Magic System: • How to Create a Magic ...
-Worldbuilding Tips from the Editor of The Martian: • Worldbuilding Tips fro...
-Worldbuilding: The Master Guide (with template!): blog.reedsy.com/worldbuilding...
-Showing vs Telling: • 6 Tips to Show Instead...
-How to Write Strong Descriptions: • How to Write Stronger ...
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
1:38 - Create a need to know
2:30 - Establish unbreakable rules
3:07 - Master exposition
3:44 - Use the plot to show
4:45 - Using description
5:23 - Consider intersections
6:27 - Find real references
7:10 - Use the tiny details
7:23 - Simple can be best
8:38 - Stay organized
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Пікірлер: 80

@jayp.7042 3 жыл бұрын

I've had an idea of a fantasy novel for a while but I was a bit reluctant to put it down on paper until I stumbled onto one of your videos. Since then I've been binge watching them and you've addressed so many things that were quite a problem and I'm honestly enjoying writing my story now. This will most likely get lost in the thousands of comments you receive but thank you so much, your content is amazing!

@Jazzadrin 3 жыл бұрын

Bruh, there’s only 60 comments, take it easy.

@Mark_Jonas 2 жыл бұрын

Bruh, there’s only 1 comment, take it easy

@gamewriteeye769 Жыл бұрын

Bruh there's 89 comments now, chill. Post. Bruh, there's 90 comments now, what are you gonna do?

@coreymichaels3389 3 жыл бұрын

One Piece and Tolkien's Middle-Earth series are my favorite examples of stories with world building.

@ijacob4 3 жыл бұрын

I've actually been meaning to re-read One Piece to study it's world building of how, when, and why important elements were implemented into the story.

@ijacob4 3 жыл бұрын

@Carlos Renato Hertel there were 80 volumes at the time i binge read it. took only 2 weeks, but it was during holiday so was able to read all day. trust me, it's worth it. so much fun, adventure, humor, and life. you can get access to the official translation/scans via Shonen Jump app. it's less than $20/year for a ton of series. btw, i would NOT recommend watching. they stretch out scenes, way too many filler and flashbacks, humor delivery isnt as good, neither is the art. Manga is the way to go for it.

@jayp.7042 3 жыл бұрын

@@ijacob4 but the Wano arc is much better in the anime. They're really doing an amazing job...

@Jazzadrin 3 жыл бұрын

HunterxHunter has what I believe to be the best world building, power system and well written characters in anime.

@gamewriteeye769 Жыл бұрын

Yes, Mid-Piece and Mid-Earth make the middest examples of stories with mid building.

@saikrishnanep2591 3 жыл бұрын

Avatar is a masterpiece. Ive never known a world so intimate just in one movie.

@MachewDunf 3 жыл бұрын

I thought you were talking about the last airbender (which also has great worldbuilding). I couldn't believe that you were praising the movie version though

@saikrishnanep2591 3 жыл бұрын

@@MachewDunf no i was talking about the original one

@billyalarie929 3 жыл бұрын

@@MachewDunf the one with the blue people lol

@dalcowboiz 3 жыл бұрын

Omg I have mind reading in my book (wasn't the original plan when I first world built things). I never even considered that it could be illegal. Of course it could be, I feel like I fool. Thank you for bringing that point up. I was lucky to watch this

@thakiusmuckfeather1103 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for all your tips, Shaelin. BTW, longer hair looks very pretty on you.

@sabithasajan5564 3 жыл бұрын

My world has everything expect that gods are same coz I personally find it cool like I really love the "pantheon co existing" trope just imagine zeus, Odin and shiva chillin in Dionysus's cafe

@philiptaram 3 жыл бұрын

I read the title and I'm SOOO excited to watch this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@yes_head Жыл бұрын

Your last tip is especially useful to me. I'm working on a fantasy story set on a moon that takes six of our days (or wake/sleep cycles for the people living there) to orbit its parent planet. But I'm seriously thinking of just going with a normal day/night setup because it's so much less complicated. Imagine a place where some days are all dark and some are all light. And some are in-between. Trying to keep track of it all and not being able to have dialogue like "Let's try again tomorrow", or "It'll take us three days to get there" is just murder. I feel like if you're going to bring that level of complexity to your world building then it needs to be a main focal point for the entire story.

@redmohawkguy1 Жыл бұрын

You could put the moon's actual day/night cycle in perspective relative to the people's wake/sleep cycle using a short mini-plot as you're getting into the hook. For example, it could be something like this: "He woke up at sunrise and made himself start the task he'd been putting off. It took him three wakes and three sleeps, but felt so much longer as the sun crept along overhead like a snail, beating down on him the whole time. He slept after finally completing his task and woke up at sunset." And If you want the moon's 6 day rotation period to be important in the story, that is also possible if you put your characters in a situation where it is important. Say, for example, that they need to bring an item to a place but it needs to be constantly exposed to sunlight for the journey. If the journey takes multiple waking periods to accomplish, you could have dialogue where the characters account for the time they will take sleeping when planning the journey. Ultimately, if you are leaning toward realism in your setting, giving your moon a 24 hour orbital/rotation period would have its own set of consequences you would need to account for. Assuming you are writing the trope of a habitable moon (almost certainly tidally locked) around a gas giant, a 24 hour orbital/rotation period would subject your moon to massive tidal heating (think worse than on Jupiter's moon Io) and would likely place it deep inside the planet's powerful radiation belt, which could strip your moon's atmosphere.

@DefactoStyle 3 жыл бұрын

Your informative nature, delivery, brainpan, and beauty make your videos some of the best on KZfaq. Bravo...

@sentient2688 3 жыл бұрын

I’ve been creating a “supernatural universe” for years now with many many different worlds so vids like this will be very useful. Thank you for the knowledge!

@robin9321 2 жыл бұрын

I'm about to put "The Other World" (a fanatsy world that has been in my mind for years) to paper. It's going to be a text that is pretty much all about world building and I don't even know if it will contain people. It'll be challenging, but you helped me a great deal! Thank you so much!!!

@ElJorro 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent Work!

@zoetasia5138 3 жыл бұрын

I love the world-building in Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series.

@chicanohek Жыл бұрын

Well done

@joshbriggs9947 3 жыл бұрын

Super cool video! I think one world that really helps benefit it’s story is 1984. It just seems like the setting fits in so well with the message. Might not be as grandiose as Tolkien but the story still benefits so much from it.

@Reedsy 3 жыл бұрын

Sometimes the less grandiose examples are the most effective!

@garrenty_35 2 жыл бұрын

Hi! I really love your videos and I always find myself coming back to this channel to know how improve my writing. I really appreciate your work in these videos. I have a question, where do you find maps? Like , i know google is a thing but i dont know what im spouse to search.

@milestrombley1466 3 жыл бұрын

I like the iceberg world building method. You start small as you grow big.

@arianedelorme5704 3 жыл бұрын

Fantasy all the way. I have written some things in non fiction, but I find I am always better in fantasy. I am trying to write paranormal as well, hope it goes well!

@ThePassionateComposer Жыл бұрын

Yes, fantasy can be seen as difficult because you have to go into more detail. On the other hand, since it's fantasy, you can basically do whatever you want.

@brahmzdestiny 3 жыл бұрын

Im ahhhh... blank page, for a possibility to happen, a potentiality and a flowering, thus I listen. 😊

@AliAsif566 3 жыл бұрын

Do you create your content yourself? Really good!

@elmoadorjr 2 жыл бұрын

You look really beautiful here Shae! :) Im a huge fan

@gracekim25 3 жыл бұрын

Any advice on getting better at the ‘show don’t tell’ technique?😅

@brisingr14 3 жыл бұрын

She already has a video on that 🤓👍 just look up "show don't tell reedsy"

@gracekim25 3 жыл бұрын

Erick Castro thank you 🙂

@dariusga6752 3 жыл бұрын

Its impossible to write show technique during writing. Write tell first (you can write show, but if you want to make it easier and faster, just use tell-show technique). Then you can unleash your perfectionist and showing on editing.

@gamewriteeye769 Жыл бұрын

My current technique on the “Show don't tell” is to have scenes constructed around locations so you actually use them (so there's a story constructed behind every scene). Now, not all settings need major explaining, and just need to follow what's necessary for the story to progress; that should always be the focus-on the character-so it sticks to storytelling without breaking that cycle. Rather than “telling too much or showing too much”, I advocate the idea “Show so you can tell”; what is necessary of course. Whatever isn't relevant to advancing the plot, character arcs, and serves no purpose can be axed away or integrated elsewhere. That's how I'm approaching a “soft fantasy/sci-fi” on a surface level, but as the story progresses, the reader begins to understand the concepts and its more of a “hard fantasy/sci-fi” world building. Tricky to pull off, but you have successful animes like One Piece, Bleach, and Naruto that do it farely well as some examples.

@Lexuslilly 3 жыл бұрын

What do you think of WorldAnvil?

@sumayyahkhan8897 3 жыл бұрын

Any advice on how to get better at 'imagery'

@Maidaseu 3 жыл бұрын

Make it concrete, focus on light, colour, texture, use metaphors, similes.

@Reedsy 3 жыл бұрын

We've got a video on imagery you can check out! If you search 'Reedsy imagery' you'll find it :)

@sumayyahkhan8897 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks my english teacher is gonna be soo happy when i use it in my writing. Thank you

@midnightlemon4255 3 жыл бұрын

Joke's on you, I don't need to organize anything if I keep it all in my head! 🙃🙃🙃

@Reedsy 3 жыл бұрын

Very powerful of you!

@martinfullum7104 3 жыл бұрын

My 2 go-to Movies/TV Shows to help in World Building are Blade Runner for the mood behind every scenes and Game of Thrones (surprise!) for the expansive World in itself. Hunger Games, book or movie, becomes tedious, repetitive and boring after the second book.

@Ray-nb2st 3 жыл бұрын

I’m not sure if you’ll see this but I would like advice. Can you recommended any detective or psychological books if you know any? If you see this comment, I will be thankful.

@rizzypizzy 3 жыл бұрын

Not Shaelin here, obvs, but check out Alexa Donne's videos. She's got some where she recommends and reviews thrillers, which are almost always psychological in nature.

@Ray-nb2st 3 жыл бұрын

Mohammed Rizwan Thank you!!! 🤍🤍🤍

@brisingr14 3 жыл бұрын

Her brown wavy hair's slight movements distracted me from the titles I was trying to read in the background. I wondered if those were her titles or if they were just used as props. Maybe both. Sitting on those white shelves, the books brought about many questions to my mind with their variety of colored spines. A slight jingle of a sound awoke me from my stupor as I noticed long lines metal flowing from the space between her cheekbones and wavy hair. The blue gray-eyes spoke to me as I realized... I'm here to listen to world building tips!

@brisingr14 3 жыл бұрын

In dire need of an editor 🤣

@Maidaseu 3 жыл бұрын

In my opinion the best world builder's are J.K. Rowling, GRRM, Darren Shan and Brandon Sanderson.

@Jazzadrin 3 жыл бұрын

Yoshihiro Togashi, Kentaro Miura

@writingwofl5836 2 жыл бұрын

brandon sanderson is the worst lmao, his worldbuilding doesnt serve any point in the story like he tries to cover his bad character and plotting work with endless pointless exposition. There is just no soul to his work

@-fragile- 3 жыл бұрын

Yo just a tip for your thumbnail, I'd you want to make your clothes look black on camera while still being able to have some structure/definition of what is what ie not making it seem that you are wearing something coated in vantablack. I would recommend you to wear something dark blue this is a very old trick that works in monochrome definitely but probably also I'm colour (you might have to mess around with hue settings a bit, IDK I don't shoot colour). Or something else you could do is to overexpose you face just a bit so you still have definition in your shirt and then to dodge your face in lightroom to make it look as exposed as before, while still having definition in your shirt

@SM-jb8cj Жыл бұрын

This is more tips for telling a story in a world you’ve already created rather then tips for world building it’s self.

@Forex_Alpha 3 жыл бұрын

Such beauty...with Brains!!!😍🙌🏽

@Jazzadrin 3 жыл бұрын

SimpCity

@croc2112 5 ай бұрын

@@Jazzadrincope city

@Jazzadrin 5 ай бұрын

jokes on you, i dont even remember what i said @@croc2112