Photo credit: Pexels The most important thing I've learned during my writing journey is that writing isn't a formula. Not every tip or style works for everyone. You have to work to find what works for you! I share this in hopes of reaching others who may have been in the same boat as me; thinking I was writing "wrong" because I couldn't find anyone who created/wrote the way I did. Write First, Build SecondI know - this is contrary to almost everything you read. Even in school, they teach you how to outline, plot and plan your papers to death. The thing is, that doesn't always work for fiction and it definitely doesn't always work for everyone. I'm a pantser, which means I write best when I wing it. Now that doesn't mean that I get out of world building! Instead, I let my characters tell me about their world first and then I buff it up with little details later. For me, as I write, I visualize the world. Some of that will have to be changed later and guess what? That's okay. So many people wait to write because they think they have to have the world or the characters or the ideas completely flushed out. For some people, yes, this is the case. But it's not that way for everyone! Just start writing and see what comes. My characters have told me the quirkiest things about their worlds that I later add to, and that's great! Why? Because it works. Writing this way is not wrong. I promise you. What works for you is right! Don't wait to start writing because you don't have a world flushed out. It's so much more important to write your story. Take NotesAllow yourself free reign to make crazy choices. Don't limit yourself. You can always edit and cut and rework later. Be creative for a little bit first. While you write, take notes of what you like about the world you've started to create, about what fits and what doesn't. But don't change anything yet. Just write. The editing stage is for making everything cohesive. You get your best ideas when you don't constrain yourself. Where do you even get world-building ideas?A lot of people have asked me where I even get my ideas for my worlds. Many times my characters just tell me about their lives (I'm sane, I promise!). Other than that, honestly travel is a big one for me. Taking my actual experiences and immersing myself in a culture does wonders for my writing, but my top three are below:
Downloadable ResourcesSo that you don't have to go back to all of my previous posts, check out the links below for downloadable docs with worksheets to build your world! Again, I do this all after I'm done so that I can narrow down what questions actually pertain to my story.
Government Belief Systems Peoples Advancement Geography Civilization Remember, there's no right way to do world-building or writing for that matter. You've got this! Happy Writing, World-Builders!
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I'm baaaack!
Thank you all for your patience while I was on haitus taking care of my dad (who just had a liver transplant) and brother (who was my dad's donor). I'm back now and ready to present you with the long-awaited final part of my World-Building series! I hope this has been helpful for you. I had a lot of fun writing it (and had a lot of "yeah, I need to figure that out" moments for my own writing!). Comment below with the topics you'd like to see me cover next. I'd love to hear from you! Hey there, world-builders! We are on week 4 of 6! Hopefully by now you've begun to realize that everything I've posted about is connected. It's hard to isolate topics because everything is connected to everything else - which is a good thing. You should start to worry if your elements of world-building are not connecting to one another. Just as in real life, religion has influences on politics and family life; government has influences on economy and culture; everything is tied together!
I hope you enjoy week 4, which focuses on Advancement! Here we're talking technology, magic, weapons, and more! BONUS: Click here for a downloadable PDF. Let me know what you think in the comments! Hello again, fellow world-builders!
Half way! Welcome to Part 3 of my world-building series! For this week, I've focused on Peoples. I don't know about all of you, but I'm particularly partial to using Elves and Dragons in my worlds. What about you? Comment below with your favorite fantasy beings! BONUS: Click here for a downloadable PDF. Here we are, world-builders! Part 2 of my 6-week series is here! In this document, we will be focusing on belief systems.
BONUS: Click here for the full download of the PDF. Here's your first world-building lesson! The first consideration when world building, is government.
I'm so excited that you're joining me on this journey! BONUS: Click here for a downloadable PDF to get started on your world-building adventure! Let me know what helped you most in the comments! I am beyond thrilled to be launching my world-building 6-week intensive session! For the next six weeks, every Sunday I will be posting about a different facet of world-building. I'll have a ton of resources for you to start creating your world!
World-building is tough, but it is also a ton of fun! I'm excited for you to join me on this next adventure. Take a look at the infographic for a sneak peak about the topics we'll be covering. As always, any questions? Leave them in the comments! Hoping I'll touch on something specific? Let me know!
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AuthorM. M. Kastanek Archives
June 2022
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