All Things Novel https://allthingsnovel.com/ Wed, 13 May 2020 03:57:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.4 173853573 Novel Writing Tips – 5 Critical Elements of Worldbuilding https://allthingsnovel.com/novel-writing-tips-5-critical-elements-of-worldbuilding/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=novel-writing-tips-5-critical-elements-of-worldbuilding Wed, 13 May 2020 03:00:01 +0000 http://allthingsnovel.com/?p=159 Just as important as it is to know the parts of writing a novel, you need to understand how to build a solid world in which your characters will live. Worldbuilding can take as little as a short afternoon to cover critical points as related to your story all the way up to spending over a decade just creating the world in which you will tell future stories. In my previous article, So You Want to Write a Novel – A Brief Overview of 7 Key Elements, I shared with you the most important parts you’ll need to write an intriguing novel. One of those key elements was about location and how worldbuilding is essential if you want to draw your readers into your story. Worldbuilding is an entire course in itself, and should be given some of the highest priority. To get you started, I’m sharing what I see as the 5 most critical parts that need to go into the creation of your world. In future articles I will talk about each more in-depth, but this overview can help you begin. 1) Worldbuilding: Geographical Regions/Lay of the land Of course your novel’s world needs to have a landmass. Whether it all takes place in a single city, a haunted bungalow, or a planet with rivers, mountains and deserts, forests, plains and more, you need a physical location for your characters to live out the story. It would be beneficial to at least decide on some preliminary settings before you begin to write. Describe what they look like. Not in your story, but in a separate document that you can refer to when you need it. 2) Worldbuilding: Races and Creatures For a fantasy/sci-fi/paranormal novel, you’ll need to decide on what the primary races of characters are. In Game of Thrones you basically see only humans. In contrast, in Elfstones of Shannara there are elves, humans, dwarves, and demons, among others. Even paranormal books may have humans, vampires, werewolves, and/or ghosts. Are the creatures going to be standard creatures you’d find on Earth? Or do you want to include creatures such as centaurs, unicorns, goblins, or dragons? If you stick with Earthlike settings, you still might have to decide what groups of people inhabit which geographical regions. Are there different countries or nations, like on Earth? Or is the world a one-world government with no breakdown of regions? 3) Worldbuilding: Economy This is something that is often overlooked. How do people determine the value of items, services, or knowledge? Does the entire world use the same currency? Are there areas that trade instead of using money? What about inflation? Supply and demand? Are any of these elements important in your world? They may not be to you, or to the reader, but I’m sure they are to the people who live in this world you’re creating. 4) Worldbuilding: Class System/Society Is everyone equal in the eyes of the law (or in the eyes of God, if you prefer)? Are there people in authority? One or two warring governments, each with their own laws and societal makeup or are customs local? In most cases there will likely be a difference between the rich and the poor. Kings or presidents and their citizens. What rights are bestowed on everybody, and how do you determine if certain rights are provided for a few select people? 5) Worldbuilding: History Unless you are starting the story with the creation of everything that exists, there is history. How old is your world? What are critical past events that have happened? You don’t need to include any of this in your novel, but knowing for yourself why things are the way they are will help you determine important parts of your story. Are there any legendary leaders that have helped forge the world the way it is? Past wars that have caused alliances or divisions? These are important to know. Bringing it Together As we can see, there is a huge amount of work that can go into building a quality world. You could spend years or decades forming the perfect place for your future characters to live out their adventures. But you also need to balance that with time. If you have a story that you are ready to start writing, you still need to make sure some of these elements are covered. If your story only takes place in a certain town you don’t really have the need to decide how the river on another island has changed course over time. But you do need to figure out the layout of the town, and the layout of the key locations within the town (such as the bakery’s layout). You need to figure out who the main groups of people are, how they relate to each other, and any historically significant events that might be important to your plot. Although this list is certainly not exhaustive, it’s a great place to start and be able to figure out the basics of the world in which your story will take place. In the following months I’ll be going more in-depth on these 5 parts of building a great world, and touching on other worldbuilding elements as well. And now for a writing challenge! I’d love to hear your experiences or your preconceptions. In the comments section, share your favorite part of worldbuilding, or why you prefer to use pre-existing places. If you have never built a world, what part sounds the most exciting or daunting to you?

The post Novel Writing Tips – 5 Critical Elements of Worldbuilding appeared first on All Things Novel.

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Just as important as it is to know the parts of writing a novel, you need to understand how to build a solid world in which your characters will live. Worldbuilding can take as little as a short afternoon to cover critical points as related to your story all the way up to spending over a decade just creating the world in which you will tell future stories.

In my previous article, So You Want to Write a Novel – A Brief Overview of 7 Key Elements, I shared with you the most important parts you’ll need to write an intriguing novel. One of those key elements was about location and how worldbuilding is essential if you want to draw your readers into your story. Worldbuilding is an entire course in itself, and should be given some of the highest priority. To get you started, I’m sharing what I see as the 5 most critical parts that need to go into the creation of your world. In future articles I will talk about each more in-depth, but this overview can help you begin.

1) Worldbuilding: Geographical Regions/Lay of the land

Of course your novel’s world needs to have a landmass. Whether it all takes place in a single city, a haunted bungalow, or a planet with rivers, mountains and deserts, forests, plains and more, you need a physical location for your characters to live out the story. It would be beneficial to at least decide on some preliminary settings before you begin to write. Describe what they look like. Not in your story, but in a separate document that you can refer to when you need it.

2) Worldbuilding: Races and Creatures

For a fantasy/sci-fi/paranormal novel, you’ll need to decide on what the primary races of characters are. In Game of Thrones you basically see only humans. In contrast, in Elfstones of Shannara there are elves, humans, dwarves, and demons, among others. Even paranormal books may have humans, vampires, werewolves, and/or ghosts. Are the creatures going to be standard creatures you’d find on Earth? Or do you want to include creatures such as centaurs, unicorns, goblins, or dragons?

If you stick with Earthlike settings, you still might have to decide what groups of people inhabit which geographical regions. Are there different countries or nations, like on Earth? Or is the world a one-world government with no breakdown of regions?

3) Worldbuilding: Economy

This is something that is often overlooked. How do people determine the value of items, services, or knowledge? Does the entire world use the same currency? Are there areas that trade instead of using money? What about inflation? Supply and demand? Are any of these elements important in your world? They may not be to you, or to the reader, but I’m sure they are to the people who live in this world you’re creating.

4) Worldbuilding: Class System/Society

Is everyone equal in the eyes of the law (or in the eyes of God, if you prefer)? Are there people in authority? One or two warring governments, each with their own laws and societal makeup or are customs local? In most cases there will likely be a difference between the rich and the poor. Kings or presidents and their citizens. What rights are bestowed on everybody, and how do you determine if certain rights are provided for a few select people?

5) Worldbuilding: History

Unless you are starting the story with the creation of everything that exists, there is history. How old is your world? What are critical past events that have happened? You don’t need to include any of this in your novel, but knowing for yourself why things are the way they are will help you determine important parts of your story. Are there any legendary leaders that have helped forge the world the way it is? Past wars that have caused alliances or divisions? These are important to know.

Bringing it Together

As we can see, there is a huge amount of work that can go into building a quality world. You could spend years or decades forming the perfect place for your future characters to live out their adventures. But you also need to balance that with time.

If you have a story that you are ready to start writing, you still need to make sure some of these elements are covered. If your story only takes place in a certain town you don’t really have the need to decide how the river on another island has changed course over time. But you do need to figure out the layout of the town, and the layout of the key locations within the town (such as the bakery’s layout). You need to figure out who the main groups of people are, how they relate to each other, and any historically significant events that might be important to your plot.

Although this list is certainly not exhaustive, it’s a great place to start and be able to figure out the basics of the world in which your story will take place. In the following months I’ll be going more in-depth on these 5 parts of building a great world, and touching on other worldbuilding elements as well.

And now for a writing challenge!

I’d love to hear your experiences or your preconceptions. In the comments section, share your favorite part of worldbuilding, or why you prefer to use pre-existing places. If you have never built a world, what part sounds the most exciting or daunting to you?

The post Novel Writing Tips – 5 Critical Elements of Worldbuilding appeared first on All Things Novel.

]]> 159 So You Want to Write a Novel – A Brief Overview of 7 Key Elements https://allthingsnovel.com/so-you-want-to-write-a-novel-a-brief-overview-of-7-key-elements/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=so-you-want-to-write-a-novel-a-brief-overview-of-7-key-elements Sat, 09 May 2020 04:07:41 +0000 http://allthingsnovel.com/?p=122 Everybody has a story inside them and you’re no different! But if you’re like a lot of people I’ve talked to, perhaps you aren’t sure where to begin. Do you just start writing about some awesome character you know everyone will love? Do you need an outline or should you start with a title or an action scene or a conversation or, well, you get the picture. Over the next several months I’ll cover all of these questions, and more! But for now I’d like to start with an overview on seven key elements to writing a novel. But before I jump into these seven key elements, there is an important question you’ll need to answer before you begin writing your novel. What genre are you looking to write? Do you want to write epic fantasy, bone-chilling horror, or dystopian science fiction? Or are you more partial to a wild western, or a steamy romance? That’s something you’ll have to decide from the start. Now that you’ve got an inkling of an idea what kind of book you’d like to write, what are the key elements that you’ll want to focus on to write a compelling story? 1) Obviously no story can be told without characters. Over the course of this series, I’ll cover character creation and help you form well-crafted characters. Because they are the central theme of stories, and the most important element of your novel, we’ll make sure they can connect with your reader. 2) These wonderful characters need a place to live! Worldbuilding is another key element of writing a novel. J. R. R. Tolkien is often seen as the penultimate world-builder with his creation of Middle Earth. Because worldbuilding can be such an intricate task, there will be several articles dedicated to what goes into this key element. 3) One of the elements that many people find most difficult is dialogue. How do you create the relationships between the characters? How do you write conversations that leave the reader feeling like the characters were right there before them, allowing them to hear every word? What can you do to keep it from sounding cheesy? It takes practice. I’m finding the dialogue for my current book is much more refined than what I provided in Winter’s Bite. And I’ll share my tips in an upcoming post or two. 4) What kind of items are found in your novel? This would depend in part on the time period, the genre, and the advancements in technology. In a fantasy world, do you want to create oak trees or do you want to design your own plant, perhaps a Hul Vine? How are your characters dressed? Do they carry walking sticks or is everyone armed? Do the food and drinks have unique names or will you stick with bread and ale? Just make sure that you don’t include automobiles in 16th century England, unless you’re writing something off-the-wall. 5) This one will be present in many genres, but perhaps not all of them. But you’ll want to decide if there are any supernatural or special rules about the world. If you’re writing a romance novel, it is standard romance or are you touching on paranormal romance? In a standard romance novel, will the ghost of a former lover show up? Does magic exist? Is gravity the same as Earth, or are there new laws of physics? 6) If you don’t want your audience to fall asleep, you’ve got to come up with some heart-thumping action scenes! A sword fight between two dueling lords, a sultry night between the CEO of Ronn Electronics and one of his clients, a chase scene that threatens to land the hero in prison – or dead. Fast-paced action will help your reader stay interested in your story. 7) Finally, none of these elements mean anything without a plot. The storyline will take your reader on the adventure of their life, and you’ll want to learn to do that well. Because of this, I’ll show you how to add multiple plotlines and some tips for keeping the timing straight on them (my experiences here will be shared in a later post). Bringing it Together The writing tips that I will post over the next several months will help you to transform your ideas for a story into a plan of action to put them into words for the world to read. As long as you have a solid grasp on the seven elements that I touched on in this post – characters, locations, dialogue, items, supernatural elements, action, and a solid plot – and you blend them together, you will have a story that the world needs to hear! But above all, have fun with your writing!  And now for a writing challenge! So what do you think the most difficult element will be for you? Let me know in the comments section!

The post So You Want to Write a Novel – A Brief Overview of 7 Key Elements appeared first on All Things Novel.

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Everybody has a story inside them and you’re no different! But if you’re like a lot of people I’ve talked to, perhaps you aren’t sure where to begin. Do you just start writing about some awesome character you know everyone will love? Do you need an outline or should you start with a title or an action scene or a conversation or, well, you get the picture. Over the next several months I’ll cover all of these questions, and more! But for now I’d like to start with an overview on seven key elements to writing a novel.

But before I jump into these seven key elements, there is an important question you’ll need to answer before you begin writing your novel. What genre are you looking to write? Do you want to write epic fantasy, bone-chilling horror, or dystopian science fiction? Or are you more partial to a wild western, or a steamy romance? That’s something you’ll have to decide from the start. Now that you’ve got an inkling of an idea what kind of book you’d like to write, what are the key elements that you’ll want to focus on to write a compelling story?

1) Obviously no story can be told without characters.

Over the course of this series, I’ll cover character creation and help you form well-crafted characters. Because they are the central theme of stories, and the most important element of your novel, we’ll make sure they can connect with your reader.

2) These wonderful characters need a place to live!

Worldbuilding is another key element of writing a novel. J. R. R. Tolkien is often seen as the penultimate world-builder with his creation of Middle Earth. Because worldbuilding can be such an intricate task, there will be several articles dedicated to what goes into this key element.

3) One of the elements that many people find most difficult is dialogue.

How do you create the relationships between the characters? How do you write conversations that leave the reader feeling like the characters were right there before them, allowing them to hear every word? What can you do to keep it from sounding cheesy? It takes practice. I’m finding the dialogue for my current book is much more refined than what I provided in Winter’s Bite. And I’ll share my tips in an upcoming post or two.

4) What kind of items are found in your novel?

This would depend in part on the time period, the genre, and the advancements in technology. In a fantasy world, do you want to create oak trees or do you want to design your own plant, perhaps a Hul Vine? How are your characters dressed? Do they carry walking sticks or is everyone armed? Do the food and drinks have unique names or will you stick with bread and ale? Just make sure that you don’t include automobiles in 16th century England, unless you’re writing something off-the-wall.

5) This one will be present in many genres, but perhaps not all of them. But you’ll want to decide if there are any supernatural or special rules about the world.

If you’re writing a romance novel, it is standard romance or are you touching on paranormal romance? In a standard romance novel, will the ghost of a former lover show up? Does magic exist? Is gravity the same as Earth, or are there new laws of physics?

6) If you don’t want your audience to fall asleep, you’ve got to come up with some heart-thumping action scenes!

A sword fight between two dueling lords, a sultry night between the CEO of Ronn Electronics and one of his clients, a chase scene that threatens to land the hero in prison – or dead. Fast-paced action will help your reader stay interested in your story.

7) Finally, none of these elements mean anything without a plot.

The storyline will take your reader on the adventure of their life, and you’ll want to learn to do that well. Because of this, I’ll show you how to add multiple plotlines and some tips for keeping the timing straight on them (my experiences here will be shared in a later post).

Bringing it Together

The writing tips that I will post over the next several months will help you to transform your ideas for a story into a plan of action to put them into words for the world to read. As long as you have a solid grasp on the seven elements that I touched on in this post – characters, locations, dialogue, items, supernatural elements, action, and a solid plot – and you blend them together, you will have a story that the world needs to hear! But above all, have fun with your writing! 

And now for a writing challenge!

So what do you think the most difficult element will be for you? Let me know in the comments section!

The post So You Want to Write a Novel – A Brief Overview of 7 Key Elements appeared first on All Things Novel.

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