World-Building MISTAKES New Writers Make ❌ Avoid These Cringeworthy Cliches!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- SAVE YOUR SPOT AT THE LIVE TRAINING 👉 mailchi.mp/abbiee/worldbuilding
Crafting a fictional setting, also known as world-building, is a crucial aspect of any good story. A well-crafted setting has the power to capture our attention and transport us into the world of the characters. However, if you reveal your world in the wrong way, you risk boring your readers and overwhelming them with information.
In today's podcast, Kate and I will discuss the do's and don'ts of world-building. We'll highlight common mistakes that many writers make and provide tips on how to avoid these pitfalls. Our aim is to help you create an immersive, unique, and captivating fictional setting that will keep your readers engaged until the very last page. We'll share powerful techniques to take your world-building to the next level and make your story unforgettable.
_____________________
✨ C H A P T E R S ✨
00:00 How to world-build for your story
02:00 Become a supporter and get exclusive content!
02:41 DON’T info-dump at the beginning
05:47 DO use exposition through action
09:53 DON’T begin and end with “the way the world works”
13:40 DO leverage “the way the world works” to strengthen the conflict
16:06 Want to take your world-building to the next level?
18:18 DON’T paint yourself into a corner
21:16 DO stay consistent but leave room for new possibilities
24:40 DON’T slow things down with wordy descriptions
26:20 DO make your descriptions vivid but meaningful to the story
28:14 Save your spot at the world-building live training!
29:45 Subscribe for more podcasts and writing videos :)
✨ S H O W N O T E S ✨
✍️How to World-Build Like a Boss: • How to WORLD BUILD (Li...
✍️How to Craft an Awesome Magic System: • HOW TO CRAFT A MIND BL...
✍️Good vs Bad Inciting Incidents: • INCITING INCIDENTS: Di...
✍️How to Write the First Plot Point: • How to Write the First...
✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨
❤️GET BONUS CONTENT + SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL: / abbieemmons
📚READ MY DEBUT NOVEL, 100 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT: amzn.to/2Et7fhS
🖥️TAKE MY SCRIVENER MASTERCLASS: makeyourstorymatter.teachable...
✏️TAKE MY MASTERCLASS ON EDITING: www.learnfromabbie.com/p/edit...
💬TAKE MY BOOK BLURB MASTERCLASS: www.learnfromabbie.com/p/how-...
📓GET MY FREE WRITING TEMPLATES: eepurl.com/gFYD8z
💵GET 20% OFF SCRIVENER - USE CODE "ABBIE" → www.literatureandlatte.com/sc...
🎤LISTEN TO MY PODCAST WITH MY SISTER: anchor.fm/kate-and-abbie-show
🎥 MY GEAR + WRITING TOOLS: abbieemmonsauthor.com/my-gear
🎵 I GET ALL MY MUSIC FROM EPIDEMIC SOUND… CLAIM YOUR 60-DAY FREE TRIAL HERE: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
Ready to take your world-building to the next level? SAVE YOUR SPOT AT THE LIVE TRAINING 👉 mailchi.mp/abbiee/worldbuilding
@AbbieEmmons Is it possible to create a character who is jealous but also not toxic? For instance, this character could have experienced childhood trauma and felt neglected by their parents, who saw them as a burden due to their problems. Additionally, their parents may have shown favoritism towards their siblings, who didn't have the same challenges. And later in the future they're going to take some form of revenge. Cause honestly, I read a lot of books with jealousy in it but not enough reason as to why.
February 4th 2025?
As a long time deaf viewer, I do miss when your videos were manually captioned as they were more accessible. I do hope you'll bring those back again soon.
I'm not deaf but I love captions because it helps me focus and retain as I'm on the spectrum. So I agree.
I'm not deaf but I love captions because it helps me focus and retain as I'm on the spectrum. So I agree.
@@rayeregan8114yess I'm autistic and captions are very accessible
I also like captions because english isn't my native language so with captions it's for me easier to understand
I dont know if it helps, but if you click the description, at the bottom it should say Transcript. Hopefully that button helps you
For descriptions in general, keep it to the rule of 3's. Readers have a difficult time grasping more than 3 descriptors at the same time. An example would be:
Her skin was fair, weathered, and freckled.
or
Her fair skin was weathered and freckled.
Although the second sentence has a nicer flow, either of these examples get a pass because, regardless of the descriptor placement, you are limiting them to only 3.
Her fair skin was weathered, freckled, spotted, and wrinkled.
By breaking the rule of 3's, the sentence becomes convoluted, having too many descriptions. Readers are not going to retain all that. Likewise, the pacing becomes muddled and you run the risk of breaking the reader's immersion. Whether you're describing a grand fantasy capital or someone's basic attire, don't overload the reader with too many descriptions.
The rule of 3's should also apply to entire paragraphs. Do not cover more than 3 concepts in a single paragraph. In the example of describing a capital city, you could set the tone by describing the sprawling grandeur in the first sentence, then move on to the skyline with the next sentence, and lastly the architecture in the final sentence, but after that, it's time to move on to the next paragraph, which might describe the people, or a particular part of the city where the scene kicks off, such as the marketplace.
And when describing big concepts like a capital city, don't spend more than 3 paragraphs on it. Half a page isn't terribly long to spend describing something like a capital city, but after 3 paragraphs, you really need to move along with the narrative. Readers only have so much attention span, and if you spend a page or more going into strenuous detail, your readers aren't going to stay locked in. Whether it be a bit of dialog or something to distract the character from their observations, you need to break up the monotony of a wall of text, preferably by moving along the narrative.
If you apply the rule of 3's to your writing, your pacing will improve and your readers will appreciate you for it. World-building is fun and you can devote all the time in the world on the little details, but most readers aren't going to care about how the plumbing works, only that the plumbing does work. Your setting should be a background character, not the main POV. It should be present and make sense, but not constantly in the forefront overpowering your narrative flow.
I always mention Stephen King regarding this topic because he's one of the few authors that can spend an entire page describing how black the inside of a coffin is, yet he still manages to keep you utterly captivated. It takes tremendous skill to pull something like that off, so do not try to emulate him. Especially if you are a new writer. Don't attempt to emulate your faves, because you are not yet in the same league as them. Just focus on telling the best version of the story you want to tell in the most efficient way you can. You prose and pacing will improve over time, and so will your world-building.
really helpful and true, thank you
thanks for sharing
"don't begin and end with 'the way the world works'" ... THANK YOU. After watching this I thought critically about my main character, I knew there was *something* compelling there besides the world-influenced conflict, but I couldn't put my finger on it and never defined it clearly for myself as the author, and so I went and reread my stuff and found one line of dialogue I wrote for him near the beginning that defined it for me.
"What's life worth if I'm spending it all just trying to keep it? Can't have your cake and eat it too, you know."
... and I realized all I needed to do was put a little more emphasis on that theme, and I did this by continuing the thought after the other character's interjection, with
“If I never go out there and experience life, I might as well be dead,” he told her. “There’s no point in life if you’re too afraid to live it. And…sometimes that means you've gotta risk it.”
Thus far, his decisions/behaviors I already unwittingly weaved that theme into. So in the end I only needed to fix this one moment in this scene and bring more attention to this conflict, and now all the stuff around it fits perfectly like puzzle pieces and I'm suddenly happy and confident again LOL
So thank you so much!!!
I’m glad she said this. But. I am writing a dystopian and it plays A LOTTTT into the way they feel. Now I’m stuck 😅 it’s all personal internal but presented through years of living in this world. I hope she does something specifically about dystopians
Good thing I'm character driven ... the world gets pieced together as I go ... Yeah, sometimes that makes things inconsistent the first time through ....
I'm somehow a mix of both.
I create the basics of the world alongside my protagonist. if my protagonist was originally suppose to protect the crown princess, it starts like that.
Until I actually flesh out the protagonist and suddenly why are they protecting this princess? It doesn't add up to their backstory are they saving them for an ulterior motive?
Then I'm given choices, the princess gets killed or the princess gets protected. And according to how the character works is how the story flows.
It's not ALWAYS like that, this is just an example that I came up with at the spur of the moment
I'm the exact opposite, I've been building a fantasy world in my head for over a year, and at one point I said "Man, I wish someone made a book/film/videogame/RPG played in this universe! Oh wait..." I knew that no one else would ever create exactly what I want to, so there's only one option, if I bring it to life myself. I'm still worldbuilding, but now I am actually writing notes, so far I have a list of names for future characters, places, a complete Excel file for the religion (the rest is written in Word), and the character profiles for my protagonist, her best friend, her uncle, and an antagonist. Yes, that's not much but given that I've started this project on 30 December 2023 it's a decent amount of notes I'd say.
@@hungariangiraffe6361I think you’d really like World Anvil, it’s a website where you can organize all of your notes about anything and everything about your world, from random objects to massive empires, and even create timelines. I find it very useful :)
@@hungariangiraffe6361 My best writing friend plots, replots, does research and decides there are problems ... takes her a while, but with all the info she has reference to ... and the exhaustive rewrites in the middle of things ... it works. Best of luck n your project ... there is no one best way to write ... but knowing how others make things work, helps figure out how you do it.
Most of the time I dislike character driven books. I really need to like the character but if MC is just okayish I lose interest in reading the book.
I'm 16 and currently at about the half of my book (around 300 pages) and I want to thank you for this video, as I might have made some of these mistakes myself.
HALF??! Bruh how long is your book gonna be 😭
I'm 14 and I'm currently writing a zombie apocalypse book. Hope it sells as well as the last one! It's nice to meet another youth author!😁
Hello! I am a writer since I was a kid, fascinated and always putting all my heart at it. Now I am taking it even more seriously and write books at 17 where many got interested in it what surprises and gives me inspiration to go on. But I couldn't get it all done until now without your help! Youre such an inspiration and helped me and helped me when I had no inspiration!
This video comes as called actually! I am planning about writing a book about war and need ALOT of world building! I am very greatful for everything you've done for your followers and wanna thank you for sharing your knowledge! Wish all the writers luck on their path to their goal!! ❤❤🎉
Good luck with your writing! I’m in a similar situation to you, so it’s nice to see someone joining me. I’m finally putting some words down on paper at eighteen, and my first planned project might be a bit ambitious haha. I’m currently writing short stories to build myself up to the immense amount of world building I’ll have to slog through. Hope your writing goes smoother than mine currently is!
Hello! first. I am 12, and getting into more story writing so your videos have helped a lot! U got a new sub 😎
edit: oh dang this kinda blew up lol. 😂 thanks for all the support and motivational things said!
Wow that’s great! Keep it up
Don't feel forced to mention your age to anyone, especially as the TH-cam age limit is 13 so you're not really supposed to be here by that definition. 😅 Good luck with your writing, I started around your age too. Best imaginative years ❤ You can do it, believe in yourself!
Whoa you've got a great start at 12 then! I had no idea of anything abt writing at 12,I wish I'd found abbie's channel sooner! But hey u're gonna be just fine just keep writing and keep loving it! All the best!!!!!
oh hey, i also started writing when i was 11/12 and i subbed abbie back then too. if you're wondering, abbie is definitely the best author on youtube, she makes videos on pretty much everything that you do in writing. there are videos for new writers like you too. I hope you have a great writing journey, don't give up and good luck!
@@DrawlingsStoriesAndMore wow, congrats! I'm writing a long book and i haven't finished it yet, its my first one. good luck with your book!
So, One thing id like to say as someone who's been writing for a very long time. When it comes to the point of "Thats just how the world goes" point they brought up. If that is like a centerpeice to how your world and the subsequent conflict with the character originates from, I have a bit of advice. To really make this kind of plot work, Pick a breaking point for the main character. I mean lean HARD into the point of "X major event" happening because "thats just the world works" and completely destroy the mental state of your Main Character.
With the broken peices of your main character use that to literally reforge a full fledged desire to break this cycle of your world. That breaking point and that newfound burning motivation will reinvigorate the reason of "THIS is why theyre the main character" it gives your readers a reason to really invest themselves into the story, and want to see your character succeed in breaking this endless cycle.
Though be careful doing this though because if your breaking point is either too much or not enough this can completely backfire. You also don't want to do this too early or too late into the story because thats an easy way to lose readers, seriously though, experiment with the idea and find that sweetspot, because when you do, Man the risk of such a hard concept to land is so satisfying
In my book I am currently working on, it is set in a dark fantasy world, featuring eternal night and darkness, where elvens worship the moon and treat it as their deity, who they refer to as the All-Mother Goddess
The world features a gothic horror - esque aesthetic, featuring the moon and starry night skies as a reoccurring thematic motif, as well as oceanic metaphors and similes in the prose itself. For example, one such location in the book is called the abyssal forest, which is compared to the midnight zone of the ocean, in addition to my protagonist (in their child form) who uses a dolphin design motif.
NO IM GOING TO READ THAT.
Nice! 🌘🌊🌒
So what's the story?
That is so creative!
@@David13ushey It's a retelling of The Lion King (and by extension Shakespeare's Hamlet) mixed with Game of Thrones
Basically, a princess gets exiled by her evil uncle after he murders her father in desire of the throne, and gets exiled from her home as a result. As a result, she seeks vengeance, which corrupts her and turns her into a monster, becoming the shadow queen at the end of the book
Something that I found very frustrating with A Wheel of Time and the prequels to the Belgariad was that the backstory of the world was changed retroactively.
The backstory to the Belgariad was thousands of years of time. The stories passed down to "modern" men regarding those ancient times are one thing. Plus any people will have their own view of things as the historical forwards in the Mallorean series illustrates perfectly.
Witnessing those ancient times through the lives of immortal sorcerers as events happen is quite another thing. And really how well does a person remember the details of something from 25 years ago? 50? 75? Now try it to a degree of 3,000 years ago, or even all 7,000 years back to the youth of Belgarath as the obvious example, how accurate is either view?
I wouldn't really be worried about any differences. Besides the entire point of CeNedra convincing her relatives to record all of those old times was to get to get that second viewpoint anyways?
I can never leave this topic go un-countered. My personal experience with reading goes exactly opposite of this!
I LOVE info-dumping, especially at the start, setting the stage about what's going on in this fantasy world.
UNTIL I CARE ABOUT THE WORLD, I couldn't care less about the people in it. Stories are a dime a dozen, too many books are being written for someone to read them all. I have to know WHY this setting in particular is special, or would make for an interesting story, to me.
I understand that a great many of the people in this world think like you do. Books written as I'd like them to be done would likely appeal to a smaller audience, and be less successful, financially... but for this same reason, these types of books must ALSO exist in the world, breaking the rules to appeal to a niche. (I'm not so certain I'm in a niche, but giving you the benefit of the doubt.)
In general, you give well thought out advice that seems pleasant on the surface, but doesn't really apply all that much to creating books that I'd personally like to read.
I have to agree that the setting HAS to be there and be done right for anything sci-fi or fantasy, otherwise is it really either of those things? Just don't go overboard and kill the pacing of a story is all.
I usually side with Abbie on 'show don't tell,' but I see and agree with your points here. Exposition sure beats: 1. Not having any information about the world at all (because, like you said, otherwise it's mega-hard to get into the characters, and 2. Waiting until you get invested in wonderful characters for their own sake and then finding out there's something about the premise that you really, really, on a deep level disagree with either morally or factually. In sci-fi, this latter one happens a lot. Either wonky science snaps your belief suspenders or you think the author's 'dystopia' ain't that bad.
I'm American, and I don't want to stereotype us Westerners, but almost every author feels the need to carry the conceits of one (ghastly) side or the other (equally ghastly) side of the culture wars into a setting that's far from Earth without leaving an inch of breathing room for nuance and dissent by the 'heroes.' Well, guess what? Some of us read fantasy and sci fi to get away from the talking heads of our own world.
I know, I know, if you're an author and you really believe that your entire worldview is the One True Way (tm) you don't want nor see the need for people to get away from those ideas even in fiction. Unfortunately, that usually sucks, especially if the author isn't putting philosophy center-stage (and many writers forego that in favor of other things). When I read, I want novelty and invention. I want fascination. I want a beautiful and *worthy* new world, and if it isn't that, I'm not interested and want to be told the whole situation before I invest money in the book. Otherwise, you end up with the 'what the hell, hero?' trope. Google that. The TvTropes page on that is amazing.
I am literally horable at worldbuilding 😅 I am SO glad that you are making this video and i can not wait to see what you have for all of us Abbie and your amazing writer skills ❤🙏
YES ABBIE! I can't wait for this video! 🥰
My friend and I love you and look up to you so much! You are a great role model, especially for young people. Your videos are the best and this one will be extremely helpful, as worldbuilding is not exactly my forte. 😁Thank you, as always!
Two of my favourites: Narnia (I agree with you entirely, exploring Narnia with the children was wonderful) and Alice underground in "Through the Looking Glass." In both cases a complete fantasy was fascinating rather than overwhelming because both authors took their time and allowed the reader to learn the world along with the protagonist.
The TIMING!!! I'll be starting to build the world to my most recent story very soon!
Yesterday was a struggle, that self-doubt wave kicked down my door and negatively affected my creative session, I got NOTHING done. I don't know how you guys do it but this video came at the right time. After I watched this video, I cleared my head, took a breath and released all that negativity. Today I worked on my outline and proud of the progress I made in about an hour. I feel fantastic, like a weight has been lifted off me. A rucksack of negativity DEMOLISHED! I know I'm a creative person and I just have to keep reminding myself of that. Again, thank you. It's reassuring to know I'm not alone in this. Take care, everyone.
I think a really good story (film) that does a great job at slowly incorporating world building through the characters eyes is the original film, the "Highlander" written by Gregory Widen. It starts with a one paragraph monologue, which raises more questions then answers. The rest of the World Building and answers to the monologue are accomplished through the life events of Connor MacLeod. A friend of mine liked the film so much he visited the castle in Scotland, from the first backstory flashback.
Thank you so much! Your videos have really helped me with my writing, and they help me develop and get to know my characters better, and make my story more cohesive and interesting! :D
I'm only 15, and I hope to be an author someday. I'm sure your videos are going to be so helpful for me. I already have a HUGE world in my head (it may never be in an actual book, but at least I know how to create a world!) Thanks for this video.
Thanks for sharing. I am working on my stories and add the world around it, It is easy to get carried away though. Every time I find something, I add it in when I can. Writing is like a puzzle, just adding the pieces. Sometimes a character will overexplain randomly, and waffle on about some random thing while doing something else. I am often like'....why? It is a pretty crazy world
Thank you Abbie & Kate I am working on my 1st commercial game this video helps a lot with my own world building
Just in time! I’ve been working on my outline after months of planning and realized that the world building was very underdeveloped compared to the other aspects of the story 😅
i was like that in my outline phase too😅
@@Lia_michelin143 it’s a long process but it’s fun and exciting to get through.
@@nikky6273 oh yea for sure, ngl my whole planning process took me like a year
Alright make sure to provide exposition only during times of relevance for an interesting story.
Thanks for sharing these amazing insights. Had to leave halfway thru -will be back...Did get the INFO DUMP point 🙏🙏
One of my favorite novels is Alistair McLean's Where Eagles Dare. His descriptions are amazingly vivid, but it was only recently when I studied how he did it. All of the detail was related to the obstacles facing the team, or how they planned to get the job done. The fact that the story also keeps you guessing who the heros and villains really are helps draw out opportunities to provide description has part of the action. But the descriptions are still so vivid you can smell the pine trees, or hear the firewood popping on the hearth.
I just love the both of you ❤❤❤
So much aura of passion and love 💕
A huge fan
your so amazing Abbie!!!
9:54
QUESTION!! (for anyone)
So my book sort of runs into this "issue" but it's more or less intentional. I'm playing around with the chosen one trope, and my (teenaged) MC finds themselves caught between 2 warring factions. Each faction wants to use their powers for their own benefit, but obviously, my chosen-one-MC wants to tread their own path. Is it okay if the MC starts out not really knowing their drive/motivation (being influenced by both factions), and eventually finds their own way?
Yes, look at Brandon Sanderson’s Way of Kings. One of the main MC’s (Kaladin) doesn’t know his way and has lost it and your following him and his journey of becoming who he is meant to be.
I mean I would rather have him choose a side and make the 'confused' state become less stretched.
I have found that a story's main character can have somewhat unfocused motivations at the beginning, as long as the audience knows the focus of the main plot, and knows that the main character has some kind of motivation from the beginning. However, the main character needs a reason to take on the plot of the whole story, as their motivation, before the story goes too far.
Like in Star Wars, Luke just wanted to get off of Tatooine, he even wanted to join the Imperial Academy, just to get off Tatooine. But, his motivations changed after running into Ben, and seeing his aunt and uncle dead.
His motivation changed from getting off Tatooine, to the plot of the story, which was helping Ben deliver the plans for the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance.
Or look at the Matrix, Neo is a chosen-one character and he was searching for something, but he didn't know what he was searching for. It was Trinity and Morpheous that found him, and after Morpheous info dumped the real world on to Neo he slowly started to grow into his chosen-one role, but he was still missing something. Until Trinity gave him the missing piece of what he needed to become, "The One"
An amazing world building example for the indie world is Onslaught: An Exile’s War novel. It’s the first of the series, but the simple explanation of telepathy and what happened in the world happens as the war breaks out…
Totally should have opened the episode with a clip from 4:24 lol
Thanks for making another episode to enjoy!
Yesterday was my grandmother’s birthday. I remember after we called her last year that I went and watched a TH-cam video on writing. Thank you so much Abbie for a year to remember of writing 🤍
love this, so true about keeping it consistent, but not cornering yourself. One example was in the well known how to train your dragon series and trilogy, where toothless can at times just fly by himself, but he is supposed to have hiccup there to help him...bit of a mistake there
I want to make my descriptions vivid and also work on showing not telling in my story.
Here is an easy cheat. Hire an artist to do some pictures, or get permission to include some artwork that already exists as illustrations. Do you want to describe a dark wizards tower or a dwarven fortress interior, or simply show some work of an amazing artist like they did with the Lord of the Rings? Sure throw the words in afterwards but if the chapter beginning had some great artwork your job is much easier.
@@Valthalin I will consider that thanks
World building at it's finest, Chapter one, The Cruel Prince, "Th Faerie, there are no fish sticks, no ketchup, no television." (that's it, that's the whole chapter😭)
I unironically love that. Shorthand for the magic stuff to expect, introducing the basics of a location. Pointing to the time period the narrator is from as post 1950s (and probably UK, US, Canada, definitely "Western culture"). Establishing the personality of the narrator. Leaves the reader surprised -> wanting to turn the page. This may not be genius but still better than at least half the books I've started reading
if we missed the live training is it possible to purchase a download of it??
This is all excellent! Watching your video now as I'm working on some rewrites for my novel. Question: is it ever acceptable to include a very brief prologue before the story, to set up a few crumbs of worldbuilding clues before you introduce your main character? (I'm talking about 1/2-1 short page that describes the original kingdom before its fall and before the FMC's time). I ask because it actually introduces my MMC in the prologue. I've had my editor look at it, and she's helped me trim it down, but we're still debating whether to just skip the prologue and insert the info later--or keep it as is, like a very brief excerpt of the kingdom's history book?
Personally I'd suggest skipping it, just because reading through the novel and seeing that the world is ruined and in a bad state will get the reader asking questions already, and can guess that it was better once before something happened. Maybe a compromise could be to do the same thing as the book One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig, where in the beginning of each chapter is an extract from that world's equivalent to a Bible with tidbits of lore sprinkled throughout. Maybe that way you could add extracts from that time, and use it as a foil with the bleakness with the current world?
One of my favorite stories when it comes to Worldbuilding is the Netflix series Arcane: League of Legends, now I have never played the game it's adapted from, never knew anything about the story before seeing it and I didn't have to, because the world is so well crafted and the characters are complex, have depth as well as very understandable and relatable in their own arcs.
Have you seen this show and what do you think about it?
Yes, that was my first thought too. Love the world building in Arcane! Also "Avatar-The Last Airbender" (The Original!!) has great world building :)
@@fralou_sind_kreativ Yeah, there is a lot of good stuff there too!
Excellent!
I was so tempted to start with an exposition on my book but I decided against it and opted to follow the style of Dan Abenett: dripple subtle hints of the world while following the characters. As much as I enjoy understanding how the story got to the current events, I know that’s not every reader’s cup of tea.
My story starts with a battle that explains why you should care, the magic system and the world with little details and a lot of action
Hey Abbie! I have a challenge for you. Imaginary Friend stories for adults ie: Fight Club, Harvey (1950), The Sixth Sense (sort of)... Can you break down the process of successfully tricking the reader or audience? Is this a case of an unreliable narrator? Or is it something else? Thanks. Love your work!
Thank you!
Hey can you make video on script writing as well ?❤
The story is:
The little girl received a tattered book and a hand dragged her inside. Everytime she got dragged, the book torn her body to pieces but she doesn't care and keeps on coming back inside.
--
So I successfully sent my manuscript to a publisher now. I'm a beginner and re-edit again my script (mostly the first chapter) when i watch your videos.
But still I'm not sure if i can captivate readers because this is my first time. 😗
Howdy gals, let’s get our stories heard!
THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT I NEEDED
i think Harry Potter is an excellent example of world building done right. Since Harry was new to the wizarding world, the reader learns about the WW at the same pace as Harry.
I've been writting for a few years now, my favorite way to add an interesting and meaningful description is adding some humor or sarcasm into it... ( Sorry if there were any mistakes, my native language is not english... Greetings from Europe !😁)
World building is like building a house. Brick by brick. Or in the case, sentence by sentence. Using glue words as cement.
glue words?
Glue words are related to the concept of conjunctive words, but they encompass a broader category, words in a sentence that help stick the content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) together but don't contribute much to the sentence's meaning on their own. They ensure the sentence flows well and maintains proper grammatical structure. Glue words typically include articles (the, an, a), prepositions (in, on, at), pronouns (he, she, it), and auxiliary verbs (is, have, will), among others.
While necessary for coherence and readability, an excess of glue words in writing makes reading less direct, more passive, or unnecessary. Effective writing often involves finding a balance, grammatically correct, flow well without being bogged which might dilute the message.
Conjunctive words or conjunctions (and, but, or, because, although) are a subset of glue words that specifically function to connect clauses, sentences, or words. While all conjunctions can be considered glue words, not all glue words are conjunctions.
@@MayaVenice
@@tenmount oh I thought you meant something else
I got so excited when I heard The Otherworld is based on the San Juan Islands - I'm from there!! :)
How do I write a fantasy series in a modern ?
If my theme is that everyone is bound by their family's heritage, does that break the advice of not having a central conflict that can be swapped around characters?
I'm not 100 per cent sure what you mean, but I have a similar theme in my WIP, and basically I tried to give each character a different struggle with their situation. That way they can't be swapped around, ESPECIALLY if their particular personality/worldview/misbelief is what's affecting their struggle, or if they have some conflicted emotions about it. Playing around with this and brainstorming different scenarios will help 👍 I hope that somewhat helps 😅 I'll be happy to elaborate if you need!
Hold on, question: my first chapter is about my protagonist putting on a puppet show about the city's history, which explains the basic lore and reasons behind the city's core beliefs. I thought i was hitting two birds with one stone by introducing the protagonist's everyday life and also some exposition for the world, but I'm starting to wonder if it's too much for the first chapter when I'm trying to make it like a dramatic theatrical show at the same time. Is it a good idea, or are there better ways of doing this?
I think this is actually a really interesting approach that could work, but my advice would be to actually focus on the feelings of the MC who is conducting the show! For example, don't just have your MC regurgitate the history--express her/his thoughts and feelings while she's performing. What does she actually think about what she's saying through these puppets? Does she like the city's history? Is she proud of it or ashamed? Are there any figures she's portraying that she admires? Why does she do this puppet show? Is she being forced into it by an older sibling? Is it simply her turn? Is she being paid? You can tell us about the city's history, but the real goal should be showing the reader who YOUR main character is :) That will keep their attention, and that's what Abbie is vouching for!
@@absolutezero5961 that's brilliant, thanks so much! The beliefs of this city are very narrow-minded and set-in-stone, and the people aren't very accepting of anything different, so by having my protagonist feel these things while the show is happening would perhaps help get a more in-depth perspective on the history... I'll have a think about this, thank you! :D
I would say this is more world reveal over world building. I build the world and the world tells me a story. The writer will always know more about their world than will ever be revealed to the reader.
@AbbieEmmons It would interesting to see (if you haven't already) you're thoughts on how you would personally make Divergent... better. Just so we can see and understand the difference. If you have done so, please point me to the video. Thanks!
She destroyed her own argument with the shopping list analogy in the beginning 😂
On your first point, I want to express mild disagreement. I have a shifter-wolf fantasy in which I tried it both ways (another unfinished novel 🙄) I tried zoomed in and then out and it really wrecked the entire feel and flow. When I begin with a short paragraph introducing this remote kingdom of wolves like the camera is hovering overhead showing a secluded mountain basin, then quickly zooming into a meadow where the action quickly begins introducing politics, social structure, personal conflict and magic all through action and interaction, it flows like magic. Doing it the other way takes away the fairytale feel of the story, leaves the reader hanging in a void and interrupts all the action by trying to squeeze in the information that is so easily and briefly given at the beginning in about ten sentences. (Sorry about the run on sentences.) It sets the place and the tone first which really works for my story. I think every story is different and needs different methods of storytelling. A huge infodump at the beginning is invariably a mistake but I have found short infodumps can work.
The beginning of Disney's Cinderella of the 50s- "Once Upon a time in a faraway land, etc, etc..." is an example. It creates a certain tone and sets the scene so the action can then just happen.
I can't find exception with the rest of your advice. I wish more authors would consider this advice, there would be more excellent novels out there. As a reader I have been getting tired of disappointments and sticking to familiar authors instead of risking wasting money on something new.
Thank you for another awesome video.
"Danke", I am very grateful for your advise.
Thank you.
How do you make a good book that has pictures in it
This is Sarah Q. I have a question. I’m writing a murder mystery and my protagonist wants to investigate her own mother’s murder that happened 9 years ago. The reason she is investigating 9 yrs later and not when it happened is all developed. Her desire is to find the killer, her fear is that the killer is out there hunting her, but I can’t figure out the misbelief???
Will finding her mother's killer, save her life? The protagonist is investigating her mother's death in the hope that solving her mother's death will save her own life, right? So, will it? If she solves her mother's murder, will it save her own life, or will it become the catalyst that motivates the murderer to kill her, before she finds the answer?
Can you do a case study with world building using “The Maze Runner” Trilogy
Question Abbie
i miss your older vids when you weren’t pushing this podcast
"The way the world works."
Hashtag: Divergent
hi Abbie, why dont you make a masterclass about book marking
Wanted to add. Building a world can have a poety like prose opening. I know not many know Hemingway nor like him because he's know for toxic masculinity. But. You should read the beginning of "A Farewell to Arms." In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. Troops went by the house and down the road and the dust they raised powdered the leaves of the trees. The trunks of the trees too were dusty and the leaves fell early that year and we saw the troops marching along the road and the dust rising and leaves, stirred by the breeze, falling and the soldiers marching and afterward the road bare and white except for the leaves.
There is a lot more. Enjoy.
Hello how to dm you regarding a character, inside journey
Hello Abbie. I enjoy your lessons on writing. I'm in the process of writing a book myself. But I need help. I need critique on my story plot and I've been asking over Reddit but no one can give me any advice on how to improve my story. Can anyone help me?
I'm not professional, but I might be able to help a bit! Which elements are you struggling with the most?
@@isadoranurdin4402 Are you on Reddit? Because that's where I share story ideas.
@@dark_heartisan no, unfortunately :/ I thought maybe I could help out in this comment section here? I know it's not ideal, but if you explain your issue in brief I'm sure I could help :)
I actually thought about writing a small world cannon appidex for the back of the book.
Hi abbie this is really urgent since i am only 9 I don't have a lot of ideas for my book because i have a mix of fantasy and mystery so i can't brainstorm anything do you think you can give me some tips❤❤❤
The best advice I can give is to watch movies/shows and read a lot of books, especially ones with those genres. Not only will it get you into the mindset of the vibe you're trying to achieve, but jotting down notes of things that inspire you or scenes that stick with you will be a huge help when you get into plotting. Decide on what tropes you like, and see where it takes you! :)
Can you develop three to five main characters early so that they intersect at a critical point in the story and become a team of protagonists from that point on?
Girls, you are so cute and charismatic! It's a pleasure to listen to you. And your advice is very helpful.
9:53 Hunger Games?
lol 4:05 tell that to Tolkien. 15:32 yeah…the entire first like chapter was about the lore of the hobbits…soooo…👀
Bram Stroker did this as well as anyone in the opening chapters of Dracula
I'm actually writing a different story. Now .
This story involves Molly 5 year old mermaid, who discovered that she is the Prophesied Mermaid. After being taken from the park and held captive for several months.
In my world, the age of 5 in the mermaid age is the same as the human age of 2.
The age of 150 is the same as the human age of 8, and the age of 151 roughly translates to the human age of 9. 151 is when mermaids enter their adolescent years. And the age of 300 in mermaid age is the same age as the human age of 18.
Mermaid birthdays come every two years instead of annually like human birthdays. Because time moves slow for mermaids and they mermaids age slower than humans do.
I am building the world throughout the the story, as it progresses
actually, a guy did a challenge. about trying to find a needle in a haystack and he couldn't at all.
Narnia is a great movie hehe.
Sub title plz
Working on an epic fantasy with a draft that’s 100,0000 words in just the first act 😜
Lord of the rings is amazing.
🗣💯
This advice is so valuable to Game masters when they tell a story in roleplaying games. The great majority of Game masters do exposition all wrong. They front load too much world building. I turn off the game, just like closing a book.
🧐🤔 you have some good points but you overrated too much the inner conflict, we are what life make of us, we do not decided almost anything about who we are, we don't choose our parents, where we want to born, to be of any race, part if any country, no one decided to born rich or poor, then I agree that we must not dump the world as a whole in the first chapter but more than inner conflict life is more about goals, what we want and how we think we can get it, every person will have their own motivation based in their own desires, friendship is circumstantial, allies and foes are directly connected with our goals, like why "the two towers" is the best of 3 in LOTR? Because the fellowship of the ring is BORING, full of things I do not care about weak characters that in reality will NEVER be a hero, like in reality a stupid Sam and a coward Froda will not be able to survive and achieve the main goal of the story and the return of the king has too many cliches plus the phantom army itself is a flaw that really really feels out of place. More than the "rules of the world" is more about the singular CIRCUMSTANCES around the character, which is more important, and when talk about fantasy a goid story is rich in characters, you don't go around ONE Mai. Characyer you will have several characters relevant and you will make your readers SICK if you use this approach of digging into the inner conflicts of them, what matters is what they want and how they try to achieve it, what makes a great villian isn't their goal but how they try to achieve it. Nothing is more than interesting than when you read a story where you are conflicted because you start having sympathy and empathy for the bad guy because he is no difference is not just a stupid psychopath to justify your main character heroism but instead a hero for his side of the story where both sides are right and wrong at same time, where is up to the readers who is the hero. Not like in your case making the universe go around a conflicted soul that is lost in what he wants because it is not how things really works.
Reading your comment was difficult (because it was very long and sometimes what you wrote was confusing), but I managed to read everything and I have to point out a few things:
First off: Yes, we are partially a product of our environment. However, our choices make a bigger impact on who we are. We make changes in our environment as well. A character that is pushed around by the plot is not an interesting character compared to an active character.
Then you say "more than internal conflict life is about goals". Like, internal conflict is literally: goal vs fear. In other words, the goal is part of the internal conflict.
I can't say anything about Lord of the Rings, I know very little about it. But what do you mean by "weak characters that will never be the Hero"? You aren't trying to say characters have to be powerful to be good are you?
Speak for yourself when you say "You will make readers sick." If you have a character without inner conflict you have a boring character. They'll be useless. The good approach is to make each character interesting and make them have goals, motivations and fears, which means give them inner conflict. From what I understand, you simply don't know what kind of inner conflict she is talking about.
I like moral ambiguity too, but it's not a writing rule. Sometimes it is good to have a good guy and a bad guy, as long as they have goals, motivations and fears. Which, again, means inner conflict.
Inner conflict is not about a "conflicted soul that is lost in what he wants", and the universe doesn't go around them, but the story surely does.
Gosh, that intro turns me off from this channel. The cring has made me click away before even getting to the meat of the video.