Monday, September 1, 2014

Let Me Know & World Building, take 2

Though my final blog tour stop had a mix up, I'd still like to share my World Building post!

Here are some things to consider when building a new world:
government            school                religion
geography            religion            history
traditions & holidays        slang, fashion & pop culture
transportation & technology

Now, some might be intimidated by the thought of creating a whole new world and having to make up all this background. But, it's not as hard as it may sound... 

When developing these pieces of your world, you don't have to start from scratch. Just look at the world around you and tweak it. By keeping your world grounded with some familiarity, readers can relate to it easier.

The hardest part is introducing your world to the reader. You can't just spell it out for them, you have to incorporate it into the story without confusing or boring them. The author knows the history and background info, but some of it may never come up in the story. Characters live in the moment. Do you think about history on a daily basis?

Here are a few suggestions for incorporating background nuggets into your story...
  • write the scene as it would happen and when a new place, term, or activity comes up, you can elaborate on it - but don't force descriptions into a scene
  • slang can be emphasized by facial expressions or actions so the reader knows what it means
  • let the reader in on a character's internal thoughts and opinions about what's going on, the government, a situation, etc - that also helps with character development
The most important thing about building a new world is living in it in your head. Make the experience come alive. If you imagine being there, you will think of subtleties that will help the reader enter the scene with your characters!

Do you have any thoughts or advice on World Building?

And now, a HUGE THANKS and a BIG HUG
to everyone who helped me spread the word about Broken Branch Falls!
The WINNER of the $25 GC,
chosen randomly from the many reviewers, interviewers, and blog tour hosts,
is

KATIE TELLER!!

Thanks and hugs to everyone who stopped by my posts!
The winner of the August Raffle is below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

But wait! I must share - Stina Lindenblatt's dramatic sequel YA release is here!

Blurb for LET ME KNOW

Amber Scott thought her screaming nightmares would end now that her stalker is locked up and awaiting trial. But they return when her slam-dunk case starts to fall apart. Explicit letters she allegedly wrote surface, suggesting she was the mastermind behind her assault, a willing victim.

Amber only feels safe in the arms of her boyfriend Marcus, the one person she can lean on. Until damning evidence from Marcus's past collides with the case and the media circus drags them both down. To protect Amber's reputation, Marcus has only one option: end their relationship. He won't risk further damage to her case, even if it means breaking her heart.

Amber has to find the strength to step into the spotlight and bring awareness to victims' rights before she's convicted in the court of public opinion. And she's really not sure what's worse—that her kidnapper could walk free, or that the seemingly endless attention and speculation will drive Marcus away permanently.

Where To Find The Book:
Nook         Amazon         KOBO         iBooks        Goodreads

Check out Stina's first book from Amber and Marcus' journey,
Lost in You #1, TELL ME WHEN

And we already have our first entry in the Shelfie Blog Hop!

Check out Ellie Garrett's jam-packed shelfie of awesomeness!

Plenty of time to add your own shelfie selfie!

17 comments:

Nick Wilford said...

Great tips on worldbuilding. Perhaps a story could take place from the POV of a newcomer to your city or wherever the story is set. Then they will discover things alongside the reader.

I love the idea of the Shelfie bloghop because I'm always nosy about people's bookshelves. :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Tara - sounds good but I think I'll keep this world for now ..

Congratulations to Kate .. while Stina's YA sounds rather desperate - lots of intrigue ... and darkness ..

Cheers Hilary

Carrie-Anne said...

I write books set in so many foreign and/or past locales, I have to know a lot about other types of worlds. One very important thing I've learnt about worldbuilding is to never assume anything. When I first started incorporating my Russian Orthodox characters' faith and culture into their story, I falsely believed Eastern Orthodoxy is just like a more old-fashioned, ornate form of Catholicism. There are a lot of differences I never even suspected at the time!

A Beer for the Shower said...

All great tips. I'm a huge fan of research. Even if it's a complete fantasy land that you're making up from scratch, you can't be too prepared and I'd rather look overinformed than like someone just pulling an entire world out of his butt with no thought to logistics whatsoever.

Liz A. said...

World-building can be a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end.

Sarah Foster said...

Love the tips! I'm actually just starting to develop a book idea where I'll need to do some world building.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Damn Amber has it rough. Congrats Stina. Tara you are a great world builder.

Christine Rains said...

Congrats to the winners! And those are excellent tips. I especially like the background nuggets about slang emphasized by facial expressions and actions. It's the little details that really nab a reader.

Nicole said...

Good tips on world building! I find I'm usually inspired by some aspect of actual history or culture and then tweak it from there. It's so fun!

dolorah said...

World building can be intimidating. Done well, though, the world will just flow naturally.

Congrats to Stina.

Robin said...

Even writing something firmly in this world requires you knowing the "world" of your characters. I am happily surprised that the more time I spend writing my WiP, the more "real" it becomes.

Suzi said...

Thanks so much!

Most of my worldbuilding is easy since it's where I live. (I do contemporary and base it off my town usually. although it's fictitious settings.) I don't have to make up any fantasy stuff, but I have to remember to get that kind of thing in. Description/setting is one thing I kind of forget about.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Love Stina's cover!

Reading Pop Travel now and I am loving the new image of Atlanta you have painted. You paint the picture so well, sprinkling in the setting with the action so my eyes aren't crossing with pages of description. Well done Ms. Tyler!!

Angela Brown said...

Very happy to see Stina's novel making the rounds.

And you provided some excellent advice in regards to world building.

Julie Flanders said...

I'm intimidated by world building - it seems so hard to me. I'm impressed by everyone who does it and your tips are great. Something to remember if I ever decide to give it a shot myself.

Congrats on another successful tour, Tara! And congrats to Stina as well.

Unknown said...

Great point about tweaking things in the real world because that makes it easier for readers to relate. I agree that is a great method :)

Romance Book Haven said...

Good tips on world building. I love Stina's cover. Congrats to her!

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