World Building: Mechanics & Tactics To Feed Your Creative Monster

Depending on your own personal taste of reading, the science of surroundings is taken on in a variety of ways by writers of all genres and styles. Whether you're writing non-fiction or fiction, there are a few guidelines that might help you create the kind of ambiance in your readers' mind that keeps them interested enough to continue turning pages way past dinner time. I will also go over other examples as well that cater more to both fiction and non-fiction, specifically.

The first thing to remember when building worlds, whether real or fictional is that if you spend too much effort in painting a picture, you rob your reader of their own imaginative fuel. If you take ten pages to describe the architecture of a front porch then it is easy to create lack of interest in your reader due to imposing upon them a sense that their way of imagining the porch is inferior to yours. Remember that great books are made not by the surroundings of the story but the characters that animate those surroundings. People want to relate to the humanity of a situation and be granted a certain sense of wonder in their own mind space.

Another topic in world building that bridges the gap between fantasy and reality is the use of colors and shapes. While numbers and letters are more uniform and need to be dictated, colors and shapes can be issued analogies and loosely fitting descriptions that, once again, grant your reader a sense that they also have some creative control of the story. I am the first one to admit that my stories are like my children and I want to protect them. But, I am also a firm believer in allowing my babies free room to sprout and branch out in a number of ways. For instance, when describing a leaf that has fallen from a tree,; Instead of taking three paragraphs to describe the tinges of progressive browns and lifeless reds left to die on the frost bitten tomb hidden on an open field, you could say that the veins of the leaf called out to the wind to carry it toward a neighboring pond in effort to lend it one more chance at finding life. Let the reader decide what color and shape the leaf is and what kind of tree it came from.

The mood of the stories surroundings is something else that is dictated far too much in writing. The weather is the best example of this. One good paragraph is sufficient when describing the weather in a story for a particular day. Going on for pages about it is unnecessary unless it is directly being related to the characters themselves. The unifier in all of writing should always be the emotions of the characters. The ambiance can be detailed if it is used as a lead in toward relating to the characters in the story. It provides depth and allows your reader to feel connected to the story in a far more intimate way. Create connection from the characters to the reader and you will often find yourself successful.

More specific examples of world building in a non-fiction story is to keep the pictures painted short, sweet, and poignant. Far more so than in fantasy and fiction overall. People read fiction to be informed, so unless your book is about architecture or agriculture or gardening then a very brief one or two sentence description of the scene is plenty when getting into the world of the story being told. As the scenes themselves change then feel free to give a little more depth in the backdrop. If it creates emotion then it will likely not be words wasted. Just remember that non-fiction is about being informed. Anyone who picks up a non-fiction book expects to be told a story with no fluff or bullshit. The less filler the better. Stick to the facts of the story whenever possible in non-fiction and try to never veer off topic into lengthy descriptions of buildings and surroundings.

In terms of fiction and fantasy world building, there is far more freedom involved. However, it is easy to get lost in trying to construct a detailed realm and all of the things that fill it and forget about the beings that inhabit that world. People want uniqueness and creativity most certainly, but as I stated earlier; They want a certain amount of control over the intricacies of those worlds. Focus on the generalities of your realms and landscapes rather than the specifics of the blueprints you want to download into the minds of your readers. Telling stories is all about creating bonds through the adversities and triumphs of the beings in the tales that we, as authors, crave to weave. So many of us are ripe with ideas about the next coolest sci-fi invention that hasn't been thought of yet or an improvement on someone else's idea. What the best writers understand is that those spats of creative brilliance are but the icing on the cake. It's our characters and their dialogue and the situations we place them in that make for exciting reads.

In closing, the history of literature has taught the greatest writers that it is the emotions, actions, words, and trials of our characters that create the worlds our readers immerse them in. It is best to bait the proverbial creative hook with glints of scenes and backdrops and allow our dialogue and unique stories to reel in the reader and make them eager to drop another line in your pond of imagination.

-Christopher Storm
-aka- "The Stormcaller"

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One Wild Write: The Depth of What Is Required In Today's Competitive World of Writing

With the advent of the ebook revolution, many things have shaken the once well defined writing field to its foundations. Now, its time to bring in the bulldozers and backhoes because the game has changed forever. The days where the publishing companies, with their piles of manuscripts, would throw half of them in the garbage with not even hardly a glance are going the way of the ancient history. Those same publishers realize the threat of self publishing and now have no choice but to step up their approach.

The days of innovative, engaging, and, yes, personal marketing have arrived. Readers want to feel important, too. Technology has opened up a whole new world of interpersonal communication via social media. So many so called marketing gurus claim that numbers do not matter. This is only true if you don't use them to your advantage. If you fail to engage with your followers then they will fail to support your endeavors. Anyone who says having a million followers doesn't matter is delusional. Anyone who believes that they can write a book, place it on Amazon, and send out a few posts to their circles of a few hundred people and expects to sell thousands of copies their first day has also set themselves up for a rude awakening.

Talent is important. No argument there. But, if you have just written the next smash hit book of the century and you don't place your faith in it in tangible ways then nobody will buy it because they will not know its even there. I have a belief that 70% of all authors fail to do hardly any sales due to either poor writing ability, lack of investment, and lack of engagement with potential readers, or a combination thereof. I also believe that the next 20% sell books but far from enough to make a living writing full time. Lastly, I think the numbers sit around 9.5% of writers who make anywhere from a modest living to a comfortable living. The final .5% make a killing or at least enable what might be called a "rich" lifestyle.

I believe that if you have some natural talent and are not afraid to invest heavily in your work then you are ahead of the the curve. The rise of the indie authors will eventually filter down to those who have ability because those without talent will have no choice but to give up due to lack of sales. I think the giant wave of writers will eventually be hacked down by a large number. It might take ten years for this to happen but I feel it is inevitable. To get yourself in that top 10% you have to put in time and money. Plain and simple. There is no choice but to organically and financially diversify your social media endeavors to include a couple hours of engagement each day. If you have a day job then create time to write. Even if its just for an hour a day or night. You will eventually yield results. Be patient but, most importantly, be consistent.

I am full of advice and am just now getting to the point where I can back up my words with action. This blog is not to brag about my writing prowess. It's here to give a fresh, reality check style take on becoming a writer. Writing is my absolute passion. My one true love. It is my solace and outlet for all that will become my future in life. My drive and willpower is unstoppable. I have the talent and the dedication to live my dreams. In order for any of us to become highly successful at what we do; We must love every facet of what we do and feel it to be fun and something that brings us true joy. For me, writing fills me with that everlasting river of all encompassing wonder and excitement. If you do not love to read and write then I will tell you that failure is certain. If you feel it to be just a job that may or not pay the bills then I guarantee your failure. But, if you have a love and appreciation for the craft then you have just as much a chance for success as myself or any number of other authors out there.

So, garner an army of followers across all social networks. Communicate with them. Compliment the posts you enjoy. Begin conversations with others writers and, more importantly, other readers. Don't be afraid to ask them what they would love to see in their favorite genre. Ask hundreds. Create polls. Be ruthless in your pursuit of knowledge. Gather statistics about successful books and what makes them great. Follow the exploits of great authors. Cross reference your data and combine it with current trends and make sure you are getting honest feedback from your targeted demographic. Knowledge truly is power. Wisdom comes from knowledge of yourself. So, reach deep inside yourself and pull out the roots that spread any doubt in your capabilities. Do not bite off more than you can chew, though. Do not make promises to your fans that you can not keep. Once you have a following, even if you have not yet written a book, those followers count on you to deliver when you say something. Lose that and you lose your trust that took you so long to build with them.

Competition is fiercer than ever. There are plenty of hungry writers out there. Waiting to take your place in the market. If you do not attack it with every molecule of your being then your place will be lost. Your pen must become an extension of your hand. Your fingers an extension of your keyboard. Your mind must become a wealth of imagination and an extension of your wildest dreams. There are zero rules to content. The plot and characters and their worlds and surroundings are begging to be birthed onto paper and screen. New ideas and concepts are waiting to be expressed in the latest non-fiction that sparks a revolution of much needed growth in our world.

Thank You & Namaste <3
Christopher Storm


Post Script: Like this blog? Check out my other blog here.