Comments on: Worldbuilding

By: Robert W. Leonard

Robert W. Leonard — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:49:04 +0000

I’ve always loved old maps. When I start world building it is always with a map of a continent or world. Geography means so much about how civilizations expand. Rivers and large bodies of water in particular mean a great deal.

By: Ash

Ash — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:49:41 +0000

Worldbuilding for a new story begins with images, for me. Sometimes it’s a photo I’ve seen, and sometimes it’s something that springs unbidden in my mind. A streak of color, remembering what wet pavement looks like, that sort of thing. :)

By: Anne Riley

Anne Riley — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:40:58 +0000

I do the same thing! Although, in The Clearing, the world is actually this one, so I didn’t have to do much there. But it was more about creating a certain culture. And it all started with a “what if.” I think that’s one of the best ways to start – if it intrigues you, it will intrigue others.

By: Tweets that mention J. Koyanagi » Blog Archive » Worldbuilding -- Topsy.com

Tweets that mention J. Koyanagi » Blog Archive » Worldbuilding -- Topsy.com — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:48:19 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by J. Koyanagi and Jamie, Denise Swank. Denise Swank said: RT @jkoyanagi: To love a city… How do you worldbuild? http://bit.ly/4FMPFi #amwriting #amwritingparty [...]

By: Simon L.

Simon L. — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:37:48 +0000

Worldbuilding’s important in genre fiction, for sure. So far, I’ve written very little of that. It’s coming, perhaps in novel #2, but thus far it’s mostly been literary fiction.

I love the idea of cities as animate characters, though.

By: Sere

Sere — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:34:59 +0000

I, honestly — and shame on me as a writer — almost never do worldbuilding. The characters are always at the forefront of my attention, and the world sort of . . . makes itself in the aftermath. Or it’s made up on-the-spot as I’m writing. . . . and I rarely do research. *shame*

By: Jamie D. (@VarietyPages)

Jamie D. (@VarietyPages) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:57:56 +0000

This is the part of writing I’m probably the worst at. I generally set my stories in real places, but since I haven’t traveled much, it requires vague description and lots of research.

I think maybe I should start making up cities to set my characters in. I have a plan for a made up town that isn’t ready to be written yet, but I enjoyed planning it out far more than I normally enjoy worldbuilding.

All this to say, your cities sound wonderfully enticing and interesting. I look forward to reading your books. :-)

By: Lost Wanderer

Lost Wanderer — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:08:38 +0000

My current WIP is also set in the city that I have created. My worlds usually start with a character. I imagine them, and then a place where they belong usually comes right along. Then of course the world has to be developed in its own right. I love my city, and if I could I would live there. I can see the streets in my head, and the buildings. Now the hard task is to make the reader see that too.