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[New Post] What is Worldbuilding … and How Detailed Do You Need to Be?

Published 14 days ago • 1 min read

Hello!

On Monday, I ran a free workshop: Four Roadblocks Holding You Back from Finishing Your Novel. This was the first time delivering this material in a group format ... and I was thrilled it went so well! 😊

Big thanks to all those who came along live and left lovely feedback, like:

  • "Thank you. Another great workshop!"
  • "Thanks so much! It was super helpful!"
  • "That was really a great workshop, so thank you very much!"
  • "Very helpful - thank you!"

If you missed out and you'd like the recording, just hit "reply" and let me know ... I'll be very glad to send it to you.

Here's this week's post for you:

​What is Worldbuilding … and How Detailed Do You Need to Be?​

What is Worldbuilding … and How Detailed Do You Need to Be?

Wonderland. Narnia. Hogwarts. Middle-Earth. Westeros.

These are all famous story worlds … and if you’ve read any of the books they feature in, they probably instantly conjure up a sense of escaping into that place.

If you’re writing science-fiction or fantasy, part of the prewriting (ideas, planning and research) stage of your process will involve worldbuilding.

This is an area that a lot of writers get a bit stuck on. Either they feel daunted by the whole idea of worldbuilding, so don’t start at all … or they spend month after month on worldbuilding, at the expense of actual writing.

So how can you create a unique, engrossing story world without getting stuck at the worldbuilding stage?

That’s exactly what we’ll be digging into today.

What is Worldbuilding?

Worldbuilding is the process of creating your own unique setting for your story. The fictional world you build could be a city, country, planet, or even an entire universe. You don’t need to craft every detail of it, of course, but you do need enough information to make your story world feel convincing.

​Read more...​

Happy writing,

Ali

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