tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post3751317777456611826..comments2024-03-28T05:59:52.454-07:00Comments on TalkToYoUniverse: Worldbuilding: What's on the page?Juliette Wadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-74892799214324380642011-05-30T11:08:36.745-07:002011-05-30T11:08:36.745-07:00Great post. I love betas for just this reason. I...Great post. I love betas for just this reason. I always try to just show the world building, but until someone else goes over it, I never know if I'm actually communicating.MKHutchinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07715686902529938959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-77180307906901275472011-05-25T10:41:38.458-07:002011-05-25T10:41:38.458-07:00Margaret, thanks for the comment! This one was the...Margaret, thanks for the comment! This one was the story of my early writing life, unfortunately. I'm starting to "see" more clearly what I'm doing at this point, but it has taken a long while.<br /><br />Anne-Mhairi, I agree that the world gets demonstrated through dialogue and action, but I'd add one more thing that can make the difference between telling about the world and showing it: character judgment. I personally use internal point of view so I can show how the characters judge the dialogue and action and setting, and when those judgments are culturally based, it helps the world stand out even though I'm not actually explaining it. I agree that you can demonstrate a world "in negative" by showing a native of that world in an unfamiliar context. Thanks for the comment!Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-31845853168662860582011-05-25T09:54:58.323-07:002011-05-25T09:54:58.323-07:00I think most worldbuilding will only be referred t...I think most worldbuilding will only be referred to in passing as it relates to the story. It's through dialogue and action that we see the world our characters live in. Unless the people living in that world are trying to explain it to a newcomer, they simply have no reason to go into all the whys and wherefores. After all, everyone in that world knows how it works.<br /><br />My book has a character going from one world to another, so although only one chapter takes place on her world, the reader finds out a lot about it through her actions and dialogue on the other world, as she relates to the various different people and cultures she encounters.Anne-Mhairi Simpsonhttp://www.annemhairisimpson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-61256230820718510982011-05-25T09:40:39.964-07:002011-05-25T09:40:39.964-07:00This is a very good warning. I work a little diff...This is a very good warning. I work a little differently from you in that I do only a very broad sketch of the world before I get started on my first draft. I have more of the world in my head, a lot more, but once I put it on paper, my head says, ah, that part's dealt with. Then when I start writing the book, that bit, no matter how crucial, will only be referred to rather than part of the story. Sigh.Margaret M. Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537558539259791284noreply@blogger.com