{"id":1117,"date":"2015-03-23T13:39:02","date_gmt":"2015-03-23T18:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ellismorning.com\/blog\/?p=1117"},"modified":"2015-03-23T13:40:38","modified_gmt":"2015-03-23T18:40:38","slug":"defining-the-rules-of-your-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ellismorning.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/defining-the-rules-of-your-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining The Rules Of Your World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"globe\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Worldbuilding is the process of developing a setting for your story, mostly by gradually<\/strong> revealing that setting to the reader.<\/p>\n

Even if your story takes place in present-day Earth, there may be things about the setting that will be unfamiliar to the majority of your audience. Maybe you’re writing about a foreign country or culture, for instance.<\/p>\n

Outside of present-day Earth, things get more complex. With historical fiction, for instance: you’ll want to do your research<\/a>, then figure out how important historical accuracy is for your purposes. Some people want their historical setting to be accurate down to every detail, while others just want the “flavor” of some bygone era.<\/p>\n

With a fantasy\/sci-fi setting, you’re free to make up anything you want! On the downside, you’ll have to explain that entire<\/em> setting to your audience, and you’ll have to do it gracefully. Most people don’t want to read whole chapters or books about the setting before being allowed to read the story itself (I’m looking at you, Tolkein!).<\/p>\n

When planning your setting, it’s up to you just how detailed you want to get- and really, you can get very<\/em> detailed. Some people go so far as to invent new languages and laws of physics! But for most of us, that’s overkill. Here are some broader details to consider as a start:<\/p>\n