My guest today is fellow blogger and author N. R. Williams, author of the recently released THE TREASURES OF CARMELIDRIUM.
N. R. Williams lives in Colorado, U.S.A. with her husband. She is delighted to have two three year old grandchildren, cousins. She’s a long time member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and has been privileged to attend conferences and workshops. Since her formative years, she’s been inventing fantastical stories and since she could spell she’s been writing them down. While she majored in art in college, she didn’t make a living at it. Now, she uses her skills of observation to create fantastical worlds, interesting characters and stories that touch the heart.
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Thank you, Marian, for being one of the host stops on my blog book tour for “The Treasures of Carmelidrium.” I appreciate your time and effort.
This post is all about World Building, a must for Fantasy and Science Fiction writers and even some other genres in which writers create unusual worlds.
There was a time when authors crafted paragraph after paragraph to describe their special world. To build a unique world, you have to consider everything. Is the sky blue and is the earth brown? Is the grass green? Do trees grow upside down? Is the air oxygen or some other gas that would kill humans but allow the other creatures that inhabit that world to be bigger, or smaller?
Once you set up the special aspects of your world, you need to establish the rules of that world. Just like gravity in real life, it is a rule that none of us can avoid. We must adapt to gravity, something we do without thought. But what if an alien came to earth? How would gravity affect them? Perhaps your special world includes super heroes and super villains in our everyday world. Can they fly? Can they transform into water? Do they catch on fire? These are the questions every author must ask about the world they are building.
Once you have created your world, then you need to decide how to introduce that world to your reader. I have read some fantasy books that take pages to establish the flowers of a world, the forest, the colors, the mountains that float over the oceans etc. Today, we don’t have the luxury as writers to get lost in such description. If you think about it, does any of that really matter if the characters are not involved? Are they trying to reach the mountains through a portal? Is there a poisonous flower that will kill them or make them lose their memory? Is the forest inhabited with monsters?
In “The Treasures of Carmelidrium,” the world is fairly normal compared with earth. It is earth, an alternate one. However, they have interesting plants that do both good and evil. Monsters that are a true threat to my heroine, Missie. Giant Eagles that scare you and may just whisk you away. But more importantly for Missie, it is a world that is medieval and yet touched by modern conveniences. A world where her music is magical.
Thanks for dropping by, everyone. Please leave a comment. I’ll be back all day to answer them. N. R. Williams (Nancy)
~~I am giving away 3 e-books to any one who leaves a comment with their email address. I am not requiring anyone to follow me. You may if you want to but many will just un follow when the contest is over.
Drawing and announcement is on my blog Feb. 1, 2011. I will email the winner and they will have a choice between kindle, iBookstore or Barnes and Nobles for the e-book. One book per winner.~~
When a hooded man steps in front of her car, Missie is thrust through a portal into a medieval world where she encounters monsters and mythical creatures. Here, her flute has magical powers to heal and destroy and to empower “The Treasures of Carmelidrium.” She is romanced by a prince and hunted by the villain. Will she find her way home? Does she want to?
THE TREASURES OF CARMELIDRIUM is available at Amazon for Kindle and Amazon UK for Kindle. The book is being sold for $2.99 until July 1, 2011 when it will increase to $3.99.
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Thanks, Nancy, and have fun on the rest of the book tour. 🙂
WRITING PROMPT: Invent a world which is exactly like the world you live in with one difference. Is it an important difference or a minor one? Is it immediately apparent, or do you only realize it after a while? Do you like it, or not? In mine, the Colts made the playoffs.
MA
Margo Benson
January 12, 2011 at 8:36amThank you for hosting this day of the tour, Marian and thank you, Nancy, for another insight into your creation. Only last night the Beloved Mr B and I were talking about smoothly bringing the reader into a new world. There are many hard sci-fi stories that make one work so hard to understand a new location that it can take all the joy away from the story.
Looking forward to more nuggets on the rest of the tour. Thanks again.
Marian Allen
January 12, 2011 at 8:47amMargo, it’s my pleasure to host Nancy; she’s a grand guest, and her tour followers are insightful and friendly. 🙂
Margo Benson
January 12, 2011 at 8:37amPS: Oops! Forgot to add my email for the competition:
margo.benson@yahoo.co.uk
Tony Benson
January 12, 2011 at 8:39amAnother very interesting post, and again you have given me food for thought. Yes, the way worldbuilding takes place in fiction has changed and is still probably changing, so as authors we have to adapt to that. In some ways I think today’s ways of doing it suits my writing better, so I’m happy about that, but I always challenge myself on whether I’m getting it right.
Thank you
bcd_tony@yahoo.com
Marian Allen
January 12, 2011 at 8:59amI like the way you build your world, Tony–possibly because it’s how I do it–lol! I like the way you imagine the world and then write your characters as if there were nothing extraordinary about them or the setting, dropping in the same sort of detail you would in a current-day, mainstream story. Except, instead of things like, “He examined his nails as if he weren’t listening,” you say things like, “His sensory follicles drifted in the breeze with studied nonchalance.” ~grin~
Glad to meet another of Nancy’s fans!
Tony Benson
January 12, 2011 at 9:30amLol! Thanks for your comment and thanks for visiting and following my blog. It’s good to meet you 🙂
Joanne
January 12, 2011 at 9:32amI think world-building is a large part of fiction writing. Whether fantasy or literary or commercial, that all important setting plays such a pivotal part in the essence of the story. What an amazing tool, world-building, to use effectively in our craft.
Michael Di Gesu
January 12, 2011 at 12:35pmHi, Nancy, and Marian,
Worlds are so important to fantasy writing. My first novel is a m/g fantasy and creating the world of the Willows was challenging an exciting
Nancy you did a wonderful job in creating your world. What a mystical place Gil-Lael is. A fascinating place to visit.
Marian, nice to meet you. Have fun today ladies…
Michael
Nancy Williams
January 12, 2011 at 12:51pmSorry I’m late to the party. The husband didn’t get home until after 3 a.m. which means I had to stay up and go get him, he’s a trucker. I then didn’t get to bed until just before 5 a.m.
Thank you Marian so much for hosting me on my blog book tour. It’s great to be here.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Marian Allen
January 12, 2011 at 6:33pmIt’s been so great to have you here, Nancy! Your followers are the greatest! 🙂
Nancy Williams
January 12, 2011 at 12:57pmMargo, you’re so right, if the other world isn’t carefully woven into the fabric of the story it can be an unpleasant and jarring experience for the reader. Your in the contest.
Tony, I’m sure you do a good job. I think it’s wonderful to be a part of the change in writing. Your in the contest twice today, for the note on my blog and the one here.
Absolutely Joanne, even in mystery or suspense or any number of genres, the world we build is where our characters dwell and where the readers love to visit.
Michael read my book everyone. So in between a challenging work load and writing his entry for Amazons contest, he is kind enough to follow this tour. Thank you so much Michael for all your help and continued support.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Kay Theodoratus
January 12, 2011 at 1:07pmThanks for your comments. I’m also learning from your blog tour. Nice case study.
Clarissa Draper
January 12, 2011 at 3:10pmI think it would be cool to create a world. I know I don’t have the mental energy right now but someday, I’ll crack that challenge.
CD
Nancy Williams
January 12, 2011 at 4:21pmIt is a lot of fun Clarissa.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
AlexJCavanaugh
January 12, 2011 at 7:01pmGood questions! I hosted another fantasy author this week and she posed some of the same. A lot goes into a fantasy (or science fiction) world.
L'Aussie
January 12, 2011 at 7:15pmThank you Marian for hosting and thank you Nancy for your explanation on the creation of worlds. It sounds amazingly complicated. I must try it.
den.covey@gmail.com
Don’t miss my Publication Party which has now begun! Don’t miss out!
Nancy Williams
January 12, 2011 at 7:33pmYou’re welcome Kay and I’m glad you’re following the tour.
I read that post Alex, it was very good.
I will be by to check your publication party L’Aussie. I’m glad your ok with the weather in Brisbane. You’re in the contest, since you left your email.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Susan Gourley
January 12, 2011 at 7:42pmYour book sounds very interesting with the mix of a modern woman thrust into a fantasy world with magical creatures. Loved your post on mythical creatures also.
Nancy Williams
January 12, 2011 at 8:35pmThank you Susan, I’m so glad that you are taking the time out of your busy schedule to join the tour.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Helen Ginger
January 12, 2011 at 9:20pmBuilding a whole world and all the “laws” that go into that world seems like a huge undertaking. Makes you appreciate fantasy even more!
Karen Duvall
January 12, 2011 at 9:27pmWorld building is one of my favorite aspects of writing fiction. I write urban fantasy and steampunk, so the worlds I create are paramount to building the plot. I’d also like to point out that it’s not just the physical aspects of a world that need to be invented, but also the emotional impact it has on the characters as they interact with it, and the way the world is woven into the plot. Also the mythology of how the world and its characters came to be in the first place. Otherwise you’d just have something like Alice in Wonderland on the Moon (not too far fetched really lol), or Catch-22 in Hell. Same story + different local = same story. There has to be a blend for it to work.
Nancy Williams
January 12, 2011 at 10:17pmThat is true Helen.
Good point Karen, thank’s for stopping in.
If I don’t get back later tonight. Thank you so much for hosting me today Marian.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Joanna St. James
January 12, 2011 at 10:31pmWorld building is very important and from the excerpts i’ve read i know you did an excellent job
Nancy Williams
January 13, 2011 at 1:18amthat was kind of you to say Joanna. I appreciate your coming on by.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Dani Greer
January 13, 2011 at 11:15amDropping in late… waves from the back row! Great job U2. Nancy why a flute? Did you already answer that somewhere? I’m always curious about these little details.
Bob Sanchez
January 13, 2011 at 12:53pmNancy, you look like you’re having fun with this tour! Great job.
Mary Montague Sikes - Monti
January 13, 2011 at 2:40pmGreat job with world building. Nice hosting, Marian!
Monti
NotesAlongTheWay
Nancy Williams
January 13, 2011 at 5:34pmHi Dani. I will answer the flute question in an up coming post.
Thank you Bob.
Hello Monti, thanks for the compliment.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
jeffrey beesler
January 13, 2011 at 8:49pmI like starting with action, even though some people may not agree on that take. Starting with what should be an average day but quickly spirals away from that for my characters is what drives me first. Then I add in the world building in subtle layers which don’t overwhelm the reader, but instead makes him or her more curious to find out more about that world.
jeffrey beesler (at) gmail (dot) com.
Nancy Williams
January 13, 2011 at 11:59pmGood point Jeffrey. I think publishers are looking for just that thing. It’s hard to do, but when you achieve it so rewarding. I’ve entered you into the contest.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author