Life Goes On (worldbuilding tips I might change my mind on)

I have some thoughts on worldbuilding...

So I decided that this was going to be the vibe of the blog. I’m just going to share some stuff and people might read it — however works for me at the moment. So here are some worldbuilding tips, because why not.

       I think one of the biggest things I always notice about a book when I really enjoy the worldbuilding is, first of all, I don’t actually notice the worldbuilding (aka, it happens around me in the book but I’m not conscious of the author sculpting it as I read) and secondly, life goes on around the characters. Like, characters have political affiliation that doesn’t affect the story, markets and festivals happen in the streets of towns, there are rallies going on, cakes being baked, fights being fought, lives being lived, and it doesn’t always happen on screen. The characters and the plot reflect a full functioning world and yet it’s not always… happening, you know? 

       Some of the most memorable worlds have other things going on that make readers want to be a part of it. In Middle Earth of the Lord of the Rings, there are massive cities and sleepy towns that each hold banquets and parties and have taverns and pubs, you hear about the going-ons of the area and the type of locals you might meet, maybe a little bit of gossip about the townsfolk. In the wizarding world of Harry Potter, the school exists as its own entity and history. You have an image of walking through the halls and going to class, existing as one of the kids in the courtyard, talking to Professor McGonagall about career choices. In Camp Halfblood of Percy Jackson, you get a taste of many of the demi-gods lives, the different cabins they live in, the experiences they’ve had — you can picture the hall everyone eats in, the different foods you can choose to be served, training for your next mission, smelling the strawberry fields, or ticking off Mr D. If a reader can insert themselves into the story, a reader can connect with it. Even if the characters aren’t quite relatable to their own lives or even if the plot doesn’t resonate with them, if a world has depth and value, if they can see themselves living there, then they’ll fall in love with the story anyway. 

        Obviously, every story doesn’t have to have some incredibly dynamic world. If that’s not what it’s about then it’s not what it’s about. But I think middle-grade novels have this texture to them that YA and adult doesn’t, and I honestly believe that has to do strongly with the worldbuilding style. A lot of times in middle-grade it seems like the story is built to suit the world, this old epic world that exits just for the fun of it. That’s why so many stories can be built on the same world and it never gets exhausted. Because while YA worlds suit the story just fine, after the story is done, when the book closes, the world ends. Middle-grade has an epic fantasy element like Middle Earth and yet they can come in all sorts of genres and styles. It’s the quality of the world that makes them different. 

      I think in YA we want to make everything really practical. We want to appeal to the literal and logical side of the brain when creating the world. The plot must be sensible and understandable, with a little surprise and shock to add excitement. The characters can be humorous or angsty or romantic, but they have to be relatable to someone in some way. But the world-building… the world-building is left as a tool for the plot and the characters. It exists to be the house the characters live in or the road they travel. It exists to supply a store for them to shop at or a car for them to drive. It doesn’t exist just to be wondrous. It lacks livability or enjoyability. We get caught up in the political system, the weather patterns, whether or not lonely mountains are allowed to exist. And really, I get it. These realistic words allow for provoking stories and can give plots incredible depth. But honestly? I want lonely mountains and wizarding schools and secret passageways. I want hotels with dragons and pirate coves and libraries that have thoughts and feelings. I want a world I can live in for a while.