To be honest with you, many fictional worlds feel fabricated. (I do know it’s fabricated). You roll your eyes as you turn the page and think, “That would never happen.” Even if you are creating a fictional story, readers need it to feel somewhat realistic, especially if you’re creating a fictional world. That’s why good worldbuilding isn’t an option, but a necessity to write a believable story. Good worldbuilding makes…
When it comes to worldbuilding, many writers focus on the visible parts of their world. They create maps or languages, and forget all about what makes a story feel truly alive: culture. Storytelling in itself is a form of culture. The kind of story you write is heavily affected by your culture. Therefore, you can’t write a good story without writing a strong fictional culture. Your worldbuilding will be one-dimensional…
Fantasy stories don’t always take place in our world. Sometimes it simply isn’t possible. Some fantasy stories are so wild and full of imagination that our dull and painfully ordinary world can’t hold them. It certainly can’t hold dragons or spells. That’s where fantasy worldbuilding comes in. Fantasy worldbuilding is the process of creating a fictional setting for your story. It’s a clever solution to the hindrance of creativity that…
You don’t realize how complex a city is until you have to create a fictional city from scratch. At least I didn’t. To be honest, I never thought of all the things that made a city a city. Throughout the years, I’ve learned that a city isn’t just tall buildings, coffee shops, and busy people. Both from living in a city and writing multiple ones myself, I concluded that a…
One of my favourite aspects of writing is the creative freedom to create a completely fictional world. I love how some words on a paper can turn into a whole world you can envision as if you’re right there. That’s the magic of worldbuilding. When you’re worldbuilding geography, you can choose exactly how the world is going to look. You decide if the world has high mountains, rivers, or long…
Conflict is the foundation of every story. Usually, the protagonist has a goal, and then something prevents them from reaching it. That’s the conflict. The best and the worst stories have conflict. What determines if your conflict is good depends on the way you build it before the story begins. If you want to write a great story, you need to get your conflict right. Admittedly, writing a great conflict…
Since the beginning of time, humans have used technology. Today we know technology as smartphones, TVs, and refrigerators. New technology is invented all the time, and it has helped us advance as a species. Due to technology, we have advanced healthcare and entertainment. However, many experience technology as scary. It’s unfamiliar territory with endless possibilities. In today’s society, many people fear the development of AI (artificial intelligence). Many of them…
Humans are social creatures; we’ve lived in communities forever. Our survival depended on it, so it’s only natural that we crave social validation. However, today it might look like buying the trendiest jacket, following norms, or shaping ourselves to fit in. Sometimes, though, society doesn’t accept who you are. Sometimes the problem isn’t that you won’t fit in, it’s that you can’t. In literature, that’s portrayed as man vs. society.…
The middle of the story isn’t just a bridge connecting the beginning with the ending. It’s where most of the story takes place. This is where the protagonist grows and handles the ever-escalating conflict. They interact with other characters and eventually prepare for what awaits them at the climax. However, things can slow down; that is why you need to insert a midpoint twist. A midpoint twist can be what…
Have you ever begun a story full of excitement and with big plans, only for everything to slow down in the middle? Then you become a victim of a saggy middle. This is the point where you lose momentum and wonder why you are still writing that story. Don’t worry, slow middles are one of the most common struggles writers stumble upon, regardless of their level. The middle of the…
