WORLDBUILDING FOR BEGINNERS 🌏 (the web method) + live example

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 13 дек 2024

Комментарии • 112

  • @nevisnebis1207
    @nevisnebis1207 Год назад +110

    I would gladly listen to you talk about this story for hours. You’re always very easy to listen to, and seeing the way you connect these interesting points together is really fun, even if this is a book that nobody will ever read :D

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +24

      I do love talking about this book👀

    • @billyalarie929
      @billyalarie929 Год назад +6

      ok but literally
      hearing this stuff from a non-fantasy writer is phenomenal, you're not mired by tropes and all the rest.

    • @johnhaggerty4396
      @johnhaggerty4396 Год назад

      A book that nobody will read ?
      Perhaps Shaelin will release the text digitally one day to the Happy Few in Stendhal's phrase : or the Elect.
      I shall be dead & long forgot by then.

    • @nevisnebis1207
      @nevisnebis1207 Год назад +1

      @@johnhaggerty4396 It certainly would be a fun read if she ever were to release it, but for now most of the fun comes from the elusive nature of the story. A mystery makes things all the more interesting, after all

    • @Olllliv3r
      @Olllliv3r Год назад

      Same!!

  • @shanerooney7288
    @shanerooney7288 10 месяцев назад +11

    She's right.
    (1) Going deep is better than going broad. (2) Have a central theme.
    I've been playing around with worldbuilding long enough to have already reached the same conclusions as her.
    Here's some other tips:
    (3) Have each character, or faction, be a different approach to or view of the central theme.
    eg: Alien invasion. = The "kill it" character, the "befriend it" character, the "it doesn't exist" character, the "run away" character... etc.
    (4) Once you know the theme, and know how different characters will react to the theme, you can piece together who's working together and who's not ~ BOOM, character conflict for the plot.
    (5) Add more depth by adding lore. If worldbuilding is the way things are, then lore is the history of how they got that way.
    To do this, just ask a lot of "Why" questions.
    eg: Why does the MC have powers? Because they have a magical bloodline.
    Why didn't the MC know they had blood powers? Becasue it was hidden from them by their parents.
    Why was it hidden? Because not-voldemort would kill MC.
    Why? Because of a horcrux or something.
    ... by adding lore you're also adding plot, motives, new characters, locations, etc.
    (6) At some point you're going to have to stop worldbuilding in generalities and start having specifics.
    MC stops being "MC" and starts being "Sir Robert Buttercut the Third"
    This helps the Lore building in step (5). Why is Robert "the Third"? Why is he Sir? Does he have a history of being bullied at school because his surname is Buttercup? etc

  • @ozzymandias8265
    @ozzymandias8265 Год назад +54

    An interesting observation someone made which has stuck with me is that, on the scale of High-Concept worldbuilding (such as a lot of Brandon Sanderson’s worlds, where most of the aspects are tied tightly together) to Kitchen Sink worldbuilding (the worlds in D&D, for instance, which have hundreds of spells and hundreds of races only loosely related), the real world is closer to the Kitchen Sink end. Things like the Norman invasion of 1066, cuttlefish, and beta decay all coexist in the same world while not having obvious, direct connections. It’s an interesting conundrum for worldbuilding.
    (For anyone interested, the person who made this observation, and the scale from High Concept to Kitchen Sink worldbuilding, is a RUclipsr called TheBurgerKrieg. Very different channel from Shaelin’s, though, so be warned.)

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +27

      I love this distinction - it's true that high concept worldbuilding often feels the most exciting and revelatory on the page because it feels so intentionally constructed, but the real world is a lot messier than that, with infinite little details many of which exist independently, or maybe even contradict.

    • @y-m-x
      @y-m-x Год назад +7

      Though it's true that the real world is messier, in fantasy books, when such contradictions exist, it's just considered lazy worldbuilding, so we have to be very careful. If there are contradictions or exceptions, they also have to be explained in a way that makes sense. That's just what's expected.

  • @curlyhead360
    @curlyhead360 Год назад +32

    I swear I could listen to you talk about your world for hours, its fascinating and so unique!

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +7

      Ahh thank you! I'd love to talk about it more in the future!

  • @KrisMF
    @KrisMF Год назад +18

    I can't believe I've *never* tried a web method before!! I've gotten so used to just making a really long google doc LOL. I love this approach and how you can see the main points all at once. I'm going to try this for my next fantasy project!✨

  • @KSCdd
    @KSCdd Год назад +17

    What is important imo is that a world feels alive and vital and not just like a set for the story. Have a good history, background stories for characters and characters outside of your main plot. Let people talk about stuff unrelated to the plot, let them have goals and plans.

  • @lynndjung
    @lynndjung Год назад +33

    Ahh, this is SUCH an amazing video and I'm so looking forward to the rest of your insights on worldbuilding, it'll be so interesting to follow your journey! The web/mind-map method to represent your process is so clever, I always struggle to articulate how my brain moves from Point A to Point Z. Thank you for making this!!

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +9

      I'm so excited to learn more about worldbuidling, it's sooo fascinating and since it's the area of writing I'm the least experienced in, I feel like that newfound-beginner-excitedness with it haha!

  • @y-m-x
    @y-m-x Год назад +10

    I love how you tackled worldbuilding in this video, talking less about its facets and more about the mindset behind worldbuilding.
    For me, I don't start worldbuilding with the defining feature. The reason is that it would very overwhelming to do so. When I start brainstorming a story, I have an idea about the defining feature, but I start with more basic things. I decide on the names of places and make a map. I decide who the ruler might be. I decide broader things.
    Slowly, I get more ideas for my defining feature and start working on developing it. After that, I go back to the basic facets and rework those based on how the defining feature might affect them or how they affect each other. I keep jumping back and forth until it feels complete.
    The main advice I can give is not to get too attached to any idea. First ideas usually suck. Sometimes, a lot of them do. Not all unique ideas are good ones. Keep a level head and change things when they need to change. A world that comes together well and makes sense is better than a world with a lot of unique but disconnected elements. So many things change as you worldbuild. Go along with it instead of resisting it.

  • @abryluke
    @abryluke 5 дней назад

    I really like the fact that you added a live example, because it really helped me understand and I got the chance to do it along with you, like doing an exercise in math class

  • @IC443
    @IC443 Год назад +8

    OMG I caught a Shaelin video minutes after it was posted!! I love your videos - and I really like that you share your journey as well as your tips for things that you've already been very familiar with! This is a really organic way to worldbuild and from what it seems fits your style very well. Thank you so much for sharing - now this inspires me to worldbuild more as well and I'm excited to try out this method!! :)

  • @andsgradite392
    @andsgradite392 Год назад +3

    a friend sent me a link to this video, and i found it very helpful (ive only seen videos about very scientific worldbuilding/planet-building before lol). its a shame more people dont know about this channel!

  • @elizabethcoylewrites
    @elizabethcoylewrites Год назад +3

    Wow I love this. It's so helpful to see it all neatly laid out and connected. I'm currently working on my third fantasy and I've always felt like world building was my weakest component. My first draft was basically a world building draft so I could see where the story will eventually take place.

  • @SteveJubs
    @SteveJubs Год назад +4

    I’ve been struggling for an entire year whether to go with a contemporary setting or something more fantastical for a concept of mine for a literal year, and now I’m really thinking fantasy is the right path after all. This is also my first concept for something novel length!

  • @---ul9eq
    @---ul9eq Год назад +1

    this video is so so helpful! i’ve been struggling with world building so much. just feeling so overwhelmed that whenever i tried nothing would come out. i felt like i had to be knowledgeable about worldbuilding aspects like government and history and climate and architecture and how all of that works but i’m realising i don’t need to worry about that too much. i love the idea of starting with a defining feature and building from there. it seems so much more manageable to my tiny brain already. and an example of how the process could look is so incredibly useful. thank you so much for sharing!

  • @AdamFishkin
    @AdamFishkin Год назад +3

    This is where the intrigue begins. Worldbuilding from a pantser? It never occurred to me to ask a pantser but in hindsight it should've: a pantser with a novel on their hands (let alone a series) has to find ways to immediately make it easy for themselves, or else it's dunzo.
    Vast vs. deep / defining features: That one makes super sense. Just saw Elemental this week, and I'm reminded how the best stuff from Disney is very stealthy in how it worldbuilds. We've grown so accustomed to the Pixar unit poring over every detail and crafting a thorough world, but I've heard people penalizing them when they take the intelligent route of keeping things simple. Elemental isn't a sweeping epic of the periodic table, it's an allegory using the "classic four". Peter Sohn taking his own Korean-American experience and relating it to fire give the world an anchor point plus stakes that make social/political sense. It also doesn't fall into allegory traps by following EVERY real-life cultural aspect too closely; the world is allowed to be its own thing.
    Or how about an example that goes smaller? Beauty & the Beast has a village, a stretch of dark woods, and a castle. The writers (at least of the 1991 version, the one that doesn't suck) also kept the exact geography between them a mystery ... rather than spoon-feeding you the time it would take from the castle to the village and vice-versa, they provide clues based on what the characters are experiencing. Time is also handled in seasons rather than exact days, weeks or months. Believability is preferable to realism.

  • @Flora-x7h
    @Flora-x7h Год назад +1

    I love you showing us your own examples! That's something I really really need and appreciate it 🥰❤

  • @Mollipoprocks
    @Mollipoprocks Год назад +1

    I have so much appreciation for your videos. They are so helpful!

  • @roach5367
    @roach5367 Год назад +1

    Ohhh you have NO IDEA how much i needed this

  • @jennyandrews1221
    @jennyandrews1221 Год назад +1

    This was really helpful thank you! I’ve been watching your videos for years and I still find them so helpful and interesting!

  • @raytrix1
    @raytrix1 Год назад +2

    This video was so, so helpful. I would absolutely love to see your Worldbuilding Bible!

  • @wespenre3418
    @wespenre3418 8 месяцев назад

    Thank you, Shaelin. This was very helpful and useful.

  • @bishfish7726
    @bishfish7726 Год назад +1

    You're absolutely right about the Wikipedia thing and that was also such a good way to illustrate your point, I giggled.

  • @tetramera
    @tetramera Год назад

    This video popped up in my recommended and just the examples in the live portion were really interesting and you gave me things to think about for my own stories! Earned a sub :)

  • @munafruit
    @munafruit Год назад +3

    SHAELIN this video slaps 💖

    • @munafruit
      @munafruit Год назад +2

      to answer your question i think the main defining feature of my world is lighthouse magic but tbh i don't *really* know its ripple effects bc i haven't thought about that enough yet 😅 sure as h*ck will now lol

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +4

      omg LIGHTHOUSE MAGIC??? this concept is so good i am *obsessed*

    • @munafruit
      @munafruit Год назад +1

      @@ShaelinWrites omg u like it? i was worried it might be """cringe""" you're the first person ive told about it hahah

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +2

      @@munafruit I love it it's so whimsical and unique????

    • @munafruit
      @munafruit Год назад +2

      @@ShaelinWrites 🥹 coming from you that's extra high praise tysm

  • @vanessaglau1797
    @vanessaglau1797 Год назад +5

    Such a fun video! Now I'm super motivated to worldbuild some more for my current fantasy story. Isn't this process similar to how you plot your novels too? Lots of causal connections & just asking questions about what would reasonably come next or what influence/effect x would have on y... You only really need 1-2 great ideas that then ripple out & make all of it fascinating. (I love worldbuilding.) Looking forward to more videos on this!

  • @rachelthompson9324
    @rachelthompson9324 Год назад +1

    I keep in mind as I build that scenery and settings are tools to to test and enhance characters. I see the setting its self as a character with a supporting role to play. So I create settings that directly impact the protag I have designed. I put the pre-designed protag into places created to be hard on her but they together also move the plot forward.

  • @BlackHermit
    @BlackHermit Год назад +2

    Amazing! The live example was really helpful.

  • @MrQwefty
    @MrQwefty Год назад +2

    Leave it to Shaelin to pants the outline itself 😄
    It sounds amazing so far, loving it!

  • @LeniReve02
    @LeniReve02 Год назад +1

    Thank you very much for this video, it will help me building and structuring my own world :)

  • @tiongenakazwe
    @tiongenakazwe Год назад

    Ooo I think I might try this! I think I’m the kind of person that really needs to see the first draft of the story to get into deeper detail. Since I’m almost done I feel like this has come just in time

  • @merlin0552
    @merlin0552 Год назад +1

    This was super fascinating, helpful and motivating, thank you very much :)!

  • @z3iro383
    @z3iro383 10 месяцев назад

    This has helped me understand the reason why I'm struggling so much with my sci fi world. I've wanted to create a sci fi world for a long time but it always feels so generic and uninspired, and maybe that's because it lacks defining features. I have a few ideas for other projects and they seem like a lot more fun to build, because they've got defining features but not this one. Thank you!

  • @tyler4797
    @tyler4797 Год назад +1

    Love the sound of this book.

  • @arzabael
    @arzabael Год назад +1

    Woa!! This seems like it will be a great video/topic. Thank you 😊😊😊 (excited to see how the web method works)

  • @amdclx4635
    @amdclx4635 Год назад +1

    this is gold thank u so much

  • @imaginepageant
    @imaginepageant Год назад +1

    Yeeeeeaaah I’m going to need to read that book.

  • @rachelthompson9324
    @rachelthompson9324 Год назад

    In my novel, Dragon Fire, I built certain aspects of the world specifically with plot in mind. For example, I needed a safe place for dragons to gather. Theses benevolent dragons are deeply intergraded into human culture and affairs. I needed a special place where humans can't reach without dragon help. So, I made the rookery, the enteral home and birthplace of all dragons which is located in a dead cursed land on top of a dead volcano. I gave my dragons some bird like behaviors to make them fit into my plot needs and it worked out perfectly. The rookery is where the story starts and ends. The birthplace becomes the last refuge.

  • @johnhaggerty4396
    @johnhaggerty4396 Год назад +1

    In 1975 I was impressed by Vast Worldbuilding in *Ringworld* by Larry Niven and Deep Worldbuilding in *The Black Tower* by P.D. James.
    Niven's world is an artificial habitat, in the form of a rotating wheel in outer space, one million miles wide, 186 million miles in diameter.
    P.D. James's world is a religious community on the English coast, and a forbidding folly on a windy cliff, scene of murder most foul.
    These novels were ambitious in scope. P.D. James summed it up. *Writers don't choose genres,* she said, *genres choose writers.*

  • @krenko-
    @krenko- Год назад +1

    bestie we have [almost] the same name. it's legit one letter different. I'm subscribing. xoxo another shae

  • @WriteWithMarie
    @WriteWithMarie 4 месяца назад

    Hi Shaelin, I've been watching your videos for years and adore them. Thank you so much for the great quality content! Quick question, what software did you use for the mind mapping?

  • @rosieloosemore6859
    @rosieloosemore6859 Год назад +3

    I just wanted to say thank you. I have struggled with imposter syndrome around my worldbuilding and character designs for years because I always cared more about depth than vastness. A lot of my writing friends spent a lot of time making character profiles and creating maps and government systems and stuff like that and I always worried it meant I was a fraud that I was never interested in doing that. I really struggle to pin down the more physical elements of my story, to the point where I can be raring to go but when I sit down to write I realise I don't actually have enough material to write the story. It can get really demotivating though when I feel as though even the good ideas I've had might be bad. It's so reassuring to know this is an effective and valid worldbuilding process :)
    Do you have any tips for introducing exposition into your story without overloading the reader or it seeming awkward?

    • @greggorsag9787
      @greggorsag9787 Год назад

      My 2 cents: Create a character or two and a very rough story arc-a few lines, tops. Start off, staying open to their directions on how they need to world to be. That way, your world-building is perfectly efficient and never boring. No need for “exposition” as such. And no need to worry whether you’ve got enough material to start. Your characters will tell you what they need as you go. Just one approach, of course!

  • @phictionofgrandeur2387
    @phictionofgrandeur2387 Год назад +4

    Thank you for being so informative.
    Also, FIRST!

  • @bakerhalI
    @bakerhalI Год назад +2

    Fjelha’s defining feature is its lack of defining features. That would certainly have an effect. It could result in some sort of cultural envy or, more likely, an aversion to foreigners. Xenophobia maybe? Love of the “normal”/mundane/routine/not foreign could, in the extreme case, lead to all sorts of weird behaviors from extreme thoughts on race to gender/sexuality normative behaviors. The other places are interesting but I think Fjelha has a lot of potential to comment on real world issues.
    Imagine a medieval Europe where magic was real in northern Africa and Eurasia. Could make for an interesting place.

  • @arzabael
    @arzabael Год назад

    18:57 😮 Sanderson’s second law here people and its so so true!!

  • @greggorsag9787
    @greggorsag9787 Год назад

    According to Christopher Tolkien, his father’s primary goal was to create a *true alternative world*. Quite ambitious, that. I went to an NYC Tolkien exhibit a few years ago that made manifest this truth; Tolkien had a global, meticulous, even obsessive approach that reflected his literary age (lots of time for detail and development) and polymath personality. Rowling also did meticulous, comprehensive world-building in the background. As their works are the two most successful fantasy works in human history, that approach has an appeal for authors who have such ambitions and can pull them off. I would argue that that way lies despair for most authors. Tolkien and Rowling are exceptions (Tolkien was a scholar (professor of linguistics) during a time when life was slower and more contemplative, and Rowling may have caught lightning in a bottle with the heart of her world, Hogwarts).
    In general, my view is that world-building should extend to the depth and breadth necessary to support the narrative, and no more (Le Guin does this well). Otherwise, boredom leaps out and clobbers the poor reader nearly every time, and right quick.

  • @CosimoPlasmati
    @CosimoPlasmati 5 месяцев назад

    Very helpful! If I may, what's the software/website that you use for your mental maps?

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  5 месяцев назад +1

      In this video i used Scapple!

    • @CosimoPlasmati
      @CosimoPlasmati 5 месяцев назад

      @@ShaelinWrites thanks, I didn't know it, I'll check it out

  • @notislamay
    @notislamay Год назад +1

    I would love to live for a month in your world! It sounds so fantastic, I'd love to explore and enjoy the culture :o

  • @gamewriteeye769
    @gamewriteeye769 Год назад +4

    I don't claim to be a worldbuilding expert either, but this methodology is bordering on worldbuilder's disease if it's overdone. I'd say think about how it can integrate into the story and not worry too much about the technicalities of setting. Unless you have a longer ongoing series. 😊

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +3

      I think any worldbuilding method can be overdone (or underdone) and each writer just needs to be aware of that and their tendencies. I wouldn't say this has been a problem for me at all, and most of the detail that I talked about in this video or that I've created for the series emerged naturally over time or through the process of writing! Like I said in the video, I don't actually sit down and mind map this all out, it was just a representation of the mindset I take into worldbuiling, and I let most of it come to me naturally since that's the approach I take with most areas of writing. However, this is for a longer ongoing series that for a long period of time I thought i'd never write, so the world/idea just sat in my head for 7 years haha, so it's definitely developed beyond the typical starting point simply because for a very long time it was merely a brainstorming project.

  • @GenLiu
    @GenLiu Год назад

    I believe you can do an historically influenced world with a magic system but it has to be a very subtle one. Meaning not hurling fireballs willy nilly, for example. That would have major ripple effects on every aspect of your world, but if your magic is contained enough, it can be acceptable to introduce it in a somewhat realistic setup (it should still have some influence on your world, don't get me wrong, but it won't necessary change it as a whole).
    Also, one thing I realized as I was doing some world building for my book is that, it's good not to be too stiff on your world building and keep some room for creation "on the fly". The reason is the same as why you don't want to be a hardcore penser when you write a book. If you determine everything before writing and seal all the accesses so there is no room for bending or changing what you've already made, you can (and will) find yourself in a position where you'll have a great idea along the way, but can't follow it because it goes against what you've already created.
    It can even be more problematic than that. In the first version of my book, two different war were supposed to take place in very short succession, but as I was writing, I realized that the two could easily be confused with one another, so I basically fused them together and made only one.
    This is the sort of thing I would've not been able to do if I had gone too deep in the world building and created dozens of characters involved in those wars, with battles, places, events and the like. Because I kept some room for improvisation, the switch wasn't too difficult to do, and certainly not impossible.

  • @herddragon9215
    @herddragon9215 Год назад

    scope and scale. that's what I tend to call depth vs berth.
    this was neat, the defining features is something I have noticed in projects, but have never had words to define it.
    so very nice.
    also your world sounds nice and neat.
    defining features for my own projects?
    I have too many projects, but I can give you two easier examples (ie smaller projects), and describe two defining features.
    project 1: rain wants to kill you.
    ok, correction, the rain on the world is acidic and burns, it also comes down in huge torrents causing flash floods and such. causing large areas of land to flood over like shallow oceans. animals have adopted semiaquatic lifestyles to survive this, along with plants being resistant to the acid. humans are not native to that world, so they have adapted in other ways. they build thier cities on high ground, and if that is not available they build on stilts and in glass, using levies and dams and walls to keep out the flooding or at least directing it away from where people live.
    second defining feature is hair color: people have very vivid and interesting hair colors, RoyGBiv sort of colors. so the people of this world have decided to divide themselves up by what hair color they have. you can assume people are from one nation or another depending on what hair color they have, even if they are not. there's also a war going on between the people with yellow hair and the ones with green hair that has been going one for the last 200 years.
    Project 2: the day night cycle is 48 hrs.
    because of this there is a nocturnal and diurnal version of all creatures. sort of. for humans this comes in the form of humans and vampires.
    vampires can and do drink blood, but its more of a boost for them, instead of a need too survive. outside of their sharp teeth and eye color there's not much distinguishing them from humans.
    second feature is magic: there's two kinds of magic, innate things, usually in the form of witches and witch animals. there's lots of different kinds of witches who can do one or two things each. second kind of magic is that of sorcery. anyone (nearly, some witches are excluded) can become a sorcerer, all it requires is a sorcery stone, and wanting to learn (and well practice). sorcery stones need to be recharged with magic every now and then. there's more too it, but im keeping things brief.

  • @mightypensword
    @mightypensword 26 дней назад

    Hi, what is the web method program you are using? I thought I heard you say scaffold, but i can't find it. Thanks!

  • @jonathanmarshall1603
    @jonathanmarshall1603 Год назад +1

    I actually have a twin brother we started our world building at the age of 10 we originally named it money Town but that did not fit we split everything up from history Lore culture everything because of this we have an entire world with about a couple civilizations all split up as different dimensions each with their own name representation and culture as well as a race

  • @sbarullasbonderi9577
    @sbarullasbonderi9577 6 месяцев назад

    Wich site did you use to make the web?

  • @phictionofgrandeur2387
    @phictionofgrandeur2387 Год назад +1

    What app are you using for the mind map?

  • @didyoujust7810
    @didyoujust7810 Год назад

    Could you do a video on world building contemporary, like altering real life places so it doesn't feel jarring?

  • @LenaLovesgoodStories
    @LenaLovesgoodStories Год назад

    Great video. One thought on the ideal breadth of a world. The way you put it sounded to me as if the size of your world was determined by your ability to add depth to it - it's ok/good to have a vast world as long as it isn't empty or shallow. I'd say the ideal size of the world is determined by the type of protagonist and the audience of the story (might be more factors, would have to think about it). So, is your protagonist a student, an emperor, a ranger? Harry Potter in middle earth doesn't make sense, but aragorn at Hogwarts is equally silly (I know, my examples are extreme, but I hope you think the thought is valid nonetheless). Secondly, are you writing YA or high fantasy? While one audience might be bored or confused by an overly spacious world building, the other might be very disappointed if you fall short of it. If we take Harry Potter as one of the most successful fantasy books ever, it's world is ridiculously small. Like, 90% happen at Hogwarts - one building and its grounds. Each book, we get one (later maybe two) new settings. Diagon alley (book 1), the burrow (book 2), hogsmeade (book 3),.... And that's it!! Book 7 obviously is the opposite - harry sitting in his tent and travelling to a new place each morning. These places are random, interchangeable and not flashed Out, but that is purposefully done. It underlines how lost our hero is. For important plot points we come back to places we already know like the ministry of magic or gringotts. Even though it would have made much more sense, for example, to find out where umbridge lives and break into her house to steal the locket instead of breaking into the ministry which is packed with wizards and even death eaters. BUT we keep visiting these known settings because it's homely, cozy, easy, age appropriate. Thus, bigger isn't always better, even if it's well done. So, before I spend a year on building a country, it's important to consider which story I want to tell and to whom. I personally tend to develop my world as I go, but I'm a discovery writer, so I'm not as affected by the threat of an overly big world I'd say. On the other hand, I know a lot of world building nerds who can procrastinate endlessly on world building 😊😊😊 and once you've designed it, it's extra hard to leave it all out once you figure out you're writing harry potter and not lotr... 😊

  • @Nbrolfiwriting
    @Nbrolfiwriting Год назад

    This is really cool, and this is a book you wrote or someone else? For me, I like every drop of detail in my worldbuilding, and I'm one to write everything down 😅

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +1

      The example is my book!

    • @Nbrolfiwriting
      @Nbrolfiwriting Год назад

      @@ShaelinWrites is it on Amazon or your website?

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +1

      @@Nbrolfiwriting It's a personal project so I don't plan to publish it :)

    • @Nbrolfiwriting
      @Nbrolfiwriting Год назад

      @ShaelinWrites sounds really good and like it could be series. I would try it, but it's up to you. Certainly has potential. My favorite part of it was the Soesun culture. In my future book series, I have a race called the "Sunions (SOO-NIONS). They are like lion humionds that live inside a sun. I got the idea from a picture I saw. That is how I tend to get ideas.

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +2

      I have other books I want to publish, but I'm not interested in publishing this one. I like to have a personal project that can be free of any publishing pressure or worries, something totally fun I can write while pursuing publication with my other work. Thank you though!

  • @ChBrahm
    @ChBrahm Год назад

    another way to create differences between one culture and another in a magical world could be the different way those cultures perceive the same magic.
    So in this case you can have a culture that’s very touch avoiding .
    But maybe a small tribe nearby (which also possesses the same magic) might use touch as a way to welcome strangers and show general affection to demonstrate trust and good faith.
    This would sound absolutely ridiculous to people from the city who might think them savages or worse. Thus creating not only a different culture without creating another defining feature but also you now have a potential source of conflict

    • @ChBrahm
      @ChBrahm Год назад

      This can be seen in real life with the invasion of europe to the americas. The conquistadores thought south america was rich in gold because people wore it casually on the streets, so the spaniards thought that they had to have TONS of gold for them to use it so nonchalantly.
      Of course the difference was that mesoamerican cultures views it as a sacred material and used it to commune with their gods while the spaniards saw it as money

  • @zuzanamadaras
    @zuzanamadaras Год назад

    does she have a book published? I've read zugzwang a couple years back and it hasn't left my mind since.

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад

      not yet but I'm currently on submission with my novel!

  • @_the_little_mermaid_
    @_the_little_mermaid_ Год назад +1

    Can you tell me what app are you using for the web method? I can’t find something similar for free

  • @VideoGameRoom32
    @VideoGameRoom32 Год назад +3

    I think world building takes time to develop in the story and not just dump it the first few chapters.

    • @phictionofgrandeur2387
      @phictionofgrandeur2387 Год назад +1

      True.

    • @gamewriteeye769
      @gamewriteeye769 Год назад +2

      Only develop worldbuilding as much as you need to tell the story. Set the bar fairly even to the length you're trying to tell and what's present in the plot, to “the what that is happening.” There's no point in exploring in-depth ideas that are purposely left in there for the sake of infoduming. This is what creates “worldbuilder's disease.” My best advice is if you want to include these elements, that you use writing techniques like foreshadowing or nodding to how certain elements work and leave it at that, but most importantly, to treat worldbuilding as a facet of setting to the plot and the characters(the story) to completely tell the right amount that's as relevant to them.

  • @e-t-y237
    @e-t-y237 Год назад

    Why isn't it "lightbending" and "spiritwalking" ... instead of the other way around?

  • @0Raiin0
    @0Raiin0 Год назад

    Not a science person but how would a miniature sun lead to hotter temperature? Wouldn't it be cooler? Hope that's not a dumb question. Aside from that, this was a very interesting video. You seem to be doing epic fantasy, which for some reason, years back, I always thought you were well-suited to write based on your personality. 👍

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад

      There are two suns haha - the little sun sits very low over the planet and then there is a 'regular' sun you could say that functions the way ours does

  • @victorywarrior8251
    @victorywarrior8251 Год назад

  • @phictionofgrandeur2387
    @phictionofgrandeur2387 Год назад +1

    My "world" is a galaxy, so I guess that would be "vast" rather than "deep"

    • @phictionofgrandeur2387
      @phictionofgrandeur2387 Год назад +1

      People can fly through space, so there's a bit of depth, but I know more needs to be added. I guess the ship could be the "hub" as it's called in video games. Where everyone in the crew goes between missions on various planets.

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад +1

      Ohh the idea of building a whole galaxy is fascinating!!

    • @phictionofgrandeur2387
      @phictionofgrandeur2387 Год назад +1

      ​@@ShaelinWritesI have a bunch of scrambled notes from over 12 years in various places. Thank you for making this video. I'm going to try and organize what I have.

    • @phictionofgrandeur2387
      @phictionofgrandeur2387 Год назад +1

      I'd love to do a collaborative project with you and whoever else wants to join.

  • @astoldbydiamond
    @astoldbydiamond Год назад +1

    Not to be melodramatic, but I could cry after watching this. 🥲
    Ok, enough with the theatrics, but I appreciate your insight SO much! I'm writing a fantasy book for the first time and EVERY step of the world building process has been an absolute struggle, I feel like I've been trying to grasp the concept of trying to build a "lived in" world and I've been failing.
    I tried to create a linear timeline of major world events and then connect that timeline to the timeline of the different cultures present, but that somehow didn't make sense to me? But this web method has totally changed the game, like I just get it. So I now know that my brain does not think linear but more so in a web like method.
    This video laid things out in a perfect way that helped demystify the world building process. A thousand thanks to you!!
    🖤

    • @ShaelinWrites
      @ShaelinWrites  Год назад

      Aww this makes me so happy, I'm so happy this helped!! I also don't have a linear thought process at all and so more step-by-step worlbuilding methods never worked for me either!