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Writing Craft Practice: Worldbuilding

15 Sep

Your story has to happen somewhere, and your characters are in that somewhere, so your world is a character in and of itself, living and breathing alongside the character’s journey and (potentially) pushing them into new problems and obstacles. Worldbuilding is symbolic.

Digital fantasy art of a figure standing amidst rocky pools, gazing at an enormous celestial body partly obscured by fluffy white clouds.

Think of worldbuilding as far more than technical – the culture, the clothing, the cuisine, the weather, etc. – or surface level, what we see.

But…what does this all mean?

Worlds should be an intentional design choice. If it’s raining, it’s raining to set the mood; if we’re in a hot, cramped apartment, that’s an intentional setting, perhaps meant to reflect the character’s mental state.

So, look at worldbuilding as symbolic.

Symbolic Worldbuilding creates value and visual clashes.  

The best stories use their world to create contrast, which reflects the conflicts between characters and their values. We can look at The Hobbit as an example.

(Yes, this is fantasy and, again, worldbuilding is for all genres, but consider this powerful, well-known example and then think about your favorite stories and how this applies).

The Shire reflects Bilbo’s values. Bilbo embodies comfort and reclusivity, staying away from trouble and preferring everything to be peaceful and quiet.

Symbolic worldbuilding: His home is small, small, low, hidden. The Shire is a place where the weather is peaceful, and there are always plentiful lands around him where no one will bother him.

The antagonist, Smaug, is the exact opposite: a tyrannical dragon who values power, treasure, and destruction. Hence, he lives in visual opposition to the Shire, on a tall, imposing, dangerous, and cold mountain.

Symbolic Worldbuilding: Two different sets of values translated into two visually different settings.  

Key Visual Moments

There will be key moments in a story where the author uses worldbuilding to enhance atmosphere and mimic, mirror, or mock your characters.

  1. A place that conveys the character’s weakness at the beginning of the story.
    1. An introvert at a house party, a business-crazy millionaire sitting in a humble family home, an adult bullied as a child returns to his childhood home as a substitute teacher.
  2. A place that highlights the character’s goal (The character having a desire to escape – while other times it might be somewhere, literal or metaphorical, that they’re trying to reach).
  3. A place that captures the antagonist’s world.
    1. It would’ve been a poor choice to have Dracula’s house be on a beach or for Scrooge to work at a carnival.  
  4. A character’s low point – when they hit rock bottom and all seems lost (to them), the world around them should be dismal, low, dark, cold, and symbolic of a sense of hopelessness.
    1. Alternative: Glimpse of paradise. Give the hero a moment to see what a happy life would look like before obstacles are thrown in their way, so they can’t have that life. Then the reader can see more of what the protagonist is fighting for.
  5. Pressure point – Returning from rock bottom, the hero is back in their fight, but pressure is mounting on them. Think corridors and tight spaces, and really amp up the sense of everything bad closing in. How about a dark and dingy motel room a partner is forced to stay in after their spouse found out they were cheating and kicked them out of the house?
  6. Final Battle – The stage of the final conflict with the antagonist. Make it dramatic, and somewhere that has meaning to the characters…
  7. Resolution – Things have reached a new equilibrium in the hero’s life. What does their new life look like? How does what they see, smell, hear, taste, and touch make them feel?
A stone bridge leads to the entrance of Eltz Castle, a medieval fortress rising out of a dense, low-lying fog under a dramatic, cloudy sky.

Adding in the Details

There are 4 key areas of worldbuilding:

  1. The man-made environment (towns, cities, markets, schools, etc.)
  2. The natural environment (seasons, weather, atmosphere, temperature, flora and fauna).
  3. Systems (culture, politics, social norms, customs, magic systems – if applicable – etc.)
  4. Tools and technology (clothing, tools or equipment, important objects)

Even if your story is set in the real world, you’ll want to build in the relevant details as if you were designing a movie set.

Best Practices & Self-Editing Checklist

Run through these thoughts while worldbuilding.

  • Does the environment my character is in make sense for their development and what they are trying to achieve? If not (and this could be the case. That’s okay), why not?
  • Does the environment show the reader the level of trouble or peace the character is in?
  • Replace the world your character is in now with the direct opposite. Would the scene still feel right? Would it hinder the reader’s understanding?

Prompts to Practice:

  1. A character who absolutely hates attention and loves quiet spaces is forced to attend a massive, chaotic family reunion. The event is held in a loud, cramped backyard during a heatwave. Start the story right when they arrive.
  2. A neat-freak 13-year-old keeps their bedroom organized to a T, but is sent to a babysitter’s house for the night. Typical, except that this new babysitter’s house is messy, chaotic, full of loud pets, and smells old. Write a scene that shows the messy visual details and how they clash with the teenager’s lifestyle as the teenager walks through the front door. Use the messy visual details to show the deep clash between the two characters’ lifestyles and values.
  3. A character has exactly five minutes to get to a life-changing job interview. They are in the building, but suddenly the old elevator they’re riding in stalls and stops between floors. Write a scene from this moment and how being in this small space triggers pressure on the character and forces them to grapple with the potential of their low point.

Suggested Books with Strong World Building

Hit subscribe to get weekly updates on posts from the Hoboken Public Library!

Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

General Writing Craft Titles (To get inspired and immerse yourself, whether your pursuits are authorship or to better understand good storytelling.)

Book: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

Book: Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel by Elizabeth George

Book: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Book: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Book: A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction by Elizabeth McCracken

TV: The Great Courses Writing Great Fiction

Audiobook: The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

Audiobook: Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys to Writing an Outstanding Story

Audiobook: The Anatomy of Genre by John Truby

Audiobook: The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman

Audiobook: Writing Series from Sandy Marsh (multiple step-by-step titles through the writing process)

Audiobook: Writing Fiction: A Guide to the Narrative Craft

Writing Workshops and Program Options at the Hoboken Public Library

1. Write and Share: Prompts and Projects

Whether you’re drafting a novel, developing a short story, exploring a new idea, or simply hoping to practice your writing skills, this space offers the chance to put words on the page alongside fellow writers.

Prompts for each meetup are themed and sent to registrants the morning of, so that they can develop ideas and thoughts for the evening’s gathering. These prompts are optional for those looking for a creative spark. Writers are more than welcome to focus on their own projects, too. This is time set aside to help us all get closer to reaching our writing goals.

To join us or if you have questions, please email reference@hobokenlibrary.org.

2. Writers Group

Get input and constructive feedback on your writing project in a friendly and supportive environment! Meets once a month.

If you are working on your next project—whether it is a novel, short story, memoir or poetry—our Writers Group is a great place to get input and constructive feedback on your work! Our supportive group of fellow writers can help give you insights you need into shaping your work for self or traditional publication.

Email hplwriters@gmail.com for more information.

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Writing Craft Practice: Character Development

1 Sep

Character development is the art of making a character feel real and complex – to humanize them through the page with motivations, weakness, fears, quirks, backstory, and growth. Excellent character development is achieved when reader understands and empathizes with why a character acts the way they do, not just what they do. Chances are, any character you love (or hate) is because the author took careful consideration into their arc (or tragic fall). 

A portrait made entirely of books to resemble a man in profile. An open book with fanned pages forms the head and and hair, book spines create the beard, and stacked books form the body and arms. A curtain is drawn back on either side, and a rolled scroll or manuscript hangs at the bottom like a hand.

Every character you love (or hate) is because the author took careful consideration into their arc or their tragic fall. Perhaps the most powerful, universal examples are Ebenezer Scrooge or Darth Vader. We see the wounds both hold and how he became the way he did. In Ebenezer’s case, his hatred of Christmas is rooted in Dickens’ revealing and careful transformation of the character, layer by layer and interaction by interaction. In Darth Vader’s case, his manipulated and mechanized evil, is tragically shown to be eating away and what little sanity and will Anakin has left in him, holding onto his guilt and grief as the only remaining strings to his humanity.

That groundwork involves these building blocks:

Core: Their personality. What are they like?

Weakness: What’s their flaw, some part of their approach to life that could be their downfall?

Personal Need: What does the character need to learn/do to overcome their demons?

Interpersonal Need: What does the character need to learn/do to heal their relationships with others?

Goal: What is the character trying to accomplish in this story? This needs to be concrete and measurable. To be happy is vague and undefinable. To take the ring to Mordor and destroy it is measurable and something we can root for.

Desires: Abstract things the character may want in their life in general. What they wish for, what they dream of, what they think would make them happy if they had it.

Fears: What the character is afraid of, either general or specific.

Interests: What fascinates your character. How do they spend their free time?

Quirks: Small details that make the character more human. (Perhaps a habit, hobby, catchphrase, or peculiarity.)

Values: The character’s principles. What matters to them.

Skills and abilities: What your character can do, from small skills to, if relevant, magical abilities, combat skills, negotiation tactics, etc.

Circumstances: The situation when we first meet them. Example: Harry is living under the stairs with his horrible aunt and uncle.

Social Standing: Rank or position this character has in the social environment they belong to.

Background summary: Where did the character come from and how did it shape them?

Run a character through these (doesn’t have to be all) and you’ll find your characters become more rounded and someone you can care for and root for.

But what story only has one character in it? Not many.

Stories with multiple characters tend to have a character development craft issue creep in, and you should be aware of it so that you know how to spot it and avoid it.

Head hopping is a POV shift violation—drifting between different characters’ thoughts, feelings, or internal experiences within the same scene without a clear break, which distracts the reader from “getting to know” a particular character and staying focused on their development.

Further clarity on how the two can collide: character development makes head hopping tempting because, if you have more than one character in a scene, the thought process can be to develop all those characters at once. Three characters, for example – John, James, and Susie – rightfully deserve their due time and right to develop on the page because each deserves their own development.

Our instinct is to show the reader everything. In the example below, you’ll see that Jack is mad, Susie is excited, and James is exhausted.

But your job as an author is not to show everything, but what is most relevant to the reader and your story at that moment. And what is most relevant is how your point-of-view character is seeing the world and developing in a given scene/chapter. Strong character development is rooted in what the POV character can actually see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Other characters develop and are revealed through action and dialogue of whomever your POV character is

Non-negotiable rule: One POV character per scene or chapter. Want to change POV? Move to a new chapter or insert a clear chapter/section break. You need to make it clear to the reader.

Where head-hopping is allowed depends on your POV:

  • First person (I/We): head hopping is a no-go.
  • Third person limited (He/She/They, tied to one character): head hopping is a no-go.
  • Third person omniscient (an all-knowing, floating-above narrator): head hopping is okay — readers already expect it if you’ve established that narrative voice from the start.

How to Spot Head Hopping

James’s eyelids grew heavy. He was desperate to sleep. Jack glared from the chair, his chest burning with anger because the night was being cut short. But Susie’s mind…oh, hers raced with excitement at the thought of movies and ice cream all night long.

Why this is head hopping:

  • James’s POV: the reader experiences his physical sensation (eyelids grew heavy)
  • Then Jack’s POV: the perspective shifts to Jack’s emotions
  • Then Susie’s POV: the perspective shifts into Susie’s head (mind raced with excitement)

What fixing this might look like:

James’s eyelids grew heavy, and he was desperate for sleep after three hard hours of practicing baseball. Across the room, Jack glared at him, eyes narrow and nostrils flared.

“But we need to practice,” Jack said, stretching the last word with a groan. “The big game is in one week. Let’s just turn on the yard lights. We can get a few more drills in. You’re being lazy!”

Susie jumped in quickly. “How about we watch Disney movies and eat ice cream? We’re a great team and deserve a night of relaxation. Working ourselves to the bone isn’t a good thing.”

James’s eyes sprung. “My mom just bought mint chocolate chip. I’ll go grab it.”

Jack’s anger and Susie’s excitement are still there, but we are staying in James’s head the whole time, which creates a much more cohesive experience for the reader.

Best Practices & Self-Editing Checklist

Run through these thoughts while writing.

  • Is it possible for my POV character to actually know this?
  • Are they assuming something they’d need to ask about or hear directly?
  • Are they stating a fact it’s not possible for them to know?

Do your best to avoid head hopping, but don’t let it slow down a first draft. When ideas are flowing, plot points are boiling, and your characters are taking you down unfamiliar side roads… just write. Save this level of vigilance for editing and revisions.

Prompts to Practice:

1. Two strangers are stuck waiting for their appointments (you chose). One is nervous and trying to hide it. The other is impatient and has somewhere else to be. Pick one of them as your POV character. Through dialogue or observation, bring out your POV character’s development and also let the other’s nervousness and impatience come through

2. Two siblings meet to discuss a family secret. Give each character a different desire, goal, and want going into the conversation. Perhaps one wants to protect the family and the other wants to destroy it. Write a scene from just one of their perspectives, and let the other’s motivation reveal itself only through how the other character sees/hears it.

3. Three classmates are trying to divide tasks on a class project. Expose each character’s weakness that is highlighted by the tasks needed to be done. Write the scene so the reader can see the other two characters’ weaknesses from their behavior alone as witnessed by your POV character

After any of these, run the self-editing checklist for what you’ve written.

Suggested Books with Strong Character Development and POV

Comment below your thoughts on if this post was helpful or if there is anything you’d like to see in future posts on writing best practices and the craft.

Hit subscribe to get weekly updates on posts from the Hoboken Public Library!

Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

General Writing Craft Titles (To get inspired and immerse yourself, whether your pursuits are authorship or to better understand good storytelling.)

Book: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

Book: Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel by Elizabeth George

Book: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Book: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Book: A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction by Elizabeth McCracken

TV: The Great Courses Writing Great Fiction

Audiobook: The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

Audiobook: Structuring your Novel: Essential Keys to Writing an Outstanding Story

Audiobook: The Anatomy of Genre by John Truby

Audiobook: The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman

Audiobook: Writing Series from Sandy Marsh (multiple step-by-step titles through the writing process)

Audiobook: Writing Fiction: A Guide to the Narrative Craft

Writing Workshops and Program Options at the Hoboken Public Library

1. Write and Share: Prompts and Projects

Whether you’re drafting a novel, developing a short story, exploring a new idea, or simply hoping to practice your writing skills, this space offers the chance to put words on the page alongside fellow writers.

Prompts for each meetup are themed and sent to registrants the morning of, so that they can develop ideas and thoughts for the evening’s gathering. These prompts are optional for those looking for a creative spark. Writers are more than welcome to focus on their own projects, too. This is time set aside to help us all get closer to reaching our writing goals.

To join us or if you have questions, please email sean.willey@hobokenlibrary.org.

2. Writers Group

Get input and constructive feedback on your writing project in a friendly and supportive environment! Meets once a month.

If you are working on your next project—whether it is a novel, short story, memoir or poetry—our Writers Group is a great place to get input and constructive feedback on your work! Our supportive group of fellow writers can help give you insights you need into shaping your work for self or traditional publication.

Email hplwriters@gmail.com for more information.

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