6.03.2014

Worlds Apart



What makes a book a great read? Being sucked into the story, of course. Awesome characters, wonderful dialogue, terrific plot… What more do you need?

A rich setting. Without it, a reader might as well be studying a cookbook.

I once read about thinking of setting as being on a Star Trek holodeck. That’s an apt description. Let the reader touch the beautiful flower, instead of just admiring its beauty. Discover the velvety appearance is really like scraping fingers over bricks, its smell akin to wet dog or rotting fish.

And remember the rules. Any world has a set of rules—whether it’s the real world we live in or a fantasy world. Break the rules of how things work and the reader becomes confused, thrown out of the story while pondering what the author said back in chapter two when the rule had the opposite effect. Just as a character reacts in certain ways, so should the setting. The world is its own character in the story.

Long narratives aren't needed or welcome. The best descriptions unfold naturally as the characters interact with their surroundings. How many of us have skimmed the pages-long explanations of the inner workings of an engine? *raises hand*

The more common problem though—at least for me—is too little description. As the world-builder, I know my setting. I have to remind myself to see it through unaccustomed eyes. The reader doesn't have access to the many details locked up inside my imagination.

Right now I’m working on two completely different worlds, bouncing back and forth between them. The Jewels of Chandra series has five separate Kingdoms, each different from the other four and each with their own set of rules and problems. The magic, the terrain, the creatures—all are unique and yet each realm is filtered through the eyes of my MC, a man originally from Earth.

Death and Chronos are getting a novella of their own as well. The setting is mostly the Earth as we know it but with the added urban fantasy dimension of my hapless Greek gods creating havoc for us mere mortals. Not content to leave well enough alone, I’m destroying the timeline too!

If you’d like to experience my worlds, I have two FREE books to give you a taste of things to come. The links for both The Fall of Shaylar, prequel to the Jewels of Chandra series, and Living the Afterlife, a Death and Chronos flash fiction collection, can be found by clicking here.

As readers, what elements of world-building do you appreciate most in a story? Which of the five senses do you identify with the most? Do you hold your breath when a character gets sprayed by a skunk? Do you imagine hearing the crash of thunder when a character jumps from the sudden bolt of lightning? What about the burn when someone touches a hot stove? I think for me, I’d have to go with smell. What say you? 

31 comments:

  1. Smell and texture. Both capture me - or throw me (and the book) to the curb.
    But it is emotion (all of them, any of them) which are my biggest bait. And a bait I take every time.
    If I am feeling what the character is feeling - you have me. Hook, line and...

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  2. It's always a pleasure to hook a reader, EC, especially one as insatiable as you! May you never have reason to throw one of my books to the curb. :)

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  3. I'm visual, although scent and touch come close second. :-)

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  4. Like you, I often have to remember that even though I see the world clearly in my mind, I need to make sure to translate that picture to the page so the reader can fall in love with the setting as I have, or be repulsed by it, depending on the circumstances. :-)

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  5. Misha - And it's that blend of senses which gives us the complete picture!

    Angela - Yes, remembering to explain what you already know so well is tricky!

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  6. I love the world-building in your books, River. I always feel like I'm there with the characters. Setting is so important.

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  7. I think of setting as another character. I try to hit on all the senses. I've probably suffered from giving too much description. I've learned to make do with less and sprinkle it about. Characters I can identify with or feel for are important too. Like the Enterprise becomes a character in Star Trek. Well, at least I feel for the ship. It has its own personality.

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  8. Ellie - Thanks! Setting is very important.

    Mary - It is another character. The Enterprise has been known to throw tantrums, too. ;)

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  9. I love it when authors touch on all five senses (and sometimes a sixth!), but sight and texture are the top two for me. I've been known to skim long descriptions too. I appreciate authors who can bring a setting to life with just enough details to let my mind kick it into HD.

    I also like what Mary said about the setting becoming a character. It's a sure way to draw the reader even further in.

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  10. I definitely agree with you on what makes a book a good read. Characters, dialogue, setting, and plot are all important factors. If one falls short, the story falls short. I'll be reading The Fall of Shaylar soon! :D

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  12. Description is probably one of the hardest parts of writing. Too much and you bore the reader. Too little and the reader can be lost. I usually let my CPs help me in finding out where I have too little description (so far I haven't had too much).

    I'm a very visual person, so I can visualize the scene with what the author gives me.

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  13. Christine - I think it can be a real balancing act and every reader likes different amounts too.

    Chrys - Yes, juggling all of the elements is necessary to bring the story alive!

    Cherie - You are lucky to have such great CPs!

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  14. I want to 'feel' their feelings, but other than that, smell is one that always gets me.
    Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com

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  15. Sight captures me and I agree with you that description is needed. I love how you mention that one is on a holodeck-Great way to describe how to capture one's interest

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  16. debi - And that's the trick, isn't it? To feel their feelings, but without just telling the reader how they feel. :)

    Birgit - Sight makes it easier, I think, to capture emotions. Movies have the advantage there, but good writing can stimulate the "pictures" in our imagination. :)

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  17. I suppose it's the way an author works all of the story elements into a seamless piece that invites me to enter the story and stay there.

    Then there's the language. If it sings, I'm hooked.

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  18. Lee - Exactly. Seamless, woven into the story so one doesn't even notice! Do alligators sing? ;)

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  19. Interesting post and comments. I think description, like dialogue, has one purpose: to keep the story moving. If it adds something the reader needs to know to take the next step, it succeeds. If it's merely the writer's attempt to show off, it fails. I find myself skimming sex scenes not because I'm a prude (ha, ha, ha) but because almost all of them -- in films and television, too -- stop the story in its tracks.

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  20. Ron - Agreed. The sex scene, as with any other scene, needs to move the story. Many are simply gratuitous or overdone.

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  21. I think I would have to say I identify with visual the most. By far.

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  22. Optimistic - I think a lot of people are, which is why movies are so popular. I think visual may be the hardest to place in a book, as far as getting the reader to experience it for themselves.

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  23. I tend to fall short on description and setting, because I don't need it when I read and don't take notice when it isn't there. My imagination fills in the blanks just fine, even when it's someone else's world. It makes for an interesting observation in my critique group when someone says about someone else's work, "I can't visualize this." I usually think, "Are you kidding?" Ah well.

    Characters make or break a story for me. If I'm in tune with the characters, then all the senses come into play for me. :)

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  24. Loni - I know what you mean. It comes down to writing in your own style and cultivating a following of readers who enjoy the way you word things, I guess. :)Some (most) of the old classics bore me to tears with their endless descriptions.

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  25. Because it took me so long to nail, I appreciate settings that unfold in the action. I read so many manuscripts where the action is completely halted. There has to be a mix.

    I agree that rules need to be clear and consistent. Nothing pulls me out of a story faster than a believability issue.

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  27. Theresa - I agree. Unfolding description and backstory during the action is one of the hardest things about writing!

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  28. Hi River .. it's fantastic when one can feel one is actually part of the story line .. all the elements are there. Too stark, and for that matter too unreal - ie meant to be a place, but obviously isn't ..

    But I'm so pleased Chronos and Death are getting their own Novella - destroying the timeline? Well that will be interesting .. cheers Hilary

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  29. Hilary - Setting is as much a character as the people, I think, and can become a cardboard cutout.

    Yes, Death and Chronos are up to their antics again. ;)

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  30. Great post, River! I have the same issues sometimes with too little description, because I can see it so clearly in my head. :)

    Funny you mention the senses. I'm doing a "tour" of them on the blog at Write Me A World this month that talks about how to more deeply incorporate them in descriptions. As a reader, that's what really pulls me in and sets a book apart. And, as a writer, it's what I strive for in my own settings.

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  31. Nicole - That sounds like a great group of posts you're doing!

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