More on Plotting
First things first: I have not posted it a long time. If this were writing, there would be no excuse. However, since writing is the reason I haven't posted...
Ah, what the heck. I was lazy.
But when I was going over my old posts, I realized something horrific: I had never, not once, mentioned Worldbuilding.
Yes, Worldbuilding, with a capital W.
If you're writing a story that takes place anywhere from an American high school to planet Raxacoricofallipatorius, you need to understand the world you're in.
So first, you need a map.
Now, obviously, if you're writing a story that takes place in, I don't know, Boston, you are permitted to use google maps or an equivalent. Actually, scratch that. Please do use google maps or an equivalent, because remapping the city yourself would be a colossal waste of time. But you also need to map out your character's house, your character's school, or workplace, the hospital they meet their love interest in or the military base they discover the secret plot to assassinate the prime minister of wheretheheckistan.
If your story takes place in a make-believe city, country, continent, planet or universe, you need to map it out yourself. No, you don't need to be an artist for this. You just need lots of paper, colored pencils, and a good imagination-- which, if you're trying to make a career out of writing, you should already have. If not, leave this page and go find one.
Then, figure out why. Why are there no cities within miles of the mountains? Why is one of the most fertile areas on the continent completely uninhabited? Why are those lakes and forests named things like "Scary Lake of Doom" and "Forest of Fear"?
And from there, you can develop a plot.
But be warned; Worldbuilding is not just about geography. It's everything from the culture to the food to the music to the slang. Until you understand all that about your world, you cannot have a coherent story.
Ah, what the heck. I was lazy.
But when I was going over my old posts, I realized something horrific: I had never, not once, mentioned Worldbuilding.
Yes, Worldbuilding, with a capital W.
If you're writing a story that takes place anywhere from an American high school to planet Raxacoricofallipatorius, you need to understand the world you're in.
So first, you need a map.
Now, obviously, if you're writing a story that takes place in, I don't know, Boston, you are permitted to use google maps or an equivalent. Actually, scratch that. Please do use google maps or an equivalent, because remapping the city yourself would be a colossal waste of time. But you also need to map out your character's house, your character's school, or workplace, the hospital they meet their love interest in or the military base they discover the secret plot to assassinate the prime minister of wheretheheckistan.
If your story takes place in a make-believe city, country, continent, planet or universe, you need to map it out yourself. No, you don't need to be an artist for this. You just need lots of paper, colored pencils, and a good imagination-- which, if you're trying to make a career out of writing, you should already have. If not, leave this page and go find one.
Then, figure out why. Why are there no cities within miles of the mountains? Why is one of the most fertile areas on the continent completely uninhabited? Why are those lakes and forests named things like "Scary Lake of Doom" and "Forest of Fear"?
And from there, you can develop a plot.
But be warned; Worldbuilding is not just about geography. It's everything from the culture to the food to the music to the slang. Until you understand all that about your world, you cannot have a coherent story.