Caitlyn
asked
Roshani Chokshi:
How do you go about world-building (idea-wise) and integrate such details smoothly into the narrative? Thank you!
Roshani Chokshi
Hi Caitlyn!
Every author is different, but when I craft a world, I focus on the atmosphere. Even if atmosphere isn't the first thing I write about, I like to know for myself what a place feels like just to wander through its streets, forests, etc.
Some of my favorite books (The Night Circus, Daughter of Smoke and Bone) build those elements with scent. And sometimes that description of scent isn't something that can be smelled at all!
Perhaps it's a feeling.
Can a place smell sour and full of wanting? Can a home smell like memories that have gone soft with age?
For me, the central question is always what does your character feel when s/he is wandering through this world? Does the sky look welcoming and warm? Or does the sky look like its crouching over a city, ready to ensnare passersby? In the first, the description suggests that the character feels lulled in this new place. In the second, the description suggests the character's wariness.
I hope that wasn't too rambling! I love (perhaps too much) including a thousand and one details when I craft setting. But I try to make the setting inform the character's emotion. Sometimes I am successful. Sometimes I am not. Find what works best for you!
Happy writing! :)
Every author is different, but when I craft a world, I focus on the atmosphere. Even if atmosphere isn't the first thing I write about, I like to know for myself what a place feels like just to wander through its streets, forests, etc.
Some of my favorite books (The Night Circus, Daughter of Smoke and Bone) build those elements with scent. And sometimes that description of scent isn't something that can be smelled at all!
Perhaps it's a feeling.
Can a place smell sour and full of wanting? Can a home smell like memories that have gone soft with age?
For me, the central question is always what does your character feel when s/he is wandering through this world? Does the sky look welcoming and warm? Or does the sky look like its crouching over a city, ready to ensnare passersby? In the first, the description suggests that the character feels lulled in this new place. In the second, the description suggests the character's wariness.
I hope that wasn't too rambling! I love (perhaps too much) including a thousand and one details when I craft setting. But I try to make the setting inform the character's emotion. Sometimes I am successful. Sometimes I am not. Find what works best for you!
Happy writing! :)
More Answered Questions
niya
asked
Roshani Chokshi:
I'm an okay writer but I want to become more than that, I want to make the stories I write really interesting. I'm only in middle school but I love writing and telling stories to my friends and family. I read a lot already and I want to be better at how I write the story to make the reader interested. Any tips?
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