#AtoZChallenge World Building

World Building

Hello friends! Our A-Z topic for today is world building. Rather than write another how-to guide (because let’s be honest, the internet is full of them…and I don’t want to write another how-to guide) I’m going to talk about the world building in one of my favorite fantasy series, the SEVEN REALMS series by Cinda Williams Chima.

         

SEVEN REALMS is a YA fantasy series of four books that take place in the Seven Realms (surprise), primarily the Queendom of the Fells. I often use this series as a reference for CPs who write fantasy because I think the world building is full, meaningful, and well-woven into the narrative. Also they’re awesome and I almost brought them to Europe with me but hardcover is heavy.

Classes

There are very clear differences between the lives the main characters experience. Raisa is a member of the royal family, and Han is a former gang member trying to straighten up. The river that runs through the city is highly polluted, a source of tension for Han and something Raisa doesn’t really need to worry about. Han struggles to get medicine for his family when they get sick, but Raisa has the best healers in the realm at her beck and call. Raisa is aloof to the issues her people face on a daily basis, things Han has to deal with or die. When she attempts to fix some of these issues, she’s met with real pushback from people who’d rather see the status quo stay the same.

Even with the obvious disparity between Raisa and Han, there are public works and efforts made to assist those in the lower parts of society. Basic education – reading, writing, history, etc. – is free and open to all. More focused studies can be undertaken at academies, although those require payment of tuition and may not be available to everyone. Ultimately these things act as beacons of hope for the characters at the lowest levels of society, which is something a ruler needs to prevent total breakdown of society. It sounds cynical, but it’s true – and it plays a major role in the plot. Keep in mind that, in a fantasy world, there are hundreds or thousands of civilians and only a dozen members of the royal family, conditions that are ripe for rebellion of the situation calls for it.

Factions

When I was fourteen, I went to a writing seminar Chima held and she gave me the best writing advice I've ever received: Every character should have a goal. This is clear in the way the various factions in SEVEN REALMS interact. Wizards, clans, military, royals, gang members, students, people who straddle the line between groups - there are so many factions, and they're all at odds. Balancing a great deal of goals is a difficult task. Sometimes, you can find a temporary common ground and forge an uneasy truce between warring groups. Those are the best opportunities for back-stabbery (muahaha). Make a clear outline or list of what each character wants, and what their faction wants. When those things are at odds, it creates excellent internal conflict.

Magic

The magic system in SEVEN REALMS is, in my opinion, exceptional. Magic is inborn, passed down through magical lines of heritage. All wizards have a magical “aura,” a sort of glow that can be seen and identified by other wizards, but not by non-wizards. This aura is the magic being exuded by the wizard; if the wizard does not store the magic in an amulet, it can overwhelm them. Amulets store a limited amount of magic and gradually fade in power over time, requiring the wizards to return to the clans for their amulets to be recharged.

Spells require study to master. The difficulty of a spell – whether it’s the distance at which it’s cast or the amount of work it does – determines how much magic it requires. A wizard who completely drains their amulet and the magic in their person can find themselves incredibly weakened, possibly to the point of being unable to stand. In addition to wizards’ magic, there’s also “green magic,” which is centered around the earth and living things. It’s not as powerful, but it can still accomplish many things. These limitations make the magic seem real.

Having a magic system with well-defined limitations sets the stage for conflict, whether it’s between characters or between characters and the magic system itself. There will always be those who want to test the limits of magic, like Voldemort or Morgoth, which can introduce a great source of tension and mystery. Defining your magic system also makes sure that your characters don’t become gods who can magic themselves out of any sticky situation, bring someone back from the dead, or change time. Without limits, magic becomes a game where anything goes.

Weather

I’m including this because it’s something I often forget about in my writing. In SEVEN REALMS, the characters have to contend with harsh weather like the snow and bitter cold of mountain passes, or rain that echoes so loudly on the roof you can’t hear yourself think. The first book even starts with a mountain fire. Not every day has to be that dramatic, but consider how much weather affects your daily life – it’s probably more than you’d think. How many times have you brought an umbrella, only to not need it? Weather and climate should carry the same weight for your characters.

Trust

The later books get into a mess of political dealings. Han and Raisa struggle to balance allegiances, debt, assassination attempts, and a lot more. I mention this because so often, I see characters who have stabbed one another in the back and then a few pages later turn around and become best friends again. Characters in these books take time to rebuild those relationships. They need proof of loyalty before trust can be given again, which for some characters takes the span of an entire book. Keep this in mind when characters break one another's trust. You can't just pick up the broken pieces and put the glass back together again.

Things are just…real

Same-sex relationships aren’t unusual. One of the characters is a teenage single mom. Characters deal with the difficulties of being biracial. There are characters with physical disabilities. I’m not saying all of these characters are represented perfectly – I certainly can’t speak for all of them – but the fact that they’re there speaks to the diversity of the world and the realness of the people, and ultimately that speaks to me.

Thank you for reading my fangirl thesis, I'll be here all week.

Using our Better Selves to Sort Through our Lesser Selves

As writers, we're constantly confronted with what we do well in craft, and what we don't do as well (this ratio might be higher if you're part of a critique group or an MFA program).

The thing is, most writers know what they need to fix. But the problem isn't in the knowing. It's figuring out how to execute the things we have trouble with. For example, I've consistently struggled with character development, one of the basic corner stones of any story. The gist of my feedback usually goes along the lines of, "I don't really know this character..." or "I don't really care about this character..."  or "I'm not sure what this character's motivation is..."

But I think my favorite was the most recent feedback I got from a writing instructor: "What will she sacrifice or learn about herself to meet her goals? Give the girl a STORY!"

And it's not like I hadn't thought about ways to enhance my protagonists. But even after that, I still had trouble translating them to the page.

Then it occurred to me. What if I used what I did well to help the things I didn't do as well? Used my better self to sort through my lesser self?

Like this, but much more convoluted.

I've been complimented on my world-building, so I decided to use that as my catalyst, and see how my characters were affected by the places I'd created for them.

When I did this, I discovered the following: 

My external worlds played directly into my protagonists' main motivations

Both my current works-in-progress deal with characters who feel trapped in their situations. And I realized--the settings I'd created for them had no literal windows. None.

It turned out my world-building self was trying to tell my character development self something. That these characters wanted windows. Wanted options. And I could use that to motivate their actions and move their stories forward.

My external worlds demanded that my characters take action

One reason my characters tend to fall flat is I put them in these rich worlds but don't let them do anything. It's almost like I'm afraid to give them freedom to move within the spaces I've created.

So today, when crafting a scene where my protagonist finally has to confront the antagonist, I had her speak up and be an active agent of change in her own story.

While it was harder to write because I was stretching myself to places that weren't as comfortable, it helped me get more into her head. I ended up writing a scene where she actually had to struggle (I'm also way too easy with my protagonists a lot of the time).

Instead of taking the usual advice I've heard about character development, I made it work for me by putting it in terms of world-building, something I knew inside and out.

And now, I pose the following to you all:

1. First, consider which writing aspects you receive the most compliments on.
2. Now, consider something you don't do as well.
3. Consider how you think through the thing you do well. For example, if you're good at characters, how do you build them? If you're good at plotting, how do you develop it?
4. Use this same thought process for the thing you don't do as well, and discover ways to perceive it in a newer light.
5. Apply this to your writing.  

What do you struggle with in your writing? What strategies do you use to work through challenges? 

Irish Myths and Legends: The Pooka

For some of you, the first time you ever heard of a pooka (also spelled puca, pwca, pwwka, or bucca) may have been in the Jimmy Stewart film, Harvey. (Or maybe the Changeling games from White Wolf Studios are more your speed?)

However you discovered them, these creatures are ripe with story possibilities. Primarily from Irish fairy lore, the pooka is a trickster character, able to take on many shapes to further his mischief. Most legends say he's particularly fond of taking on the guise of horses, goats, and rabbits (this latter form was how Harvey manifested--even if he was invisible to most).

Or, you can go by the definition from Harvey, when the orderly, Mr. Wilson, looks up Pooka in the encyclopedia:

"P-O-O-K-A. Pooka. From old Celtic mythology, a fairy spirit in animal form, always very large. The pooka appears here and there, now and then, to this one and that one. A benign but mischievous creature. Very fond of rumpots, crackpots, and how are you, Mr. Wilson?"

[Inverts and shakes the dictionary]

"'How are you, Mr. Wilson?'" Who in the encyclopedia wants to know?"

I love how this movie plays with reality and fantasy, and beliefs and happiness. The main character, Elwood, initially seems like a drunken loafer, albeit a well-dressed and garrulous one. His family certainly considers him a trial and embarrassment, but there is more to Elwood than first meets the eye.

To me, the pooka Harvey becomes a metaphor for how Elwood's nature changes, depending on whose eyes we see him through. And how the choices Elwood has made have shaped him. That can be hard to capture on the page, but when it's done well I'm always in awe of the author's skill.

It's great when even minor characters have this entire backstory--that may or may not be revealed in the course of the story--and I feel like they are completely fleshed out.

What are some books you've read recently that accomplished that?