Thursday 14 March 2013

In My Own World - World Building


In My Own World - World Building


It has been a while since I last blogged. WHY? I've been world building. Not with a few bits of stone, and soils, but constructing a galaxy in my head – 'there’s space,' I can hear some of you shouting! Joking aside, it’s been a learning experience, I'm half way through the manuscript of my latest book a; YA/Sci-Fi - Dickensian Motorcycles Diaries In Space, when I realised I couldn't keep track of everything. Begrudgingly I stopped writing and have been spending much needed time writing the world building down in a more through way. So this is a very quick post about how the world building is going…

So, to get the world building out of my head (to free up much needed brain power), I've been:
  • ·         Drawing maps (which I love).
  • ·         Working out planet sizes, and settlement sizes in relation to the planet (which I like not so much –MATHS ARGH!)
  • ·         Noting down smaller but essential information like, water, vegetation, etc.
  • ·         Working out the social structures of the galaxy.
  • ·         Creating character profiles, with pictures and images – this is particularly fun.
  • ·         Writing down the rules of the dialect and languages (this is especially challenging with my dyslexia!)

My sketch book

Despite having had all this in my head (plus noted in various scattered notebooks), its taking much longer to consolidate it and put to paper than I expected, BUT it’s worth it. Writing it down is making me think about every aspect in much more details than I had been and is strengthening the worlds, making them more convincing, plus it is sparking my imagination in unexpected ways making the story stronger.  

My ever growing world building noticeboard 

So the reason that my blogging has been sparse is that I'm in my own world! 


10 comments:

  1. This is fab! I love to see people's notebooks and noticeboards - I find them intriguing! I definitely think it helps enable you to become a part of the world you're creating. Loads of luck with it.

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    1. Thanks Abi! I especially love notepad and sketchbooks leafing though other peoples is like walking about inside their minds!

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  2. Sally, your sketchbook and noticeboard look very cool and very inspirational! Your world-building definitely sounds like hard work - good luck with it!

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    1. Hi Erin, thanks so much, it is harder than I expected but it's fun too!

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  3. I LOVE your sketchbook! I wish my notebook looked as cool as that. Alas it's a mess. And I can't read my own handwriting!

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    1. Thanks Candy! rest assured all vital info is also typed up as my handwriting is awful!

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  4. What a great scrapbook! I feel inspired to make my own now!

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    1. Thanks, MC Rogerson! I loved doing sketchpad when I studied art, but it never occurred to me to use them for writing. It was listening to the Celia Rees keynote talk at last years SCBWI Conference in Winchester, when she showed slides of her sketchpad's, that inspired me. Being dyslexic I think in pictures, so recordering stuff in picture form is very useful!

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  5. Loved seeing this, Sally! Very inspiring. No wonder your worlds pop to life on the page!

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