Why is worldbuilding is essential in your writing? Today, we answer this question and dive into some working definitions of how we want to talk about it. After the break, we discuss why we chose this book Arkady Martine’s “A Memory Called Empire” and highlight what it does well. We dive into the elements that help make Martine’s worldbuilding so accessible and effective.
Thing of the Week:
“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman (think about what it teaches you about POV!)
Homework:
Pick your favorite fictional worlds and for each write down three defining attributes that establish culture, legal systems, and physical spaces.
Here’s a link to buy your copy of “A Memory Called Empire” if you haven’t already:
https://bookshop.org/lists/close-readings-season-19
Sign up for our newsletter:
https://writingexcuses.com
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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16.4: Networking
16.3: Publishing Pitfalls
16.02: Publishers Are Not Your Friends
16.01: Your Career is Your Business
15.52: Economy of Phrase, Being the Concentrated Concatenation of Complex Thoughts in Just a Very Few Words Which Must Fit In A Very Very Small Box, With Patrick Rothfuss
15.51: Feedback—When to Listen, and When to Ignore, with special guest Mahtab Narsimhan
15.50: Juggling Ensembles
15.49: Maintaining Passion for a Story, with special guest Mahtab Narsimhan
15.48: Deliberate Discomfort, Part Two
15.47: Worldbuilding Science Fiction, with Cory Doctorow
15.46: Crafting Chinese-American Characters
15.45: Worldbuilding Fantasy, with Patrick Rothfuss
15.44: Rebooting a Career
15.43: Audiobook Narration, with Bruce D Richardson
15.42: Writing The End
15.41: Researching the FCK out of Things, with Cory Doctorow
15.40: Researching for Writing the Other
15.39: Translation, with special guest Alex Shvartsman
15.38: Depicting Religions That Are Not Your Own
15.37: Writing Under Deadlines
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