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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17.11: Structuring with Multiple Timelines
17.10: Structuring with Multiple POVs
17.9: Let’s Talk About Structure
17.8: The Alchemy of Creativity
17.7: Dissecting Influence
17.6: Hitting Reset Without Getting Hit Back
17.5: The Promise of the Brand
17.4: The Gun on the Mantel is Actually a Fish
17.3: Chekov’s Surprising Yet Inevitable Inverted Gun
17.2: It Was a Promise of Three Parts
17.1: Genre and Media are Promises
16.52: Structure is a Promise
16.51: Promises are a Structure
16.50: Worldbuilding Finale: Making Deliberate Choices
16.49: Magic and Technology: Two Sides of the Same Coin
16.48: Believable Worlds Part 2: Creating Texture
16.47: Believable Worlds Part 1: The Illusion of Real
16.46: World and Plot: The Only Constant is Change
16.45: World and Character Part 2: Moral Frame
16.44: World and Character Part 1: All Your Characters Are Biased
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