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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16.43: The Narrative Holy Trinity of World, Character, and Plot, with Fonda Lee
16.42: M.I.C.E. Quotient, After the Fact
16.41: Middles and Conflicts with M.I.C.E. Structure
16.40: Nesting Threads in the M.I.C.E. Quotient
16.39: Deep Dive into “Event”
16.38: Deep Dive into “Character”
16.37: Deep Dive Into “Inquiry”
16.36: Deep Dive into “Milieu”
16.35: What is the M.I.C.E. Quotient?
16.34: Novels Are Layer Cakes
16.33: Tell, Don’t Show
16.32: First Page Fundamentals—THE KILLING FLOOR, by Lee Childs
16.31: First Page Fundamentals—MOBY DICK
16.30: First Page Fundamentals—THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE
16.29: Building Trust
16.28: Common First-Page Mistakes
16.27: Nobody Wants to Read a Book
16.26: Working With Teams
16.25: Breaking Into Game Writing
16.24: Worldbuilding for Games
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