Worldbuilding is one of the trickiest elements to get right when writing fiction. Typically we think of sci-fi, fantasy, and other speculative genres like dystopian, but all fiction requires worldbuilding, even historic or contemporary fiction.

Today we are talking about worldbuilding through a fantasy lens because fantasy and science fiction are the most relevant genres, but you can apply these tips to any genre of fiction

Today is episode 4. We’re talking about how fiction is not the same as academic writing.

Quote of the week:

“Don’t use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.”

—Mark Twain

Daniel Wrinn, Our first VIP Gold listener. Daniel Wrinn is the author of War Heroes, the first book in his John Archer series, a WW2 historic fiction, action-adventure series. Find him here: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00GJ31QYG

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The main reason you don’t want to head-hop is that it confuses the reader. Head hopping damages your story by making the writing feel choppy. It makes it harder for the reader to identify with and care about what’s happening to a key character, and if they don’t care, they won’t continue to read.

Readers need to connect emotionally with the characters.

When readers need to pause, even slightly, to figure out who they’re supposed to identify with—they’re left disconnected from the story.  Even if they don’t know what to call head-hopping, they’ll know something is off and that they have a difficult time connecting emotionally with the characters.

You want to write a fight scene that is entertaining as well as realistic. Your goal is to leave the reader breathless with excitement.

I see writing as a job of experiment. It's like any discovery job; you don't know what's going to happen until you try it.

—William Stafford, poet and author

Today’s episode is about protagonists. How to establish a bond between the reader and the protagonist from the get go.