All in the Family: Books that Build Worlds
Every story begins with an idea, a concept, a vision usually starting with a world. From there, characters ignite onto the page, bringing with them a rich history of characteristics that readers either love or hate. What an author wants to do is pull that extreme emotion from a reader. The last thing an author wants is one where the reader feels disconnected or apathetic. The readers want to feel invested in the lives of the characters and their world.
Building the world is a fascinating experience. Everything has to be taken into consideration from the environment and topography of the world to the laws and norms that guide the characters. The world should be vibrantly described with just enough detail for the readers to build it in their own minds without having to read a book the size of encyclopedia set.
The world is important, but without the characters, it would be nothing more than a beautiful painting that you've admired and moved on from. It is the paintings of the people that hold you captive, wondering what they were like, what they were doing, who they were to have been captured for centuries. A masterpiece leaves you aching to reach out and ask the artist and their subject the story behind the painting.
Characters are like those paintings. We have all seen them at one time or another - the Mona Lisa, the great battles, or the forgotten photo in a drawer of a relative that someone once knew, but has since forgotten their name. You stare at it wondering what it must have been like at that moment in time for them. A good author can capture that moment and bring it alive, transporting you to a time and place far away.
In my stories, I am fascinated by those lives. I'm enthralled by the people who live in these worlds, whether in another galaxy or here at home. I want to know who they are, who their friends are, and most of all their connection to each other. No character is too small in a story to make a difference. Every day we meet people who touch our lives, and whether we consciously are aware of it or not, we touch theirs. Life is about family, friends, and the world we all create together. A brilliant author can suck you into one they have created.
Building the world is a fascinating experience. Everything has to be taken into consideration from the environment and topography of the world to the laws and norms that guide the characters. The world should be vibrantly described with just enough detail for the readers to build it in their own minds without having to read a book the size of encyclopedia set.
The world is important, but without the characters, it would be nothing more than a beautiful painting that you've admired and moved on from. It is the paintings of the people that hold you captive, wondering what they were like, what they were doing, who they were to have been captured for centuries. A masterpiece leaves you aching to reach out and ask the artist and their subject the story behind the painting.
Characters are like those paintings. We have all seen them at one time or another - the Mona Lisa, the great battles, or the forgotten photo in a drawer of a relative that someone once knew, but has since forgotten their name. You stare at it wondering what it must have been like at that moment in time for them. A good author can capture that moment and bring it alive, transporting you to a time and place far away.
In my stories, I am fascinated by those lives. I'm enthralled by the people who live in these worlds, whether in another galaxy or here at home. I want to know who they are, who their friends are, and most of all their connection to each other. No character is too small in a story to make a difference. Every day we meet people who touch our lives, and whether we consciously are aware of it or not, we touch theirs. Life is about family, friends, and the world we all create together. A brilliant author can suck you into one they have created.
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