Worldbuilding Consistently

I reread Isaac Asimov’s Nightfall, (published in 1941) last night for the first time in years and was impressed – and reminded of something that occasionally happens with authors in worldbuilding. Especially when dealing with a different belief system than the author really wants to give credence to. I encourage you to go back and read that short story. Asimov does not intrude with his own commentary anywhere in the story. All differing viewpoints are held and expressed by the various characters in the story. He keeps all those viewpoints consistent with what the society both knew and believed. He kept his own opinions out of it.

There is another author, that I won’t name here, who is not quite so honest in her writing. The stories contain a certain belief system and a certain degree of actual spiritual power and influence. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, when you build a world that way, you need to stay honestly in the world that you’ve built. Just because you’ve written about a world where magic is real, does not mean you believe in magic as you write it. If you, as the author, happen to want to question the validity of the magic, or any belief, then it should be done by the characters in the story. Not ever, not even once, should the author inject narrative commentary to throw doubts on the belief system. If you feel the need, write a disclaimer as an afterword.

This is critical for Science Fiction and Fantasy worlds, where we are dealing with societies that don’t exist and their belief systems (and abilities) are limited only by our imaginations. I don’t go into depth on the religious beliefs of Sorth because it isn’t necessary. Their psychic abilities give them perceptions beyond ours. What is a matter of belief for us is closer to established fact for them. Within the story, I accept that.

Tolkien built a world where magic existed, mostly as a more subtle force, and he stayed consistent with it. He established the background of how that world came to be and what the rules were there. He stuck to it. Any questioning of how that world worked could only come from characters within that world.

The same thing is true of StarWars. Lucas allows scoffing at the Force from the very beginning by characters within the story, but he doesn’t let that change the way he designed that universe. He also does not intrude any thoughts, opinions or beliefs from outside the world he has built. They either are already there, or simply don’t exist within that context.

I have also done some role-playing over the years. This is similar in that whatever you have determined the rules of your world to be, the story has to stay within those bounds and you’re own, real world view points must not intrude. If you are not comfortable with the rules of your world, change them. It is your world, after all.