Cate Peace: Why Worldbuilding Is the Secret Ingredient

 

Ever read a book and wonder how the author created such an incredible, engrossing world? Do you want to BE that author?

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Writing is a lot more than just Characters + Dialogue + Action = End. For genre writers especially, worldbuilding is a critical skill that will help you create a world that jumps off the page and into your reader’s mind. 

How do you get there?

Where do you start?

Worldbuilding is one of the most intimidating aspects of the writing process, but it doesn’t have to be. In Why Worldbuilding (is the Secret Ingredient): The Complete Beginner’s Guide, Catherine Peace, author of books like Gemini—a science fiction romance featuring a universe built around giant cats, Chuck Norris facts, and aliens galore—will guide you on the journey from creating bland settings to vibrant, believable worlds for your characters and stories to inhabit. 

Starting October 16, you'll get your chance to learn about one of the hardest and most rewarding parts of the writing process: Worldbuilding. Using examples from some of science fiction and fantasy's best known worlds, you'll gain the tools and insight you need to create your own.

Once you’ve gone through the course, you should be able to:

• Understand worldbuilding’s importance and function in your story
• Utilize the building blocks that will guide you through building your world
• Calculate the air speed velocity of an unladen European swallow (this is not true; I suck at math)
• Seamlessly weave your worldbuilding elements into your story 

Over the five-week course, we’ll explore some of storytelling’s lushest worlds—from Westeros to Hogwarts with a few unexpected stops in-between—and break them down into easily digestible concepts you can use to beef up your stories and give them the punch that will set them apart. BAM!

Full syllabus is here.

Each class is $30, or you can complete the set for $130. Registration is open through September 15. Don’t miss out on your chance to take your worlds from bland to BAM!

About the crazy person running this shindig:

Catherine Peace has been telling stories for as long as she could remember. She often blames two things for her forays into speculative fiction—Syfy (when it was SciFi) channel Sundays with her dad and The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells. She graduated in 2008 from Northern Kentucky University with a degree in English and is still chasing the dream of being super rich and famous, mostly so she can sit around in her PJs all day and write stories. When not being a slave to the people in her head, she’s a slave to two adorable dogs.

Spread the love

Writing can be a discouraging business. Lately, it seems like readers are more harsh in their reviews, picking out inconsequential details to slant a review toward the negative. An author on Facebook recently said she received a complaint from a reader who’d purchased one of her books on an illegal download (I refuse to romanticize them with the term ‘pirate’) site, discovered there was only one page in the ebook, and blamed the author.

By the way, this is only one of the many reasons not to use illegal sites. Many times, the ebooks offered contain malware and viruses. Not to mention that the author is obviously not getting compensated for their hard work. And if you think writing isn’t hard work, try spending months and months – if not years - crafting your own story. It’s a labor of love, but not easy.

The industry itself can be overwhelming, with reports of overall sales declining. On social media, I’ve noticed more posts by discouraged writers who are on the verge of giving up, or have already done so.

I’m one of those writers who can’t help myself. Ideas strike me, and my mind spins with details, working out all the threads. If I’m not able to write for an extended period, I’m miserable. I NEED to write. It’s simply part of my life, and has been since I hit double digits.

In any case, bits of encouragement, scattered though they may be, are like stepping stones that keep us afloat. So if you read a book and it left you satisfied, or (better yet) wanting more, reach out to the author and say so. Believe me, you’ll make their day.

I even appreciate a nicely worded rejection. Last week, an agent responded to my query by saying that my novel wasn’t right for her, but that I was a talented writer and should keep querying other agents. Rejections can be difficult, but that’s the best kind to receive.

How else can you ensure the writers you love keep writing? Tell your friends about their books. Write an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, or other book seller sites where other readers will view it.

The author will be more grateful than you know.

Ommm. Listen to the wisdom of the writing gods

Funny that this article should pop up in my email on the very day I needed to read it. On the day I grew alarmed at seeing a similar book to my upcoming release? What are the chances?

Probably fairly good, actually. There are, after all, only seven basic plots in all the universe, with infinite variations.

So it only stands to reason that there should be another book like mine. In fact, statistical probability suggests there should be more than one. I won't push it. Or look for trouble.

The article's an interesting read. Toward the end, it suggests ways for insecure writers (who, me? Nahhh) to personalize their work.

Long before reading this, I actually did include quite a few personal items in Goddess, Awakened. Most of the animals are either former pets or animals we've known. We had a horse for seven years named Triple Power, and he has a cameo role. The border collie/lab named Taz plays a major role and represents our dog Benji, who we loved very much and were heartbroken when we lost him suddenly. But now he lives on in this story, and can once again roam the same barn and fields as Triple Power.


I do believe that sometimes the universe throws ideas into the wind to see who catches them. And maybe more than one person does, in fact, catch them. But what the writer does with the idea makes it unique.

Listen to Neil...

I love the universe and all its quirkiness, don't you?

And though I love my dog Lily, I still miss Benji sometimes. Here's a visual if you read Goddess, Awakened. He was every bit as intuitive and even a little magical.

Schrödinger’s Book

The Big Bang Theory may be just a comedy show, but it’s better television than most, for me at least. Anything that helps me think in a new perspective has value.

If you’re a fan, you know the running joke about Schrödinger’s Cat. If not, you can read about the premise here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/google-doodle/10237347/Schrodingers-Cat-explained.html 

I find myself in that strange position now, with Goddess, Awakened about to release in one month (and four days). My book is, at this moment, Schrödinger’s Book. It is both perfect and imperfect, a bestseller and a bomb. And yes, both loved and hated. By me. (Just a little bit.)

After spending literally years writing this novel, and investing immense amounts of energy and emotion on it, it’s in a lovely state of inertia right now, a limbo where anything is possible.

And all that’s going to change.

So it also becomes both exciting and invokes completely nauseating anxiety. I want everyone to love it too.

Not gonna happen. Not because it’s not a great book (it is), but because you can’t possibly please every single reader. I’m hoping to please a majority, though, and I like to imagine my book - like the cat in the photo - discovering new, unexpected abilities too.

There's time enough for that later. Right now, I'm going to float in this perfect, empty space of possibility.

Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Off to Nirvana

I'm outta here! Since last summer, I've waited for this day to arrive. I'm finally headed to writer's nirvana  - a four-day workshop run by Dara Marks and Deb Norton.

I'd hoped to have more written for my next Goddess Connection novel to take along and bounce off other writers. But at least I'll be able to gather ideas and talk shop.

The attention spans of the family grow short in a hurry when I go on (and on) about stories. And writing in general.

It's going to be so great to talk to others who understand the importance of people who don't truly exist except in our imaginations. Other writers get it, this obsession we have. They don't question our enthusiasm and passion, and they understand the process. They feel other writers' pain. And joy!

I'll return Sunday night but it'll take me longer to catch up with real life. It's going to be tough, after living in Nirvana for four days.

Have you hit any conferences this year? Workshops, in real time or virtual? Any on your Bucket List?

Falling in love... with characters

Despite the fact that I'm sick yet again (!!!) with a cold, I've been writing. I haven't been concentrating on word count so much as getting the words right, and building backstory. Fleshing out the characters and yes, falling in love with them.

While I only added a few thousand words to the next Goddess Connection novel, I'm in the first stage of love with the characters. That blissful stage, before I get to know them too well. All their frailties, faults and quirks. And before they do something to piss me off, lol. So far, they have surprised me in the best way. I love when characters do that.

I've also been mapping out the story a bit in advance, laying the framework to give me somewhat of a structure but not so much I become claustrophobic. The exercise also helps me get to know the characters and how they'll react in various situations, sometimes not the most pleasant circumstances. Because that's how they reveal their true character - under pressure.

Like real people, right? To me, they're a little too real sometimes, lol.

Happy Dance Time!

Today I signed a new contract with Kensington for my paranormal/fantasy novella based on Grimm's fairy tale, The Griffin. Not one of the best-known fairy tales, and my story's a loose interpretation with a contemporary rock and roll setting. Here's the unofficial blurb:

His Harley. The girl he loved. His guitar. Jackson Grant thought he had it all. Until one tragic accident stole it all away. Afterward, more than scars mar him. A curse prevents him from loving again, so he makes sure never to get close to anyone. Until a new roadie gig with Malcontent, the most popular band in the world, entwines his fate with Layla’s. Her sweetness reaches deep inside to heal his wounded heart, but loving her would mean a death sentence for her.

Music’s what Layla lives for. She has no choice. She’s bound by magic to the band Malcontent, cursed to propel them to stardom with her musical powers. With no way out, she’s about to give up. Then Jackson Grant appears and gives her hope that he’s the one she’s been waiting for, a hero who’ll finally free her. A reluctant hero, at best, but one she can’t resist.

Their only chance is to break free of their invisible prisons. Can Jackson undo Layla’s magical tie to Malcontent without causing her greater hurt than heartbreak? Can Layla claim what’s rightfully hers and convince Jackson they have a shot at happiness?

Happy Thursday! Dance along with me, won't you?

Small triumphs count

I tend to be more critical of myself than anyone. Because of that, I push myself harder. Expect more of myself. Try to be better.

Sometimes I exhaust myself too. And then I get caught in a loop of not finishing what I start, and set myself further behind. As a result, I'm overwhelmed.

Case in point: my notebooks. I actually found a few more after taking this photo. Inside are notes, scenes, ideas. Some, I'd forgotten about and finding them again was like discovering buried treasure. Add yet more stories to the WIP list!

But the thing is, I can never finish them all. I've realized that, with regret. I have to be more choosy about how I spend my time, and spend more time on the stories I love best.

Instead of opening my computer and staring at the list of folders containing all the stories screaming for attention, I home in on one.

Rather than driving myself crazy paging through all these notebooks, I open one. Maybe add a little more to the notes I already have, or maybe start transcribing.

Focus and persistence. That's what it comes down to.

I was really down these past few months because I had two stories in my head demanding I finish them. One, I'd really hoped to have a working draft of a novel for the workshop later this month, and the second I knew would be a novella. More do-able.

So these past few weeks, I focused on the shorter one. I'd been adding notes, collecting more ideas, stringing threads together in my head all year. And I'd had some crit partners read the opening chapters. When I finally applied butt to chair and fingers to keyboard, it came together. I finished. *cue the angelic choir!*

I spent another few days revising, filling in thin spaces, and felt pretty good about it. So this weekend, I let it fly into my editor's inbox.

I was very excited when she emailed back to say it sounded fantastic and she couldn't wait to read it. My fingers are still crossed. Wish me luck!

I will work on the novel, but have accepted I won't finish it. Maybe not a bad thing. Maybe the workshop will provide the direction and boost I need for it. In any case, I intend to spend as long as I need to make it the great story I know it can be.

At Daily Dose of Decadence

Today I'm visiting Decadent Publishing's Daily Dose of Decadence sharing some background on the 1906 Great Earthquake in San Francisco, the setting of my historical, Betting It All. I hope you'll pop over and say hi!

Have a great Monday!

Guitar magic

I've always been captivated by excellent guitar work. I was too young when Jimi Hendrix was alive to appreciate his genius, but have since become slightly addicted to his mellow voice, and his lyrics are as poetic as Dylan's.

But it's his amazing guitar riffs that I love most. He plays as if the guitar is an extension of his body - with his mouth, holding it behind his head. Though I can't listen to music while I'm actually writing, I've spent more than a few nights playing these Hendrix videos.

So wicked good, you have to wonder if some magic's involved. And so, it led me to thinking, what if there were some magic involved? And so, of course, it led to a story.

Yes, the one I've been working on since last year. I wish someone would throw some magic my way so I could finish it! But I'm really excited about what I have so far.

Does music, old or current, influence your stories? Any favorites that grab you and don't let go?

Hanging at the Musa blog today

My interview's up - I hope you'll pop over and say hi! Hey, it's warm and dry, at least. I hope you're staying safe in this crazy weather!

Epic fail

I have to chalk most of this year up to one big fat failure. I haven't been writing, and it's making me miserable. Not at all what I envisioned on January 1.

Until this month, one sickness or another has hit our household. Thank goodness spring is finally here - somewhat. But that story I swore I'd finish in February? Still waiting for me to work on it. Some new ideas have come to me, but I haven't developed them yet.

Not that I've been idle. My editor has kept me plenty busy with edits for Goddess, Awakened. More intense revisions that resulted in more sections cut and rearranged, and more added. A much different - and improved - version of the original. I'm so looking forward to its release on July 7.

Meanwhile, one of my goals was to have a working draft of another Goddess Connection for the workshop in May. Didn't happen. I do have 27k, and a very rough outline, but I'm shooting for at least 60k.

None of it will happen this weekend either. I'm off to my nephew's wedding in northern NJ, with a reception to follow in New York. I'm so happy for them, and happy to be able to share their special day. I'll have some extra baggage though - a half dozen characters and an unfinished plot.

Do you find it agonizing not to be able to squeeze in writing time?

No clickbait for you!

Where the hell did March go? Partly down the tubes via something I've just learned the label for - clickbait.

Oh, you've seen them online. Those irresistible captions, the grabber headlines that hook you into clicking the link to read about something because "you won't believe what happens next" or "you'll never guess what he does."

And oh look! Another BuzzFeed quiz! Because yes, I need to know which character from (fill in the blank show or book or movie) I am, or where I should be living, or what I should be doing with my life (um, not taking these quizzes? but oh, damn, I just clicked so I'll just wait ten minutes for the page to load).

Um, no thanks. I've been disappointed too many times because yes, I did see that coming, and no, it's not the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my whole gosh darned entire life.

I have become clickbait resistant. And now that I'm coming to my senses, I'm not going to waste time on you.

I have my own hooks to craft. But damn, I have to hand it to you. You do know how to hook people!

Do you get sucked in by clickbait? I have some extra repellant if you need some!