For NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year, I decided to try something different. Over the last two months, a series idea that has been percolating in the back of my mind for about four years suddenly came to a boil. Lots of old ideas were being expanded upon and coming together to form an exciting picture. There was one problem, I still had a lot of work to do, but NaNo was upon me. So I decided to try something very new and write a series of drabbles and short stories to help me flesh out the world and get a better sense of the tone I was looking for.
Folks, I’m going to be blunt, I have discovered a cheat code! That is what this feels like! Writing these short pieces over the last four days has brought so many things into focus. I’m not writing about the main plot or the main cast of characters. Instead, it is about the tour guide of the most popular ghost tours; it’s about the buildings around Founder’s Square and the librarians who work in the public library that used to be a church.
Writing short stories to help build up the world creates an interesting pressure point. I need to keep the story going, so I throw together some details, such as the name of the tour guide and the local radio station. Rather than sitting and staring at the brainstorming document, I’m slipping into a writing flow to help the ideas come forth without the pressure of the first draft and needing to track the plot and foreshadowing. I’m discovering some of the little details of this world that may never be important in the future series but will inform and guide my execution of that world.
So if you’re working on a world of your own and finding the details difficult, try a couple of short stories. Pick a random person who lives in their town or crosses their path and see what they think about what is happening or the town. Let the character tell you about the world from their point of view. Escape the pressure of needing to have the world-building sorted out before you start the first draft.
Write Ghost Tours, the Eyes, The Rules of Latensisle or at least your equivalents. Write about what your main character’s neighbor witnesses. Record what a walk in your world might look like. Explore how someone in the world spends their Sundays. When you’re struggling with bringing together the world-building, focus on the little picture and ignore the big picture for a little while. Use the cheat code: short stories.