{"id":26422,"date":"2022-12-19T03:00:10","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T11:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=26422"},"modified":"2023-04-04T04:41:55","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T11:41:55","slug":"3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26423 size-medium\" title=\"3 Common Problems in World Building - How To Write the Future podcast\" src=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists-300x300.png\" alt=\"3 Common Problems in World Building - How To Write the Future podcast\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png 300w, https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists-80x80.png 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In this <em>How To Write the Future<\/em> podcast episode, Beth Barany shares 3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists and one piece of advice for writers to get started on creating vivid worlds for their stories.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Platforms<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the podcast is available on include <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/24-3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/id1641025914?i=1000590595093\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Apple Podcasts<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMDEyMDYxLnJzcw\/episode\/QnV6enNwcm91dC0xMTg5MjYxNA?sa=X&amp;ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwi4g4Pg_oX8AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Podcasts<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/4RiePWW6EU9wPq1HUdSolQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061\/11892614-24-3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Buzzsprout<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/ca590618-5630-4450-aa17-7e2f35359a76\/episodes\/63d3e3fa-8057-4842-a73a-ce35d04cd7fe\/how-to-write-the-future-24-3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon Music<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/podcastaddict.com\/episode\/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzsprout.com%2F2012061%2F11892614-24-3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists.mp3&amp;podcastId=4025186\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Podcast Addict<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0ekCS7TRg_k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Youtube<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0ekCS7TRg_k\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061\/11892614-24-3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-11892614&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><b>ABOUT BETH BARANY<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/BETH-BARANY_IMAGE_PODCAST-LOGO_HOW-TO-WRITE-THE-FUTURE_v04_200px.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25580 size-full alignleft\" title=\"Image of Beth Barany\" src=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/BETH-BARANY_IMAGE_PODCAST-LOGO_HOW-TO-WRITE-THE-FUTURE_v04_200px.png\" alt=\"Image of Beth Barany\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/BETH-BARANY_IMAGE_PODCAST-LOGO_HOW-TO-WRITE-THE-FUTURE_v04_200px.png 200w, https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/BETH-BARANY_IMAGE_PODCAST-LOGO_HOW-TO-WRITE-THE-FUTURE_v04_200px-80x80.png 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>Beth Barany teaches science fiction and fantasy novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor. She\u2019s an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist and runs the podcast, \u201cHow To Write The Future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/author.bethbarany.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Author site<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \/\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/bethbarany.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coaching site<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \/ <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/baranyschooloffiction.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">School of Fiction<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \/ <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.writersfunzone.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writer&#8217;s Fun Zone blog<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RESOURCES\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Get support for your fiction writing by a novelist and writing teacher and coach. Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/discovery-call\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/discovery-call\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Share your What-if scenario here:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/podcast\/#contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/podcast\/#contact<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic here: <\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/story-success-clinic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/story-success-clinic\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Your Writing Process session ($99 for 60-minutes) (Jan. 2023 only, limited to the first 10 spots)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/your-writing-process-assessment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/your-writing-process-assessment\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SHOW NOTES<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur job as fiction writers is to evoke emotion in the reader.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this episode of How To Write the Future, titled &#8220;3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists,&#8221; Beth Barany, creativity coach and science fiction and fantasy novelist,\u00a0 shares 3 common problems for novelists in world-building, answers some recurring questions that she often gets asked, and reveals one piece of advice for you to get started on creating vivid worlds for your stories.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>ABOUT THE <\/b><b><i>HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE<\/i><\/b><b> PODCAST<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How To Write The Future<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tips for fiction writers!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This podcast is for you if you have questions like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do figure what&#8217;s not working if my story feels flat?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do I make my story more interesting and alive?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This podcast is for readers too if you\u2019re at all curious about the future of humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transcript for Episode 24 3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you stuck with your story and don&#8217;t know how to get unstuck?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you a novelist who wishes to be more prolific?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or maybe you&#8217;ve written that first draft and you just don&#8217;t know how to make it better.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then sign up today for a No Obligation Discovery Call with me Beth Barany, Creativity Coach and award-winning science fiction and fantasy novelist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I look forward to seeing how I can help you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So sign up today. The link is in the show notes. And now let&#8217;s get on with the show.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Welcome\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hi everyone. I&#8217;m Beth Barany.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am your host for How to Write the Future Podcast, a podcast for science fiction and fantasy writers and anybody who cares about the future and cares about creating positive, optimistic futures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m a creativity coach and writing teacher for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write, edit, publish and market their novels. I&#8217;m bringing to you today this world-building class so that you can enrich the worlds that your character is in and make your stories come alive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common Questions and Problems about World Building in Fiction<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some common questions I get about world-building.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only Applies to Science Fiction and Fantasy, right? 01:24<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Number one, people say world-building only applies to science fiction and fantasy, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And I say, actually no, you need to take your time to think about your world, even if you are writing stories set in a contemporary time and place, and here&#8217;s why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There&#8217;s a few different reasons why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firstly, your readers may not know your setting. They may not be from the region that you are writing about.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write the setting in a way that allows your reader to fully explore it as it is relevant to the characters in your story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other reason why you want to design your setting, even a contemporary setting, in a way that&#8217;s rich, is so that the readers get an immersive experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And lastly, your setting is going to reveal things about character and about plot, conflict, what&#8217;s important to your characters. So you need to show it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So no matter if you&#8217;re writing science fiction or fantasy, or setting your story in a contemporary time, or writing historical, world-building is important.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is World Building Just Setting? 02:53<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another concern that writers, ask me about: Is world-building just setting?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And it&#8217;s not just setting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part of that is the environment that your character is in, but world-building is also customs, culture, how people greet each other, how people go about their day, what&#8217;s expected of them, both in roles in society, gender roles, socioeconomic roles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are some rituals?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are rituals? That&#8217;s religion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who holds power? That&#8217;s politics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So actually world building is much, much broader than just setting.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Problem: Too much detail or too little detail 03:33<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another common problem I spot in manuscripts of my clients is they will either write too much detail and just bombard us with lots of details and we don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s important. And it&#8217;s also hard to keep track of everything, or there&#8217;s hardly any detail about the world and it feels like we&#8217;re walking around in a setting that&#8217;s mostly blank.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of those two problems, you absolutely need to put some time into creating your story world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another problem that I see in world-building for writers is that they will go into great detail, and I feel like I&#8217;m reading an encyclopedic entry or a Wikipedia entry or maybe something a journalist wrote. It lacks emotion that&#8217;s written in a very precise way, which would be perfectly appropriate to those other mediums.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But for fiction, it does not evoke any emotion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And our job as fiction writers is to evoke emotion in the reader.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In that instance, what I coach my writers to do is to really get into the character&#8217;s point of view and ask, even like in a journal entry: what does the character think and feel about their environment?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, what does your character know?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If there is one piece of advice I have for you to get started on creating vivid worlds that feel lived in and rich and multi-layered and have history is get into your character&#8217;s know-how.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find out how they see their world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is their attitude of the world?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another way of saying that is what&#8217;s their worldview? What&#8217;s their filter?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And then get into what it is that they know about their world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just think of yourself. You&#8217;re born into this world. It comes with all this history that you did not design, and you grow up learning what the world that you&#8217;re in is, is about, and how it was formed, and what the stories are that we say about how it was formed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And I&#8217;m not just talking about like the evolution of the planet. I&#8217;m talking about the evolution of a city, the evolution of a town, the evolution of a nation, the evolution of a regional area. Every location has its stories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So your character is going know or not know, they&#8217;re going know a little bit about that. Same goes for politics. Same goes for gender roles and expectations. Same goal goes for what does it mean to be, a human being?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We all are given this information and it&#8217;s in the soup, in the sea that we swim in. Your character is gonna have the same kind of know-how that&#8217;s right for them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So dig into that. Use some journaling time to write out what does your character know?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does your character think about the world they&#8217;re in?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And as it is relevant to your story and to the challenges your character is facing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So I&#8217;m gonna leave you with that today.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outro invite 07:01<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write long and prosper.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Science fiction and fantasy writers, sign up for your No-Obligation Discovery Call and get clarity to your writing process and finish your book.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or in your podcast home of choice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<h2><b>CONNECT\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact Beth: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/podcast\/#contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/podcast\/#contact<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email: <\/span><b>beth@bethbarany.com<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LinkedIn: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bethbarany\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bethbarany\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>CREDITS<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.descript.com\/?lmref=_w1WCA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MUSIC: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/uppbeat.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uppbeat.io<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/?referrer_id=1994465\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/?referrer_id=1994465<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SHOW NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more \u201cHow To Write the Future\u201d episodes, go <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/contact-beth\/#contactbeth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this How To Write the Future podcast episode, Beth Barany shares 3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists and one piece of advice for writers to get started on creating vivid worlds&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":26423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5099],"tags":[140,5190,4607,5160,5163,2771,5183,5162,5189,5164,365,1490,5165],"class_list":["post-26422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-write-the-future-podcast","tag-beth-barany","tag-emotive-language","tag-fiction-writing-tips","tag-futuristics","tag-story-world-building","tag-storytelling","tag-strategic-foresight","tag-tips-for-fiction-writers","tag-world-building-tips","tag-write-the-future","tag-writing-advice","tag-writing-coaching","tag-writing-teaching"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists &#183; How To Write the Furue<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Beth Barany shares 3 Common Problems in World-Building for Novelists and one piece of advice for writers to get started on creating vivid worlds in their stories.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists &#183; How To Write the Furue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beth Barany shares 3 Common Problems in World-Building for Novelists and one piece of advice for writers to get started on creating vivid worlds in their stories.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Writer&#039;s Fun Zone\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-19T11:00:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-04T11:41:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kerry-Ann McDade\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BethBarany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BethBarany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kerry-Ann McDade\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kerry-Ann McDade\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/07ecbacbbbd997ce56d9d5cd6f303c73\"},\"headline\":\"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-19T11:00:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-04T11:41:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1532,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Beth Barany\",\"emotive language\",\"fiction writing tips\",\"futuristics\",\"story world building\",\"storytelling\",\"strategic foresight\",\"tips for fiction writers\",\"world building tips\",\"write the future\",\"writing advice\",\"writing coaching\",\"writing teaching\"],\"articleSection\":[\"HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/\",\"name\":\"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists &#183; How To Write the Furue\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-19T11:00:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-04T11:41:55+00:00\",\"description\":\"Beth Barany shares 3 Common Problems in World-Building for Novelists and one piece of advice for writers to get started on creating vivid worlds in their stories.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"3 Common Problems in World Building - How To Write the Future podcast\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/19\\\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Writer's Fun Zone\",\"description\":\"where we go to the edge to play and become better writers\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Beth Barany Productions\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":246,\"caption\":\"Beth Barany Productions\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bethbarany\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/BethBarany\",\"http:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/bethbarany\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/BethBarany\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/bethbarany\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/07ecbacbbbd997ce56d9d5cd6f303c73\",\"name\":\"Kerry-Ann McDade\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kerry-Ann McDade\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/kerryannmcdade-editor\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists &#183; How To Write the Furue","description":"Beth Barany shares 3 Common Problems in World-Building for Novelists and one piece of advice for writers to get started on creating vivid worlds in their stories.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists &#183; How To Write the Furue","og_description":"Beth Barany shares 3 Common Problems in World-Building for Novelists and one piece of advice for writers to get started on creating vivid worlds in their stories.","og_url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/","og_site_name":"Writer&#039;s Fun Zone","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/","article_published_time":"2022-12-19T11:00:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-04T11:41:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Kerry-Ann McDade","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BethBarany","twitter_site":"@BethBarany","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kerry-Ann McDade","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/"},"author":{"name":"Kerry-Ann McDade","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/07ecbacbbbd997ce56d9d5cd6f303c73"},"headline":"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists","datePublished":"2022-12-19T11:00:10+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-04T11:41:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/"},"wordCount":1532,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png","keywords":["Beth Barany","emotive language","fiction writing tips","futuristics","story world building","storytelling","strategic foresight","tips for fiction writers","world building tips","write the future","writing advice","writing coaching","writing teaching"],"articleSection":["HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/","name":"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists &#183; How To Write the Furue","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png","datePublished":"2022-12-19T11:00:10+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-04T11:41:55+00:00","description":"Beth Barany shares 3 Common Problems in World-Building for Novelists and one piece of advice for writers to get started on creating vivid worlds in their stories.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Episode-24-3-Common-PRoblems-in-World-Building-for-Novelists.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"3 Common Problems in World Building - How To Write the Future podcast"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/19\/3-common-problems-in-world-building-for-novelists\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"3 Common Problems in World Building for Novelists"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/","name":"Writer's Fun Zone","description":"where we go to the edge to play and become better writers","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Beth Barany Productions","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg","width":1024,"height":246,"caption":"Beth Barany Productions"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/","https:\/\/x.com\/BethBarany","http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bethbarany\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/BethBarany","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bethbarany\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/07ecbacbbbd997ce56d9d5cd6f303c73","name":"Kerry-Ann McDade","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Kerry-Ann McDade"},"url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/author\/kerryannmcdade-editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26422"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27024,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26422\/revisions\/27024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}