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00:00:00 – 00:11:22
Shaylyn from Reedsy discusses the significance of creating a worldbuilding bible for sci-fi and fantasy writers. This organized document helps maintain consistency and accessibility of details such as geography, magic, cultures, and history, and can include book outlines and character profiles. She covers various software options for creating a worldbuilding bible, like Scrivener, Notion, and World Anvil, depending on the writer's preferences and the complexity of the world being created.
The video proceeds to emphasize the importance of detailed and believable worldbuilding, including the creation of maps using tools like Inkarnate. Key aspects discussed are the world’s history, major events, geopolitical considerations, commerce, trade, international relations, religion, mythology, cultural beliefs, languages, entertainment, societal structures, laws, military, family dynamics, and the inclusion of magic or advanced technology.
The speaker highlights the interconnectedness of worldbuilding elements and advises starting with aspects that directly impact the story, then expanding to related areas. Tools like World Anvil are recommended for organizing and interlinking details. Research is encouraged to strengthen less familiar areas.
Finally, the speaker shares personal experiences, emphasizing focusing on areas of interest and expertise while researching to develop lesser-known aspects. The video concludes with an invitation to viewers to discuss their worldbuilding tools and favorite aspects, and to subscribe for more content.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, Shaylyn from Reedsy discusses the importance and utility of creating a worldbuilding bible for sci-fi and fantasy writers. A worldbuilding bible is an organized document that helps writers keep track of all the details of the world they are creating, including geography, magic, cultures, and history. It can also include book outlines and character profiles. This tool ensures consistency and easy access to information throughout the writing process. Shaylyn then talks about choosing the right software to create a worldbuilding bible, noting that options range from basic word processors to specialized programs like Scrivener, Notion, or World Anvil. The right choice depends on the writer’s personal preference and the complexity of their world. She also mentions that it’s possible to start with a simpler tool and switch to a more complex one as the worldbuilding progresses. Lastly, Shaylyn introduces the upcoming section, which will cover the different types of information that should be included in a worldbuilding bible, and references a worldbuilding template available through Reedsy.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses the critical aspects of creating a detailed and believable world for a story. They emphasize understanding geography, including continents, land masses, and geopolitical divisions such as countries and notable cities. The speaker suggests making a map using tools like Inkarnate. The segment also covers the importance of a world’s history, including major events, dynasties, and eras. Geopolitical considerations like commerce, trade, and international relations are discussed, along with the impact of religion, mythology, and cultural beliefs. The talk extends to languages, entertainment, attire, food, social customs, values, education, and taboos. Technology and its historical context, societal structures like social classes and government, laws, military, family dynamics, and interpersonal relationships are also examined. Finally, the speaker touches on the inclusion of magic for fantasy settings or advanced technology for sci-fi worlds.
00:06:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses how to approach world-building for a fantasy setting, emphasizing the importance of considering magical elements, creatures, items, and significant historical and geographical factors. The speaker suggests starting with elements that directly impact the story, such as magic systems and government structures, and then expanding to related aspects like education and professions. They highlight the interconnectedness of all world-building elements and suggest using tools like World Anvil to organize and interlink these details. Additionally, the speaker encourages using research to supplement world-building, especially for areas where the creator might lack confidence or expertise, emphasizing that everyone has different strengths and preferences in world-building.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses their strengths and challenges in world-building, emphasizing the importance of focusing on areas of personal interest and expertise. They suggest conducting research on less familiar topics to develop a well-rounded world. The speaker advises identifying and deeply developing one compelling aspect of the world, which can naturally influence and enhance other areas. They conclude by asking viewers about their world-building tools and favorite aspects of world-building, urging them to subscribe for more writing-related content.