World Building, Setting & Description in Your Novel | PREPTOBER 2023

[@HeartBreathings]

Another Preptober video for you today! Don't forget to make a copy of the free worldbuilding doc I made to get you started or join my newsletter and get the full resource library free!

[@pameladigaetano8119]

Where do we get this? Thank you. Too cool!!!

[@EvaWright]

I was totally ahead of Nano writing here and there, then I moved a paragraph to another location in the story and it somehow copy and pasted it five different times and I've been a week trying to get it back right. It's still not correct yet.

[@jbnorthrup]

Thanks for all your videos and insights.

[@t-helen-price]

Your rich insights on the universality of world-building across genres and the complexity that it embodies were absolutely on point. The need for consistency and realism in world construction, particularly when handling elements like magic and creatures, is really important! I don't tackle it too much in my current wip but for my third manuscript, this was a huge deal. Thanks for the invaluable knowledge. Looking forward to more content like this! :)

[@HeartBreathings]

Thank you for the encouragement and kind words!

[@t-helen-price]

No thank you!! :) @@HeartBreathings

[@agl5132]

Exactly where I'm at with my preptober novel planning.

[@msmwriter]

Catching up on the videos! So behind. Thank you for this, and the Google Doc. I think I have the book you mentioned. Need to go check. 😁

[@nettie0376]

i would LOVE for you to do a series on writing magic systems!!

[@sarahhays3503]

great video. Thanks!

[@RemonaGreen]

Thank you! Great video. I have a very basic world built but now I know based on my story I need much more.😊

[@princessteach]

Thank you, a great video as always!!

[@nikkijoy597]

Thank you Sarra - another great Preptober video. :) I'm reading that very book by Ron Rozelle at the moment and am finding it very helpful. I'll be making some notes in the worldbuilding doc later. ;) xx

[@fralou_sind_kreativ]

Awesome video, thank you Sarra!

[@cecilywolfe4571]

thank you so much - really appreciate the worksheet as well!

[@wackybarnes]

Hi there !! I'm fairly new to your content but I subscribed just a few days ago to your newsletter and your workbooks + courses are just AMAZING and so helpful!!! It's helping me so much during this year's preptober, getting stuff ready for nano this november and I wanted to thank your for all your hard work !!💜💜💜

[@JessicaNWheeler]

Yay you finished your edits! Congrats Sarra!

[@yanettemantro]

This has been very helpful. I am in the middle of doing some changes to book 2 while I do my edits and I a going back to change some things in book 1. Thank you!

[@HeartBreathings]

So glad to hear it!

[@valeriacpla6320]

You are looking great! Keep doing what You are doing 😊

[@Coco01171]

can you do a video on your writer book/notebook set up for how you are writing your book? I just bought my ring binders and could use the guidance/inspiration on how to set it up.

[@JeremyCouture]

This was such a great video! I'm so excited for the new book!!!

[@serene_serein]

I really love your look in this video! Thanks for the tips!

[@quartkneek3670]

Great tips but I think you forgot to mention genre expectations. The YA genre requires a lot less explanation of things and often ignores inconvenient aspects of the world. For example, the Hunger Games. Why does Katniss need to know how to read? For all of President Snow's objectives, he would be better served by keeping the districts not only physically and culturally separate but also illiterate. When Peeta talks about singing songs in school, it sounds like a lot of the indoctrination techniques of the Soviet and Maoist eras. This is an inference that adult or more mature readers can make which is one of the reasons why THG is popular with adults. Sci-fi is another genre with a bifurcation of expectations. In hard sci-fi, you have to explain the science behind a warp drive whereas in other sub-genres, you can get away with just saying they jump to another solar system or something. It's also okay to get things "wrong" like the money system in the Harry Potter universe. Rowling has admitted in many interviews over the years that she's bad at maths and she wishes she spent more time thinking things through because the denominations don't make logical sense and constantly trip up readers. Wealth creation is never explicitly explored beyond the fact that many people have jobs and old families have inherited wealth. Young readers take such things at face value, but older readers understand that generational wealth is built on investment, compounding interest, and real estate/business holdings that generate a return. You'll get some suspension of disbelief in older readers - especially in the more fantastical genres and there's always creative license about which aspects to cover more in-depth but genre tropes and expectation does dictate certain 'must-haves' and at what level of coverage is required at minimum.

[@HeartBreathings]

Absolutely! Maybe you missed it but I did specifically say that how much world building you do depends greatly on your genre! I give examples between fantasy and contemporary romance but you can substitute any genre into those slots. And as I mention, writing style and voice as well can make a difference. I cover as much as I can in detail in 30 minutes but it's a huge topic that as I say, could be an entire series or course in itself!

[@lindaweedmark6025]

My Act One is way too tangled and spans much time and multiple situations. Not feeling flashbacks and exposition will cover it and was beginning to panic. Edited out my plea for a video on this as I found the series arc section on your website. Thank you so much for indispensable instruction and stimulating videos. P.S. I'm loving your visuals and stickers. 💗💗💗😊

[@HeartBreathings]

So glad you found that playlist!! I hope it's helpful for you!!

[@annahlaineco]

Ahh love your outfit!!

[@HeartBreathings]

Thank you!!

[@spookyfey]

Hey! I'm a newbie here and I'm in the midst of prepping-- first off, thanks for all your content and tips! Your newsletter and organization tools are a GODSEND for someone like me who cannot stay focused (ADHD problems). Fun question: do you make themed music playlists for when you're writing?

[@HeartBreathings]

I don't usually but it's something I'd love to do! I have tried to in the past and then I just end up not being able to find the "perfect" songs.

[@pagesofkelly]

I really found this video encouraging. Thank you for the wonderful insights. Will you be selling any more box sets of your books this year?

[@HeartBreathings]

I'll do a signup form for books this month during Spooktacular!

[@pagesofkelly]

@@HeartBreathings Okay, great. Thank you so much!

[@kimlauder6899]

What books would you recommend for Magical Systems?

[@HeartBreathings]

TM Halladay's "The Only WorldBuilding Book You'll Ever Need" is one amzn.to/3Yz4ZwF And also "The Magic System Blueprint" by CR Rowenson amzn.to/4fFOoNy

[@nikkiguerlain]

💗💗💗

[@Beastlango]

I know I’m kind of weird for this, but I care more about world building than anything anything else is games, books, and movies. If the world isn’t interesting then I usually don’t get far enough to care about characters or just don’t develop it at all. I’ll take sub par characters in an incredible world than amazing characters in a boring world any day.

[@Megan-id6jm]

💯

[@nuriahernandez5388]

Hola no puedo descargar el archivo

[@HeartBreathings]

It should ask you to make a copy, then you can go to "file" and "download" to download or just use in Google docs. If you still can't get it to work, please email me at [e-mail] and I'll send it directly.

[@nuriahernandez5388]

@@HeartBreathings gracias

[@Megan-id6jm]

❤❤❤