What essentials you need for branding as an author. From Story Empire.

Welcome again to the Something Wicked Tour from the authors at Story Empire. I’m a happy to welcome Staci Troilo to the Thursday edition of the tour here on Archer’s Aim where she’ll be sharing about world-building. For a complete tour schedule for the day, please visit Story Empire and make sure to read all the stops and share on social media or re-blog on your site. Handing off to Staci!

Creating a Story World

Thanks for welcoming me here today, P.H.

Ciao, amici! Yesterday in the Story Empire Something Wicked tour, I discussed how science fiction writers can introduce advanced technology in a believable way, using examples from my Astral Conspiracy series (specifically the first book, The Gate).

Today, I’d like to expand the topic and go from specific technologies to story worlds in general.

Every genre requires a certain amount of world-building.

There’s a lot that goes into world-building, and writers need to consider macro- and micro-level details. Focusing on either can really cement the reader in the world.

Macro-Level Details

This is a section of broad scope and general classifications. Things to consider on the macro-level include cosmic location, land geography, climate, historical development.

If your story is space-based, you’ll need to know the galaxy, the solar system, and the planet or moon (or space station). Once the astronomical details are set, you need to look at the characters’ locations. Space ship? Submarine? On land? Mountain or valley? Urban or rural? Is the locale cold, temperate, or hot? What are the building materials and are they scarce or readily available? Is the civilization in its infancy? At its zenith? On the decline? Is it a barter society or some form of payment (commodities, money, or credit)? What form of government is in charge—king, president, dictator? How technologically-advanced are they? How important is religion—are the people polytheistic, monotheistic, or atheist?

If your story isn’t in the real world, it may help you to draw a map. Remember, even though you created this land, it still needs to comply with natural topological rules. Water runs down mountains and pools in valleys or runs off to oceans. Plains are subject to heavy winds. Rain forests thrive in hot, humid conditions. Study topological maps to get a feel for how land and water coexist on our planet, then create your continent/country accordingly.

At the macro-level, think of a camera far in the distance, taking in the broad vista and panning across the town. Nothing is zoomed in on, but we get a generalized impression of the society as a whole.

Micro-Level Details

This is where we get down to character development.

What does the hero look like? What is his job—blue-collar or white? Where does he live—shack, cabin, apartment, house, mansion? Who are his closest relations—love interest, parents, siblings, friends—and are they good or bad relationships?

To build up the world in this manner, the closer the camera gets, the more a reader will relate. We’re not just learning the hero lives in Pittsburgh, we see he lives in an industrial loft with exposed brick and ductwork in the South Side right on the river. His closet has two distinct sections—suits and ties for work and jeans and t-shirts for everything else. His refrigerator is filled with Moretti LaRossa beer, leftover pizza from Fiori’s, and a huge Tupperware bowl of his mom’s gnocchi that she forced him to take after their weekly Sunday dinner. His flatscreen practically defaults to ESPN, and he has three playlists on his phone—Rat Pack for when family visits, Bruno Mars for dates, and a classic rock/contemporary country blend for everything else.

We don’t have to learn about Pittsburgh politics, Italian-American culture, or nearby churches. Sure, we already know what contemporary life is like in an ethnically-diverse city, so that could be redundant information, anyway. But seeing what this one person is like can reveal not just character, but world details, as well.

I, personally, like to mix the two when I write. And I avoid information dumps. Sure, it would be easy to give two pages of details of land and government and commerce, and maybe another page and a half to description of the character and his loft, but readers don’t want to read that. It’s best to sprinkle those details in gradually so the plot doesn’t slow while giving readers a chance to experience the world.

In my current series, I have eight POV characters in various fields (military, academia, government agency, clergy) and in different cities. They live in the not-so-distant future, so there are some advancements in technology from what we’re used to, but it’s all easy-to-relate-to changes. And, of course, there are the aliens who invade. They’re all over the globe and interact with these characters in various ways. I’ve used religion, ancient lore, and modern technology to develop this story world, and as of right now (the middle of book three), I’ve had characters in three different continents. That’s several different landscapes and governments and cultures to represent.

Hopefully I’ve done them all justice. If you’re interested in seeing how I handled the macro- and micro-level world development, I invite you to read the first book.

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He lost his job. Lost his girl. Now it’s all he can do not to lose his life.

Landon Thorne is a disgraced archaeologist, a laughing stock in his field because of his unconventional beliefs – he’s an ancient astronaut theorist. No one takes him seriously.

Until an alien armada targets Earth.

Now Landon’s in high demand – by the US government and someone far more sinister.

They race across two continents to the Gate of the Gods, the one place on Earth that might give humans an advantage over the aliens. But no one is prepared for what they’ll find.

And not everyone will make it out alive.

The Gate is the first of five novels in the Astral Conspiracy Series, part of Sterling and Stone’s Invasion Universe.

Universal Purchase Link

Thanks for dropping by for the post today. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section and we’ll respond as soon as possible. Here’s the rest of the tour schedule. Please share this one and then visit the other stops to share those once read them:

 

Story Empire’s Something Wicked Tour continues today with Joan Hall as she discussed a creepy topic and how it relates to her book, Unclear Purposes. Please re-blog this post or share it on social media and don’t forget there are other stops on the tour and you can find today’s schedule at Story Empire. Here’s Joan!

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Hey, everyone. I’m excited to be here today for this stop of Story Empire’s Something Wicked Tour. Paul, thank you for hosting me. I look forward to connecting with your readers.

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Evil and wickedness comes in all forms. And often evil deeds in mass murder. Such was the case for several employees of Electromagnetic System Labs.

In 1984, twenty-two-year-old Laura Black was hired at ESL. She immediately caught the attention of another employee, thirty-five-year-old Richard Farley. For him, it was love at first sight.

But Laura had no interest and repeatedly ignored him. He began stalking her, showing up at her home or following her in his car. Over four years, she received over 200 letters from him. She filed a complaint with the human resources department, and he lost his job.

In February 1988, Farley showed up at ESL armed with a shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition. He shot several people, killing seven, before arriving at Laura’s office. He fired through the door, hitting her in the shoulder and causing a collapsed lung.

After a five-hour standoff with the police, Farley was arrested. He now sits on death row in San Quentin. Fortunately, Laura survived the shooting.

In my book, Unclear Purposes, the third and final of the Driscoll Lake Series, a stalker is on the loose. It soon becomes apparent this person will stop at nothing to get what they want, including murder.

Excerpt:

Anger was often the driving force behind many actions. The motivation to keep going, to finish the task. But patience was equally important. Timing had to be right. It was never good to rush a job or force an issue.

Seeing Christine Lawrence and Vince Green together was confirmation. There was something more than friendship between them. An undeniable attraction. The way he embraced her. The way she willingly went into his arms.

Following them had been relatively easy. Not hard to remain unnoticed if one used caution. It wasn’t surprising Vince was now at Christine’s house. Would he stay the night? There wasn’t any point in waiting around to see. Didn’t matter.

Take a few deep breaths. Calm down. Now isn’t the time. You must endure a little longer.

When the time was right, another person was going to die.

Blurb:

Some people take secrets to the grave…

Three years after her husband’s murder, Christine Lawrence still struggles for balance. She has a rewarding career and a close circle of friends but feels oddly unfulfilled. Worse, the close relationship she once had with her teenage daughter has grown increasingly strained.

Former FBI agent, Vince Green, is battling demons of his own—painful secrets that drove him from Driscoll Lake. Newly resettled in the small town, he makes his living as a private investigator.

When Vince and Christine cross paths, stumbling over the body of a murder victim, he’s forced to confront memories he thought long buried. The circumstances surrounding the killing are eerily similar to a victim from his past.

As the body count continues to rise, Christine finds herself drawn to Vince. With a murderer stalking the streets of Driscoll Lake, neither is aware the killer has targeted her as the next victim—or that Vince’s past is key to unmasking a disturbed and deadly killer.

Universal Purchase Link

Connect with Joan:

Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | BookBub

It’s been great hosting Joan Hall today. Please leave your reactions in the comments and we’ll respond as soon as possible. Also remember there are other stops on the tour today:

• Craig is hosting Staci, who is talking about alien technology.
• Harmony is hosting Mae, who is talking about Spooky Houses.
• Joan is hosting P.H., who is talking about The Banshee Curse
• Mae is hosting Harmony, who is talking about people coming back from the dead.
• Staci is hosting Craig, who is talking about his main character(s).

The Story Empire authors would appreciate it if you take a few moments to share these posts on social media or re-blog them on your site. Thanks for visiting today!