Naomi Davis

Perhaps the motivation was just the same setup I see over and over: character feels life is mundane and just wants something NEW to happen. Perhaps the backstory of the character or world felt generic. Perhaps the character feels directionless.

Perhaps the worldbuilding was so similar to other stories that it just seemed like different characters in the same place. Common examples: a generic regency structure, a swords&sorcery structure w/no original twist, an assassin story that follows redundant assassin tropes.

Perhaps the emotional arc was predictable, or perhaps the stakes felt predictable. Example: Princess must decide whether to save her people or forfeit her crown. Warrior must decide between his loyalty and his one true love. These tropes are familiar.

This can be due to a number of things: perhaps the voice felt like every other story in my query box. Perhaps it felt like a copy of multiple published authors. Perhaps the structure adhered so closely to a formula that I wasn’t surprised by anything.

When I turn down a project for feeling “too familiar,” what I mean is that something about it felt unoriginal or not groundbreaking enough for me to confidently tell editors YOU NEED THIS BOOK IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.

Please remember: your project may seem to closely fit a #MSWL, but a wishlist is still subjective & can be interpreted in many ways. The execution of the project is ultimately what triggers an offer of representation!
#querytip #amwriting #amediting #amquerying

I recently tweeted about wanting to be dragged relentlessly into characters. This happens when writing is deeply immersed. But what is a “close” 1st person or 3rd person story? What is voice immersion? A #thread! #amwriting #amediting #querytip #writetip #askagent #writingcraft

Aaaand @RaeLoverde brings up another point: language! How many? Who speaks what and why? Are any forbidden? You don't need to write out a Tolkien Elf language itself, but understand how language influences culture & vice versa. Are there accents? Language barriers? Translators?

By no means is this list exhaustive. And as always these are just my own opinions. But if you need a jumping off point for how to develop a thorough, immersive SFF world, I hope this helps open your mind and expand your worldbuilding beyond what you’ve already read and watched.

Once you’ve developed many of these elements, developing your magical system/plot/monsters becomes easier because you can clearly see where your MC sits in society and history, and WHAT THEY FEAR OR NEED, which is what drives your plot. This is motivation. This is stakes.

Is travel permitted/forbidden? Why? Fear shapes societies in powerful ways. If you doubt that, look at atrocities happening in the real world today. Fear, used to manipulate those who are vulnerable to it, particularly levied with false promises of prosperity, is a powerful tool.

Medicine: How is it accessed? How does it work? Is any of it extinct? Is it viewed as a useful tool or a form of witchcraft? Or reserved for the elite? Oral/topical/suppository? (Maybe avoid that last one.)

Is education encouraged/required/forbidden? What forms of education are available&to whom? Consider social/financial class structures in this. Consider what things are available to higher classes&where your MC sits in this structure.

Getting closer to your character lens, what in your MC’s history shapes the way they interpret the landscape? Did they lose family once&develop cynical/fearful attitude to one or more culture/system/structure/location? Is there racism? How is this navigated?

Backstory is part of worldbuilding. Why do characters live/scatter the way they do? Was there a war? A fire? A drought? A disease? Did it impact all locations or just one? How does this history influence attitudes&religions&power dynamics? Fear of recurrence?

Also consider political/authority structure. I see so. Many. Monarchies. In SFF queries. Does there need to be a King? What about democracy? What about anarchy? Who controls whom? Why? What do others think of the authority structure? Play with these things.

Consider material. Is the belt made of woven fronds? Leather? Cord? Hair? Does the shirt clasp or tie closed? What is armor? Why is it effective in this world? Is there only one place to get a certain replacement? Great way to drive your MC to new location.

Now let’s talk clothing! It’s easy to plunge into a story with a battery of standard clothing items: a dress, trousers, belts. These work well for most humanoid characters. How can they be made different? How do they decide what to wear? Who controls this?

From there: religion! What IS sacred? What do characters fear will happen if they don’t uphold beliefs? What are the gestures/words/tools they use to communicate moments of spirituality? How does society deal with different/opposing faiths? Is the faith’s realness in question?

What about food? Alcohol? Drugs? How many kinds are there? Who is in charge of supplying this? Do nuts/berries exist? Is cooking a thing? Is there one standard food animal and everything else is sacred?