How to Write Great Fiction — Tip 5

Building worlds is tricky but so much fun

As a fiction writer, if you can’t live in it neither can your readers!

I’m talking about the world you build where everything else in your story happens. So how do we build worlds our readers can occupy with ease of believability? Worlds that are rich in character and sensory triggers will do the trick.

World Character

I like to think in color when developing the character of my fictional world.

Dark/Mysterious — Black, Grey, Indigo Blue, Murky Green, Blood Red Fantasy/Sci-fi — Steel Grey, silver, Midnight Blue, Bronze Gold Fantasy/Otherworld—Amethyst Purple, Cerulean Blue, Yellow Green, Russian Violet Romantic—Coral, Apricot, Hot Pink, Magnolia, Honeydew

When I create my character color list for my story, I build a list of at least 10–20 colors. You’re probably asking yourself what this has to do with writing fiction.

Good fiction always elicits emotions. The colors you paint your world with are part of that process.

For example, a dark mystery will have skies, clothing, room colors, moods, etc. described in the colors that reflect the dark/mysterious tone of the story, therefore helping to set the character of its world. When hunting for just the right description for a neglected Koi pond in the garden, murky green keeps the tone and character of the story in mind.

Sensory Triggers

Visuals: We all know that the visuals we incorporate help build our world’s character, but more is needed for a good fictional read. We need to learn to narrow our focal lens and convey something that moves our reader’s emotions.

Let’s say that after many years have passed, your protagonist is revisiting a childhood home that they left under bad terms. How do you show that nothing can ever be the same again even though life continues on, a portrayal of both regret and hope?

Let them approach the house through a neglected and overgrown yard toward a set of broken steps on the front porch. Now, rather than bore the reader with additional descriptions of a dilapidated old house, narrow the lens.

They might notice the broken flower pot that has spilled over the side of the porch. Their mother’s favorite porch ornament and one they had helped care for while watering her favorite Petunias faithfully. But now the pot was in pieces. However, where the dirt and flowers had fallen next to the steps, the protagonist notices that the Petunias have taken root and have continued to grow on their own.

That’s a simple example but helps the reader to narrow in on the emotion the writer wants them to feel at this point.

In short, narrow the lens at times to create a sensory tripper.

Sounds: Write your story with its own movie-like soundtrack. How enjoyable would your favorite movie be without its soundtrack? Not very, right? The same holds true of your work of fiction.

Use sound sparingly but effectively to emphasize pivotal scenes. And don’t forget that the lack of sound, silence, is a huge mood trigger.

These are just a few tips to get your creative muse thinking. Try them out on your next writing session and let me know how they work for you.