Sci-fi writers on world-building

[Hopscotch]

'If the aliens lay eggs, how does that affect architecture?': sci-fi writers on how they build their worlds

Authors including Nnedi Okorafor, Kim Stanley Robinson and Alastair Reynolds reveal what does, and doesn’t, go into creating their worlds

Alastair Reynolds:  “My approach to world-building is a bit smoke and mirrors – there’s only as much as you need to carry the story….I like the idea that you write in such a way that the reader thinks they’ve been given a bit of world-building, but they haven’t – they’ve made it up in their own head, or joined up the dots. That’s the way to do it with maximum economy. Clearly this is something that frustrates a lot of readers, but I like leaving stuff out. Let the reader fill in those missing chapters. I’d far rather go and create other stuff to drive them mad.”

Here’s the whole read:  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/05/if-the-aliens-lay-eggs-how-does-that-affect-architecture-sci-fi-writers-on-how-they-build-their-worlds

[Cabbages and kings]

How do you avoid an info dump when you world build?

[PJ Post]

1 Let the world unfold gradually.
2 Have scenes take place in world-building locations.
3 Have characters casually drop 'in world' references - like people do.
4 Reinforce these concepts with subtlety and nuance.

[notthatamanda]

I'm not sci-fi but I focus on being inside the character and how they noticing and reacting to the environment.

[The Masked Scrivener]

My trick to avoid info dumps is to remember it's not new to my character. I let the reader learn about the world through the actions of the characters, and through the interactions characters have with each other as they solve problems.

I'm also an "ice berg" world builder. Only show the top 10% of the world and let the reader think there is another 90%.

[VanessaC]

How do you avoid an info dump when you world build?

If you haven't found them already, Brandon Sanderson's lectures are fab and do include a lot of tips and hints on this - letting the world unfold, and seeing it from your character's perspective. He has a YouTube channel and all the lectures are available there.

[LeonardDHilleyII]

'If the aliens lay eggs, how does that affect architecture?': sci-fi writers on how they build their worlds

Authors including Nnedi Okorafor, Kim Stanley Robinson and Alastair Reynolds reveal what does, and doesn’t, go into creating their worlds

Alastair Reynolds:  “My approach to world-building is a bit smoke and mirrors – there’s only as much as you need to carry the story….I like the idea that you write in such a way that the reader thinks they’ve been given a bit of world-building, but they haven’t – they’ve made it up in their own head, or joined up the dots. That’s the way to do it with maximum economy. Clearly this is something that frustrates a lot of readers, but I like leaving stuff out. Let the reader fill in those missing chapters. I’d far rather go and create other stuff to drive them mad.”


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There's also a problem of a fictional world being TOO vague, which isn't good, either. Description doesn't have to be long chapters. I tend to weave bits and pieces of the scenery and backstory at a slow pace. Info dumps can be excessive, but sometimes for a reader's clarity, it's essential.