Episode 133: The Devil in the Details, ft. M.J. KUHN

Worldbuilding for Masochists

A perennial question that our listeners often have is: How do you organize your worldbuilding? Do you have templates to use? Charts to fill out? Once you start imagining all your fantastic choices, how do you keep track of them all and then weave them along with your plot? Well, the answer to all of this, as with so many writing questions, is "do what works for you" -- but how do you even figure out what that is, or if it's the same from one project to the next? In this episode, guest M.J. Kuhn joins us to share tips, tricks, and tidbits from her new worldbuilding workbook!

Whether you start world-first, character-first, plot-first, or some hybrid, it can be useful to put some structures around how you develop your worldbuilding ideas. Those structures might be particularly useful when you get stuck or lost within your project! They might help you find the world-related obstacles you want to put in your characters' paths, the trees you want to chase them up, the rocks you want to throw at them. Careful attention to how you worldbuild can also help you revise your ideas over time, from project to project. Many tools can be adapted to your individual writing style and habits!

We also want to remind you that, at the time this episode goes up, you still have two days to submit your ballot for the Hugo Awards! And we would love your consideration for Best Fancast.

Transcript for Episode 133

Our Guest: M.J. Kuhn is a fantasy writer by night and a mild-mannered marketing employee by day. She lives in the metro Detroit area with her husband Ryan, a dog named Wrex, and the very spoiled cat Thorin Oakenshield.