Building the World

What is the World Your Characters Live In

Where does your characters live? It is important to know whether or not your characters live on this Earth, the moon, or even another planet. How is it the same or different from where we live? This can determine certain behaviors about their habits, lifestyles, or even their personality.

The full description of your world may never make it to paper; however, this comes in handy when making crucial decisions in the writing process. And more of the world you create will be present then you realize too.

Tips When Thinking About Your World

There are a few things to keep in mind when you think about the world you are building. Where are they geographically. Are there cities or rural areas? Or are the characters in a fantasy world? Knowing where the characters are makes a huge difference to the story.

There is also the politics in the world. Are the characters in America or in another country, or is it a fantasy world with its own set of rules? This is something to think about more if it takes place in a different country than yours or a fantasy world. Think about the Hunger Games. This film takes place in a fictional place with its own set of rules and regulations. This is important for you to understand before writing, or you will get stuck more.

In the Hunger Games the citizens are forced to participate in a fight to the death every year. This is a tactic used by the government in order to keep the people from starting a revolution. It was important for the writers to understand all of the rules required in these games before they could write a good movie.

The History to the World

The history to the story is important even though it might not ever make a full appearance on the screen. Where did the world come from that the characters are in. What events shaped the world of the character. In The Hunger Games, the country had been through a rough war which made the people in power feel they needed to cause fear in the people leading to the hunger games emerging. Without knowing where the culture has been it is hard to know where to begin the story.

Final Thoughts

The world for your ideas is going to be different every time, but the thing to remember is that without the background and knowing the world of your characters it is harder to make a good film. These are things to help you think about the film so that it causes less of a headache later since you have already thought about it. Just remember to make sure you understand the world of the characters in order to help you write later.