on writing LORE instead of worldbuilding

Summary

This video script explores the nuances between world-building and lore in storytelling, emphasizing their distinct roles in crafting immersive narratives. World-building is likened to a grand overview, while lore is a character's subjective perspective. The discussion delves into the importance of balancing these elements, avoiding information overload, and engaging readers' curiosity. It also touches on the writer's process, from 'architects' who meticulously plan to 'gardeners' who let ideas grow organically, and the strategic revelation of world details to enhance the story without overwhelming it.

Takeaways

• 🌐 **World Building vs. Lore**: World building is a comprehensive view of the world, while lore is a singular perspective with a sense of mystery and uncertainty.
• 🎨 **Creative Process**: Some creators focus on world building first, others on the story, with each approach having its own merits.
• 🏗️ **Architects vs. Gardeners**: This analogy refers to whether one meticulously plans (architect) or grows the story organically (gardener).
• 📚 **Importance of Lore**: Lore is how world building is revealed through a character's perspective, influencing the reader's understanding.
• 🔍 **Depth and Mystery**: A preference for showing less world building to maintain curiosity and mystery, rather than overwhelming with details.
• 📉 **The Iceberg Theory**: Only a small percentage of world building should be visible (like an iceberg), with the majority remaining unseen.
• ✍️ **Writing Style**: The delivery of world building should be skillful to avoid info dumps and maintain narrative flow.
• 🧩 **Interconnectedness**: World building elements should connect and contribute to the story, with each piece having narrative significance.
• 📖 **Reader Engagement**: Readers are encouraged to infer and theorize, making them active participants in the world building process.
• 🌟 **Characterization**: World building should be revealed through characters in a way that enhances their portrayal and the story's depth.

Q & A

What is the main difference between world-building and lore according to the script?

World-building is described as a broader, 'Rider's eye view' on the world, focusing on the creation and structure of the world as a whole. Lore, on the other hand, is more about the specific knowledge and stories that are passed down and known within the world, often from a singular perspective and can be subjective or incomplete.

Why does the script emphasize the importance of differentiating between world-building and lore?

Differentiating between world-building and lore is important because it helps in understanding how information is presented and experienced within a story. It also influences the storytelling process, whether the author starts with a world and then finds a story or starts with a story and builds the world around it.

What are the two different approaches to world-building mentioned in the script?

The script mentions two approaches to world-building: 'Architects' who plan and design the world meticulously before writing the story, and 'Gardeners' who dive into the story and let the world grow organically around it.

How does the script suggest balancing world-building with the narrative?

The script suggests that a balance is achieved by focusing on the essential world-building elements that are necessary for understanding the story and integrating them seamlessly with the narrative. It also advises against 'info dumping' and instead recommends weaving world details naturally into the story.

What is the 'iceberg theory' mentioned in the script in relation to world-building?

The 'iceberg theory' refers to the idea that only a small percentage (10%) of the world-building should be visible to the reader, with the majority (90%) remaining unseen, much like an iceberg. This encourages curiosity and a sense of depth, as readers are left to infer and imagine the rest of the world.

Why does the script advise against showing too much world-building information?

Showing too much world-building information can lead to a bloated story and detract from the narrative. It's important to focus on what is essential to the story and allow the reader's imagination to fill in the gaps, creating a more immersive and engaging experience.

What role do characters play in delivering world-building information according to the script?

Characters play a crucial role in delivering world-building information by experiencing and interacting with the world. Their perspectives and reactions to the world provide a lens through which readers can understand and interpret the setting and lore.

How should world-building details be integrated into the story according to the script?

World-building details should be integrated into the story naturally and subtly, often through character interactions, environmental descriptions, and narrative significance. The script advises against 'maid and butler' dialogues and instead promotes the use of characterization and context to reveal world details.

What is the significance of the 'trickle-down effect' in world-building as mentioned in the script?

The 'trickle-down effect' refers to how core world-building concepts can influence and give rise to more detailed and specific lore. It's about creating a hierarchy of world-building elements where the most important aspects directly affect the plot, while the less important ones contribute to the atmosphere and depth of the world.

How does the script use the example of 'Dune' to illustrate the concept of world-building?

The script uses 'Dune' as an example to show how major world-building concepts like economy, resource management, and political houses can be broken down into more detailed and specific elements, such as the desert planet of Arrakis, the spice trade, and various houses, each contributing to the depth and complexity of the world.

What advice does the script give for writers who are new to world-building?

The script advises new writers to understand their own creative process, experiment with different world-building styles, and find a balance between providing enough detail to make the world feel real while leaving room for the reader's imagination. It also encourages writers to learn from doing and to consider tools like mind mapping and mood boarding to aid in the world-building process.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Art of World Building vs. Lore

The speaker discusses the distinction between world building and lore in storytelling. World building is described as a comprehensive, 'Rider's eye view' of the entire world, focusing on the act of creation. Lore, on the other hand, is more mysterious and singular, representing a character's perspective and knowledge. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the difference, as it influences the storytelling process. They also touch on the debate between 'Architects' and 'Gardeners' in world building, suggesting a middle ground where world building is done on the fly, fitting into the story as needed. The speaker advocates for a balance between the two, with a preference for less world building to allow for curiosity and mystery.

05:01

📚 Balancing World Building and Storytelling

This paragraph delves into the balance between world building and the actual story. The speaker argues that while world building is essential, it should not overshadow the narrative or the characters. They discuss the concept of 'iceberg theory', suggesting that only a small portion of the world building should be visible to the reader, with the majority remaining hidden to maintain intrigue. The speaker also talks about the importance of showing only what is essential to the story, allowing the reader's imagination to fill in the gaps. They mention the use of visual tools like mind maps and mood boards to aid in the creative process, and the importance of characterizing world building elements through the eyes of the characters to make them feel natural and relevant.

10:02

🗣️ Delivering World Building Through Narrative

The final paragraph focuses on how to effectively convey world building details through the narrative. The speaker warns against info dumping and instead suggests integrating world building information naturally into the story. They provide examples of how to use character dialogue and environmental details to subtly reveal information about the world. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of making world building details narratively significant to the characters, thus avoiding the feeling of being 'spoon-fed' information. They conclude by acknowledging that while world building is a fun and important aspect of storytelling, it should be delivered in a way that enhances the story without overwhelming it.

Keywords

💡World Building

World building refers to the process of constructing an imaginary world, particularly for storytelling, and includes creating its history, geography, and culture. In the video, world building is likened to having a 'rider's eye view' on the world, suggesting a comprehensive and holistic approach to creating a setting that is as detailed and immersive as possible. The speaker discusses the balance between providing enough world building to make a story feel lived in without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary details.

💡Lore

Lore, in the context of the video, pertains to the collective information, stories, and myths that are part of a fictional world's history and culture. It is described as having a sense of mystery because it often represents a singular perspective, not an objective truth. Lore is how world building is exposited through a character's eyes, and it is the information that is revealed to the reader as the story unfolds, contrasting with the broader scope of world building.

💡Architects vs. Gardeners

This concept is used to differentiate between two approaches to world building. 'Architects' meticulously plan and design their worlds before writing, while 'Gardeners' allow the world to grow organically as the story develops. The video suggests that the speaker sits 'squarely in the middle,' starting with characters and then building the world around them, which illustrates a balanced approach that incorporates both planning and organic growth.

💡Info Dump

An 'info dump' is a term used to describe the act of conveying excessive amounts of information to the reader in a way that feels forced or unnatural. The video warns against this practice, advocating instead for a more skillful and subtle integration of world-building details into the narrative. It is mentioned as a pitfall of 'front-loading' world building, where too much information is presented upfront.

💡Iceberg Theory

The 'iceberg theory' is a metaphor used in the video to describe the relationship between the visible part of a story (the 'lore') and the larger, less visible world building that underpins it. Only 10% of the iceberg (the lore) is above water, representing what the reader directly interacts with, while the remaining 90% (the world building) is beneath the surface, unseen but providing depth and context.

💡Characterization

Characterization is the process of revealing and developing characters in a narrative. In the video, it is emphasized as a tool for delivering world-building information in a way that feels natural and relevant to the story. The speaker suggests that characterizing world-building elements can make them feel more integral to the narrative, as opposed to mere exposition.

💡Plot Devices

Plot devices are elements of a story that are used to advance the plot or resolve a conflict. The video discusses how world-building concepts can serve as plot devices, and it is important that they are executed well to avoid feeling contrived. An example given is the 'Babble fish' from 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,' which, despite being a fantastical element, works within the story because it is consistent with the world's rules and contributes to the narrative.

💡Tone

Tone refers to the mood or atmosphere of a narrative, which can be influenced by the world-building details. The video suggests that while some world-building elements may not directly impact the plot, they can still contribute to the tone of the story, making the world feel more immersive and engaging.

💡Dystopian Cyberpunk

This term is used in the video to describe a specific genre of science fiction that often features advanced technology in a decaying society. The video uses the example of neon lights and cybernetics to illustrate how environmental details can quickly convey the tone and setting of a dystopian cyberpunk world.

💡Show, Don't Tell

The 'show, don't tell' mantra is a common piece of writing advice that encourages writers to convey information through action and description rather than direct exposition. The video discusses this concept in the context of world-building, suggesting that writers should weave world details naturally into the narrative to create a sense of wonder and curiosity in the reader.

💡Red Herrings

A 'red herring' is a literary device that introduces a false lead or misleading information. The video mentions red herrings as an example of how world-building concepts can be used as plot devices, affecting the story by creating suspense or misdirecting the reader.

Highlights

The distinction between world building and lore is discussed, with world building being a comprehensive view and lore being a singular perspective.

World building is likened to the sun, providing the foundation, while lore is the lens that focuses it, suggesting the importance of both in storytelling.

The speaker differentiates between 'architects' and 'gardeners' in world building, indicating different approaches to creating a story's setting.

A preference for minimal world building is expressed, advocating for only what is necessary to enhance the story.

The importance of not overwhelming the reader with excessive world building is emphasized to maintain engagement.

The concept of the 'iceberg theory' is introduced, suggesting that only a small portion of world building should be visible to the reader.

The speaker discusses the balance between providing enough world building to satisfy curiosity without overdoing it.

The idea that world building should be delivered naturally through the narrative is presented, avoiding info dumps.

The use of character perspective to reveal world building details is highlighted as a key storytelling technique.

The speaker warns against the pitfalls of excessive world building, such as the 'info dump' problem.

The importance of understanding one's own creative process in world building is emphasized for effective storytelling.

The concept of 'front-loading' versus 'back-loading' world building is discussed in terms of its impact on the narrative.

The speaker suggests that world building should be revealed through the story's progression rather than all at once.

The idea that readers can infer and connect with the world building if it's presented in a skillful way is mentioned.

The speaker provides examples of how world building can be integrated into the narrative without overwhelming the reader.

The importance of characterizing world building elements to make them feel organic to the story is discussed.

The speaker concludes by emphasizing that world building should serve the story and not overshadow it.

Transcripts

I don't know if you personally see a

difference between World building and

law you've never thought about it before

or you just rather experience your

process than apply labels to it which is

valid but the way I see it and I'm not

the first to make this delineation world

building is much more expensive it is a

Rider's eye view on the world as a whole

it is an act it is the doing the doing

yes yes the

doing then there's lore the very

definition of the word infers a sense of

mystery and that is because we are

introducing a barrier to knowledge it is

a singular perspective not objective

truth that information could be cute

there is a lot more uncertainty a belief

it could be wrong it could only be half

right it's how the concrete World

building you have is exposited the

unraveling of your world as your

character see it and by extension the

read it so essentially it's what frames

the entirety of the World building if

World building is the sun then lore is

the lens that focuses it but why do I

make it a point to differentiate the two

and why do I focus more on one over the

other well the first part of it has a

little something to do with how you

world build in the first place do you

just love building a world and so you

you do and then maybe try to find a

story in that world one just comes to

you or do you explore the story first

and follow whatever World building

thread that pops up before eventually

solidifying and expanding afterwards

story or world first it's a cosmetic

difference right no major advantage

either way yet it's still very important

however to this whole world building and

law discussion it's basically Architects

versus gardeners but specifically for

the world because you're an architect

for your plot and story doesn't

necessarily mean you'll do as much

planning for your world building I sit

squarely in the middle it's different

for every piece but stories usually

start from a character for me I'll build

around them then thoroughly plan out and

dive into the story when I feel

comfortable writing in that world then

just come up with whatever else my world

needs on the Fly and Pat it down to fit

with everything else that being said

Architects for the stories usually tend

to be Architects for the world as well

and vice versa garders will dive into

the story immediately they fall in love

with a central concept or idea not a

single plan inside because they're

insane and they scare me but since

they're already in the story when they

come up with any piece of Ro building

it's colored by at least one perspective

it's always lore always bias information

painted from that character's point of

view only coming up when it's relevant

you're writing and raw building on the

Fly and you may make notes but most of

it is done afterwards and even though I

lean more towards the other half it's

not without its flaws if you planned

information about your world beforehand

you have a tendency to convey that

information wholesale because it's there

you know it I always urge rers to study

their process everyone has a unique

pipeline they run your work through and

the more you understand that process the

more you can streamline the easier it is

to integrate parts from other people's

process and the more reputable it is

again every rer and every piece is going

to be different it's about finding your

core storytelling tools thinking about

it this way might be antithetical to

your mode of operation but at the end of

the day it's your prerogative having

experimented with both Styles front

loading is more prone to that info Dum

problem I just mentioned but backloading

the World building leaves me with a

draft that only contains what is

necessary for the plot which first left

me with a question why is that a bad bad

thing you don't want the story bloated

with unnecessary World building but at

the same time the moment anyone Dives

below surface level there's nothing

there but it brings me back to lore

whether your world building revisions

are mostly additive or reductive when

there is a happy medium seamless Harmony

between the core World building that

needs to be exposited and the concept on

the fringes to me that's the mark of

great world building It's Tricky but

nailing that means there's as much depth

as anyone wants to see and that is where

a world starts to feel lived in that

being said I found I prefer barely

enough World building rather than too

much I've said World building is the Sun

and lore is the lens that focuses it but

that metaphor is actually just the

iceberg Theory we don't need need to do

another explanation but at 10% that's

peeking out of the water is the lore of

Your World the part your characters and

readers actually interact with and color

with their own perspective the other 90%

below the surface the part they barely

see that's the rest of the world

building you have again you want both

but the reason I say I prefer a world

that gives me less instead of more is

because of curiosity and mystery 10% is

just an arbitrary number I picked it

depends on the story it's usually more

for larger stories styles that thrive

off logical consistency harder worlds

but you're still not going to show a

majority of the World building you've

come up with one because the more

information you want to convey the more

skillful you need to be to not have the

pros be the clunkiest thing ever written

and two readers are smart they're going

to infer they're going to make

connections and come up with theories

actually haven't gotten into Souls born

games as much as I'd like but from what

I understand they're very much styled

like this letting the player covered a

story with bits and pieces of

information very interactive and

collaborative World building or random

this Batman short story from the Gotham

9s animated movie that's really fun it

paints a picture with flashbacks and

retellings using these kids in a Gotham

skate park to portray the cape Crusader

as this urban legend completely

different every time and you slowly get

an inkling of what's actually happening

not everyone is going to love how much

you have to dig to get the story of

course preferences are going to be

different so write the story you want to

write but I've also never heard of read

ago yeah I just love this writer

spelling out every single Nuance of

their world in excruciating detail like

I'm a 2-year-old nobody wants to be

spoonfed even babies again the plot Your

Story covers is probably going to

interact with a small part of the world

and maybe Loosely touch on the others

showing the entirety of those other

parts is just you going hey look at all

this cool extra World building I did and

don't look at me I agree with you it is

cool World building but I've talked

about how writers create immersive

worlds before and a huge part of it to

me at least is figuring out where you

draw the line for how much to give how

much room you allow the reader's

imagination to run wild versus how much

you choose to lay out for them you learn

by doing but I'm currently in the middle

of brainstorming a Sci-Fi short story

and my shorts process is much more messy

and visual which makes Millan note

fantastic for it I pretty much have a

digital whiteboard where I can just

brain dump whatever ideas get me excited

to write the piece I can also start

working on the story structure and there

are templates for that though I like to

create my own which it perfectly allows

I also collect notes for research and

this is great for that I can pair those

notes with the right images which just

leads to even more inspiration collages

mood boards character sheets if you're a

visual thinker this is pretty awesome

the story kind of takes place on a SPAC

shipwreck and I mood boarded the

different sections which help me plan

out different scenes and it's not just

limited to me as a writer any creative

Endeavor is game honestly photography

illustration video making I'm actually

trying to integrate this into my YouTube

ideation process as well and you can

easily share your boards if it's a

collaborative project I recommend giving

Millen note a testrun at least it's

completely free no trial period

experiment with your next creative

project link is in the description and

thanks to mil note for sponsoring this

video but back to the topic at hand if

showing everything is not ideal it

immediately begs the question what

exactly do you show and how do you show

it the former half of that question

largely depends on what is necessary

okay maybe necessary isn't the right

word there's no clear divider between

what is and what isn't that's why

finding that line is so difficult a

better way to phrase it I think is what

is essential to understanding the story

every other world Building Concept after

that can Elevate the story and I don't

want to say they're not important but

they don't take presidence and can

impact the story negatively in excess

how much of a backseat varies across the

spectrum of fantasy and its subgenres

hard fantasy is going to get more leeway

for this stuff than contemporary fantasy

my two cents don't worry about genre too

much again write the story you want to

write but how much of what is being

shown is dependent on the writer their

process the story in question the genre

I think it's about time a drop a fat

writing is objective that being said

aspects of world and setting I would

deem essential to understanding the

story are simply Concepts that Drive

conflict technology cultural diversity

magic systems even storybuilding

Concepts like red herrings and plot

devices it's actually pretty common that

world buing Concepts affect the story as

plot devices like troes splot devices

aren't inherently negative it depends on

the execution technically everything is

a plot device it's all fabricated to

work exactly how the story wants readers

only tend to notice when it doesn't work

how fabricated it feels though is going

to depend on how well you use

storytelling tools set up and payoff and

the like the babble fish in The

Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy could easily

be the most contrived thing ever

especially since the whole story kind of

relies on it to work this Universal

communication device or creature rather

that you put in your ear and can

understand every single language but

it's attached to other worldbuilding

Concepts fits the tone of the story and

never contradicts its own laws and so it

works but remember I said how vast and

lived in a world feels is very dependent

on how seamlessly it transitions between

the parts that interact with the larger

plot and the parts that don't that

trickle down effect is something I've

discussed before with handful of

Concepts trailblazing and offshoot

sprouting their own lore a lot of

storytellers actually World build like

this almost like a skill tree in a video

game expanding and oh look at that it's

the iceberg again the further along the

skill tree we go the more you expand

your world Beyond those core interactive

components the less they matter to the

overall plot that's kind of why they're

beneath the water I'm mixing and

matching metaphors again which means

it's time to look at a concrete example

in Dune Major World building Corners in

Dune are one the economy of planets and

resource management political houses as

well as religious and cultural groups

step down a level more refined more

detailed and we have the desert planet

of araus the spice mange house at trades

and house hakan the Benny jesar the fman

another step lower and we get the sandw

war the mentats minor houses and it

keeps going and going but if you've ever

read dun like a lot of Stories the less

impactful elements are not quite

irrelevant to the story as a whole those

worldbuilding elements that are in the

transition zone and on the fringes might

not matter as much to the L but they can

still affect a lot these elements add to

the tone enhance themes characterize

characterization is so sweet when it's

done well again excess can breed

negative impact but you can pretty much

justify anything if you characterize it

through a point of view the first law

Trilogy is fantastic at this it is so

packed with Incredible character worth

their personalities just leap off the

page and color the entire narrative you

barely even notice the world unraveling

in front of you you don't just hear

about the Savage Northman living in the

Lawless frigid Wasteland instead you get

the perspective of the character whose

life has been died in Blood and the

creature they've had to become to

survive that place as much as we like to

geek out about this stuff the characters

and the narrative will almost always be

the drivers understanding that means you

can put your cool little World building

in the passenger seat and F them off I

mean if you're going to spoon feed me do

the damn airplane first at least and

we've already started to touch on the

latter half of this question how do you

deliver that essential information

characterizing isn't the same as using a

character to info dump but making that

information be of narrative significance

to the character avoiding maid and

Butler dialogue is actually pretty

common advice characters talking about

things they already know for the sake of

the audience hey maid as you know the

master is out today and as you know

Butler he most likely snuck out to meet

his mistress again and as you know the

lady of the house is not going to like

that nobody wants to be spoonfed but

let's say this information is actually

pretty relevant to the plot let's apply

our characterization sheet code and see

the difference the Master's out again

mistress mistress that man oh the lady's

going to be hitting the liquor tonight

four lines of dialogue and we know the

mass is out cheating is a regular

occurrence it's not a secret staff has a

little disdain but mostly indifference

and they are wary of how wifey chooses

to deal with it everything being

revealed affects a character in some way

paints a picture of them and ideally it

would be done in a way that's natural to

the context of the scene explain it all

to me now these guys are gossips and

they probably cross paths in the kitchen

rather than randomly telling each other

information they're already supposed to

know environmental details also just

weave that low in there naturally and

subtly show don't tell is a writing

Mantra at this point and I have my G

with it but it's mostly good advice neon

lights and cybernetics at every corner

people would rather escape to a virtual

reality aircrafts weaving through giant

hard impact skyscrapers we immediately

understand dystopian cyberpunk world

again readers are going to pick up on

stuff they're going to build wonder and

curiosity and the more you lay out for

them without Crossing that spoon feeding

threshold the higher that curiosity is

going to grow and the more you can feed

them it's actually like the Batman story

I talked about about earlier you get a

little more information each time from

the different perspective of the kids

you know it's just a billionaire in a

bat suit who needs a lot of therapy but

the very short run time manages to peek

enough curiosity to make you wonder

what's actually going on with this

villain he's fighting all over the city

as for the little world buing tidbits

that are just fun and have no real

bearing on anything aside from tone and

atmosphere but you just want to add them

anyway that's okay as it naturally comes

up in the narrative meaning if you're

telling me about how the Cobalt bank for

instance controls the finan of this

world and I'm actually intrigued and

hook cuz it affects the story it might

not be the best place to mention the

cool flora and FAA might be the place to

drop how the currency coin splits up to

form change and can magnetize back

together but leave the cool Flor tidbit

to the assassination scene with a

toxicologist hope the ball is rolling

World building is great it is necessary

and though daunting it can be an

incredibly fun process and maybe you

don't follow everything I said maybe you

don't agree with some of it maybe your

process is wildly different there are

always exceptions but how that world

building is delivered will almost always

take presidence and can make or break

the story a deeper discussion into how

authors create imersive worlds is

available in this video right here but

that's it for me okay bye