A Guide To Worldbuilding: How To Create A Believable World In Your Manga Story

Summary

In the video, the speaker guides viewers on how to begin world-building for their comic, manga, and webtoon projects. They emphasize the importance of establishing rules and boundaries for a fictional world, which provides structure for character development. The speaker suggests starting with a point of interest, listing world rules, and considering the genre to shape the world's environment and culture. Language and historical influences are also crucial for creating a believable and engaging world. The video recommends Skillshare for classes on improving storytelling and world-building skills, highlighting a specific class that covers creating unique and powerful worlds. By analyzing popular series, viewers can enhance their own world-building abilities.

Takeaways

• 🎨 **Skillshare Recommendation**: The video introduces Skillshare as a platform for learning and creativity, with classes on comic and manga creation.
• 🌟 **World Building Importance**: World building is essential for establishing the setting, rules, and structure of a story, allowing characters to develop.
• 📜 **Establishing Rules**: Define the unique rules and laws of your fictional world, even if it's based on the real world, to set the stage for your narrative.
• 🌍 **Starting Point**: Select a starting point for your world building, such as creatures or language, to make the process more manageable.
• 🔍 **List Rules and Laws**: Determine the governing system, use of magic, and other laws that shape the world and its characters.
• 🏙️ **World Type**: Reflect your story's genre by deciding if your world is dystopian, fantasy, or set on Earth, Alternate Earth, or an entirely imaginary world.
• 🌳 **Environment Description**: Describe the environment, weather, natural disasters, and resources to understand the world's biology and atmospheric science.
• 🏛️ **Culture Definition**: Define the social behaviors, institutions, norms, and beliefs of the inhabitants to create a meaningful existence for your characters.
• 🗣️ **Language Consideration**: Consider the communication methods and languages used in your world, including any taboos or off-limits terms.
• ⏳ **Historical Influences**: Develop a history for your world, including wars, rivalries, and societal developments to add depth and context.
• 📚 **Analyze Existing Works**: Study popular series to understand how they develop their worlds, which can enhance your own world building skills.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of world building in creating a fictional story?

The primary purpose of world building is to give structure to your story, establish the rules and boundaries of your imaginary world, and provide a foundation for character development and growth throughout the narrative.

How does Skillshare support the process of world building for creators?

Skillshare is an online learning community offering thousands of classes, including those focused on creating comics and manga. It provides resources for improving manga artwork and storytelling abilities, with structured classes that explain complex subjects like world building in a digestible and easy-to-understand manner.

What is the ripple effect and how does it relate to world building?

The ripple effect refers to the impact that a single event or element can have on various aspects of a fictional world. It is a concept used in world building to ensure that all parts of the world are interconnected and that changes in one area can logically affect others, creating a more believable and immersive setting.

Why is it important to establish the rules and laws of your fictional world?

Establishing the rules and laws of your fictional world is crucial because it helps to create a consistent and believable environment for your characters. It also aids in grounding the world and provides a framework within which the story can unfold.

How can the environment of your fictional world impact the story?

The environment of your fictional world can greatly impact the story by influencing the culture, behavior, and survival strategies of the characters. It can also set the tone and mood of the narrative, and affect the types of challenges and conflicts that the characters face.

What role does culture play in world building?

Culture plays a significant role in world building as it encompasses the social behavior, institutions, norms, knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, and habits of the individuals in the groups that inhabit the world. It helps create a population of characters with meaningful existence and adds depth to the world.

Why is language important in the context of world building?

Language is important in world building as it is the principal method of human communication. It can define how inhabitants communicate, establish a common tongue, and create opportunities for conflict through the use of taboo words or concepts.

How can historical influences shape the world you've created?

Historical influences can shape the world by providing a backstory that creates an added dimension and makes the world feel more tangible. It helps in understanding the current state of the story, the relationships between different societies or groups, and can influence the motivations and actions of characters.

What are some examples of manga with extraordinary world building?

Examples of manga with extraordinary world building include 'One Piece', 'The Promised Neverland', 'Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic', 'Fullmetal Alchemist', and 'Fairy Tail'.

How can an aspiring storyteller benefit from analyzing popular series for their world building?

An aspiring storyteller can benefit by understanding how popular series develop their worlds, which can provide insights into effective world building techniques, character development, and narrative structure. This analysis can help strengthen their own world building skills.

What is the significance of having a well-structured class on world building like the one taught by Lincoln Michelle?

A well-structured class on world building, like the one taught by Lincoln Michelle, is significant because it breaks down a complex subject into manageable sections, making it easier to understand and apply. This structured approach allows learners to absorb and retain the information more effectively.

How does the video encourage viewers to engage with the content and community?

The video encourages viewers to engage with the content by asking them to leave a like, subscribe to the YouTube channel, and comment on which anime or manga they believe has the best world building. This promotes interaction and fosters a sense of community among viewers.