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

MONITOR COMICS

11 Jan 202306:40

Summary

TLDRIn 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.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to World Building in Comics, Manga, and Webtoons

The video begins with an introduction to the concept of world building, emphasizing its importance in creating a fictional universe for comics, manga, and webtoon projects. The speaker outlines that by the end of the video, viewers will have a comprehensive understanding of how to start building their own fictional worlds. Before diving into the main topic, the video features a sponsorship message from Skillshare, an online learning platform offering a wide range of classes, including those focused on comic and manga creation. The speaker particularly recommends a class by Lincoln Michelle, which covers various aspects of world building, such as the ripple effect, thematic role building, and creating compelling narratives. The class structure is praised for its digestibility and the way it breaks down complex subjects into understandable segments. The video concludes the introduction by encouraging viewers to use the provided link for a one-month free trial of Skillshare, supporting the creative community.

05:01

🌏 Essential Elements of World Building for Fictional Stories

This paragraph delves into the fundamental elements of world building, explaining that it involves establishing the setting, landscape, tone, themes, and morality of a fictional world. The process is crucial for character development and story structure. The speaker suggests starting by setting the rules and boundaries of the imaginary world, even if it's based on the real world, as it will have unique rules. The importance of considering antagonists and external conflicts is highlighted as a means to shape the nature of the world. Two approaches to creating a fictional world are discussed: juxtaposing real-life elements with fantastical ones, and creating entirely imaginary universes with distinct physical laws, logic, races, and creatures. The paragraph provides a list of questions to consider when building a world, such as selecting a starting point, listing rules and laws, establishing the type of world, describing the environment, defining cultures, and the importance of language. It also touches on the significance of historical influences in creating a rich backstory, which can add depth and tangibility to the world. The speaker concludes by encouraging aspiring storytellers to analyze popular series to improve their world-building skills and to apply the discussed questions to their own projects.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡World Building

World building is the process of constructing an imaginary world, including its geography, history, culture, and rules. It is crucial for creating a fictional setting that is immersive and believable for readers or viewers. In the video, world building is the central theme, as it lays the groundwork for character development and the narrative's structure. The script discusses how to begin world building in various forms of storytelling, such as comics, manga, and webtoons.

💡Skillshare

Skillshare is an online learning platform offering a wide range of classes, particularly useful for creatives looking to improve their skills. In the context of the video, it is mentioned as the sponsor and is recommended for classes focused on creating comics and manga. The speaker highlights a specific class on Science Fiction and Fantasy that covers world building, emphasizing the platform's role in fostering creativity and learning.

💡Lincoln Michelle

Lincoln Michelle is a professional writer and university professor who is known for his genre-blending stories. In the video, he is mentioned as the instructor of a Skillshare class that the speaker took, which focused on creating unique and powerful worlds. His expertise and the class structure are praised for making the complex subject of world building more digestible.

💡Rules and Boundaries

Establishing rules and boundaries is a fundamental aspect of world building. It involves defining how the world operates, including its physical laws, social norms, and the existence of elements like magic. The script emphasizes that even if a world is based on reality, it will have unique rules that are integral to the story's setting and the characters' experiences.

💡Antagonist and External Conflicts

An antagonist and external conflicts are essential elements in storytelling that provide challenges for the main characters. In the context of world building, considering these elements helps shape the nature of the world and its systems. The video suggests that keeping potential conflicts in mind can assist in developing a more dynamic and engaging fictional universe.

💡Genre Reflection

The genre of a story greatly influences the type of world that is created. A world should reflect the tone, themes, and expectations associated with its genre. For instance, a dystopian setting will differ significantly from a fantasy or science fiction world. The video encourages creators to consider the genre when building their world to ensure consistency and resonance with the intended narrative.

💡Environment and Impact

Describing the environment of a fictional world and understanding its impact on the inhabitants is vital for world building. The video script asks creators to consider factors like weather, natural disasters, and natural resources, which can affect the lifestyle and culture of the characters. This environmental detail helps in creating a more realistic and comprehensive world.

💡Culture

Culture encompasses the social behavior, institutions, norms, and collective knowledge of a society. In world building, defining the culture helps in creating a population of characters with meaningful existence. The video discusses the importance of understanding beliefs, religions, customs, and celebrations within the world, which can add depth and richness to the narrative.

💡Language

Language is a principal method of human communication and is a critical component in world building. The video script prompts creators to consider how inhabitants communicate, whether there is a common language, and if there are any linguistic taboos. Language can be used to create conflict or to reflect the cultural and social structures of the world.

💡Historical Influences

The history of a fictional world can provide a rich backdrop for the current state of the story. The video encourages creators to think about the world's past events, such as wars, rivalries, and significant developments. Historical influences can add a layer of complexity and make the world feel more tangible and interconnected.

💡Compelling Storytelling

The ultimate goal of world building is to support compelling storytelling with well-developed characters. The video emphasizes that a well-constructed world should be distinct from the real world and should serve the narrative, enhancing the reader's or viewer's experience. Examples of manga with extraordinary world building, such as One Piece and Fullmetal Alchemist, are given to illustrate successful applications of this concept.

Highlights

Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of online classes for anyone who loves learning and wants to explore their creativity.

Skillshare classes range from photography, illustration, graphic design, animation, freelancing, and more.

The class 'Science Fiction and Fantasy: Creating Unique and Powerful Worlds' by Lincoln Michelle is recommended for improving manga artwork and storytelling abilities.

World building is a part of the writing process that establishes where your story takes place.

The purpose of world building is to give your story structure and to establish the rules and boundaries of your imaginary world.

In a fantasy world, the rules and systems in place may be different from the real world.

Having a general idea of the main characters' challenges helps in developing the nature of your world.

Some writers juxtapose real life elements with fantastical elements, while others create entirely imaginary universes.

Selecting a starting point for world building can help in breaking down the process into individual parts.

List the rules and laws of your world to establish boundaries that help ground your world.

The type of world you create should reflect your story's genre.

Describing your world's environment is essential for fleshing out your world.

Defining the cultures in your world helps create a population of characters with meaningful existence.

Language is a principal method of human communication and is important in world building.

Historical influences can provide a backstory for your world, making it feel more tangible.

Good world building tells a compelling story with well-developed characters in an imaginary world.

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

Analyzing popular series can help you become a stronger world builder.