World-Building (Or How not to assume your readers are fools.)
World-Building
Or How not to assume your readers are fools.
There is so much information, so many articles and so much advice from so many sources on the Do's and Don't's of writing. As a relative newcomer to the world of publishing, having only recently had my third novel published, I find myself constantly researching ways to do things better, seeking honest advice and critique of my work, and analyzing feedback. One of the subjects which interest me most is that of world-building.
In the course of my research, (and I wish I could recall where I read or heard this), somebody made the very astute observation that we 'should not assume our readers are fools'. It took me a while to figure out exactly what this meant or how to apply this critical piece of advice. In the end, this is what I, personally, took away from it.
We don't have to fill in every single blank and, sometimes, what we don't say is more powerful than what we do say.
What does this mean when applied to the story we're writing?
Some stories require extensive world-building and character description. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, as a classic example, would be an empty shell without all the intricate details woven into every passage and phrase. It is the world, equally as much as it is the story. Asimov's Foundation series or Frank Herbert's Dune would be two further illustrations of this principle.
But not every story is The Lord of the Rings, Foundation, or Dune, and it is vital to the author to differentiate the level of world-building their story requires. A lot can be said in fewer words rather than more and it is equally as powerful to the writer to permit the reader to fill in the blanks for themselves. (Readers have imaginations, too, and sometimes their imaginations can do a great deal more than we give them credit for!)
One of the prime examples of this can be found in writing scenes involving intimacy and it is not in what is written but in what is not written that can be the most compelling.
I recently received feedback on my recently released LGBTQ+ M/M novel where a reader said, "I had no idea I had such a filthy mind!" I took this as a compliment because I don't write the intimate details of the relationships between my characters. I'm not an erotica writer, and never will be (which is no criticism or indictment on those who do, but it's neither in my scope nor in my ability). I believe my strength lies in my ability to write the suggestion of what occurs, and leave the reader to figure out the rest for themselves.
And the same can be said of the world in which a story takes place, whatever world that may be. Write what is necessary for the action taking place. It is not necessary, and in fact removes the reader from the action, to fill in every insignificant detail of the landscape and setting. I've read novels where I've literally been ready to throw the book across the room while swearing at it with the observation that, "If I read one more word about the weather, the scree slope, the trees, the sky, or the hardships the character is experiencing... that's it, I'm done!"
Ask yourself: "Does this add to or take away from the story I'm trying to tell? Is this necessary? Has it, perhaps, already been told?" If it turns out to be superfluous; leave it out!
In conclusion, sometimes, "Less is more."
Happy writing.
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