Writing Workshop Part 2

Lore vs World Building

One of the most popular genres of fiction writing in the last decade is fantasy and science fiction.

From major blockbuster franchises such as Lord of The Rings and Alien to the wide variety of shows and novels all throughout the market. These projects and their success prove that fables will always spark in the human mind. 

Creating these projects individually, however, can be an undertaking, and if it’s one's interest to write a story within this genre, they’ll be thrown into a big discussion: Lore vs Worldbuilding. 

These two terms are often assumed to be interchangeable yet it is much more complicated. 

World building is the creation of the general context within a fictional sphere while lore is the act of delivering the information to a context. Think about it like a watering can. The can itself is the worldbuilding while the spout releases the information that audiences will interact with. 

This article is not here to tell you how you should begin your project. There is no thesis to prioritize as there are so many possible routes you can take to begin your sphere.  People often start with the culture, biology, topography or the demographics of their characters before adding these subjects into the fable. What is more important is to make sure that these aspects of the world you build directly tie to the story. 

There is no correct way to utilize worldbuilding in a project because that is a private endeavor. You can get as specific as you want and you’ll probably have hundreds of documents on certain subjects in your drive. The same can be said for lore. There is a balance that needs to be followed that makes the difference between an alright story with a decent background and a wonderful story. 

Lore that is expressed well will often convey the brief appearance or background of a thing while providing an incentive to provoke further thought. People are inclined to make theories which in turn will get them more invested in the story. 

If someone just described everything verbatim, It would only harm the story as it removes that liberty for discussion. Nuance and specific should definitely be reserved to certain characters in the story 

On the other hand, saying too much won't help anyone. 

Describing the grandeur of the capital city in two or more paragraphs is great and can highlight your writing capability but if it isn’t the major set piece for the novel then there is no need for the reader to know about it. 

Furthermore ignorance is bliss… sometimes 

The reason why expressing so much information can be dangerous is because it can ruin your audience’s experience. Your story shouldn't answer every question that is asked blatantly.  In our life there are so many mysteries and theories that’ll never be solved. How did the Minoan civilization go extinct? Is there alien life? Where did pterosaurs come from? Why does that guy in that hall talk so loud? There should be a harmony between the concepts explained and what should be thought of by the reader.

Storyboard projects take time and effort to create yet the most important thing is to enjoy what you are creating.