Storyworld First- A Book Review

It's time! Today I am reviewing Storyworld first: Creating a Unique Fantasy World for Your Novel  by Jill Williamson.

 

Here is the description.

 

 

The question I hear most about building a storyworld is,

“Where do I start?”

Oz, Wonderland, Narnia, the 100 Acre Wood, Neverland, Hogwarts, the United Federation of Planets, Westeros, Middle Earth, Alagaesia, Terabithia, Gotham City, Jurassic Park, Fablehaven, and a galaxy far, far away.

These fictional places have become real in the minds and hearts or readers. These storyworlds that someone invented-someone who was once like you, learning to tell stories, learning to write, and dreaming about publishing a novel.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or are looking to add depth to a finished story, Storyworld First will get you thinking.

 

Includes tips for worldbuilding:

-Astronomy
-Magic
-Government
-Map making
-History
-Religion
-Technology
-Languages
-Culture

And how it all works together.

 

♥♥♥♥♥

I loved this book.

I love it to no end.

 

I've read quite a few books on writing, and lots of articles, but they usually read like a list of rules. Jill's book is chuck full of useful hints, tricks, and ideas for me to pursue, but doesn't set any hard fast rules that must be obeyed at all cost.

I've been using this book for world building my fantasy novel that I am doing for this years 100 for 100 challenge  . , and I am thrilled to say that this is the best story world I've come up with so far (in my opinion).

 

Jill covers all the major points of interest in a story world, as you can see from the list up there ^. She also covers most of the minor ones (as well as giving helpful reminders to quit plotting and start writing already).

Her examples were very helpful and I am in love with the diagrams and information sheets at the end of the book.

(She has those for free on her website, and you can find them here.)

 

I don't have any down points for this book. If you're a writer and like to have your world play a big role in your story, this is a must.

You can find it on paperback and kindle, along with all of the other cool books she has written, here.