© 2019 Matt Starr
Imagine that tomorrow you woke up in an infinite, white space, except for the ground, which looks like a blueprint for the room you were sleeping in when you went to bed.
If you wouldn’t like that, neither would your characters.
Now that you understand the value of building a world, where do you start start construction?
As Christian writers, we find an easy place to start is the gospel. After we have our starting place, we examine the assumptions we have. What kind of world does the gospel of Jesus Christ assume? It presumes the existence of good and evil. It presumes the nature of humanity can be changed when it encounters the salvific power of God. It presumes that there is a spiritual reality beyond the material reality.
So far, we have a world where good and evil exist, where people can change, and where not everything can be explained by natural means.
Let’s keep digging.
Not only do good and evil exist, but they are in conflict with one another. Ultimately, good wins in the end. There is enough good in the world for people to recognize good, and by definition, its opposite, evil.
Thus far, we haven’t constructed a world that is limited to a fantasy or science fiction setting. If we write fantasy or science fiction, it will be confined within the principles we’ve discovered. Cannibal werewolves aren’t going to rule the world at the end of the story because good wins in the end, not evil.
Already, the blueprint in our room is transforming into walls and ceilings.
So how do we add luxury items like windows and a bed?
Ask Why
Imagine a stereotypical wand-wielding, pointy-hat-wearing wizard or witch.
Why a wand?
Now answer the question any way you want.
Because the first wizards tried to use swords, but the magic substance would fly out of the edge of the sword, so wizards and witches confined the exit point to a pinprick, maximizing its impact.
Why a pointy hat?
A wizard journeyed to a rainy area and never took off his hat so he could keep himself dry. The natives associated the pointy hat with his profession. When other wizards journeyed there, they wore the same style hat to signify their profession. The fashion spread from there.
These are just a couple of the questions you can ask yourself to add dimensions and accessories to the blueprint world you first imagine. And before you know it, you’ll have built a world where the gospel and fantasy meet.
____________________
Matt Starr is an award-winning filmmaker who has begun his journey telling stories on paper, not just the screen. Although he has yet to be published for his fiction, he has been published on The Odyssey Online, where his blogs were among the most popular in his college bracket. He currently lives in Memphis, Tennessee, with his wife, Jennifer.
