Post by Shannon on Jan 10, 2009 15:29:53 GMT -5
World Building for Paranormal Romance
By L. Shannon
Hello and welcome! In case you took a wrong turn this is the workshop on world building basics. I’ve divided the workshop into four lessons. Please comment and get involved wherever you like.
I’ve also set up a post for questions about world building. I’m sure you’ve heard it before – the only stupid question is the one left unasked. Please jump in with any and every question. I’ll do my best to help any way I can.
Who is L. Shannon?
My real name is Shannon and I write paranormal romance (and other paranormal stuff) as L. Shannon. I hear all the time about writers who have been writers all their lives, plotting stories out in crayon while still in the crib. That was not me. I never even considered writing let alone being a writer until 2004. During a nasty bout of insomnia I ran out of books to read. I’ve been a reader all my life and I have thousands of books here covering several walls, but I ran out of new ones and had reread most of my old ones to the point that I was throwing the poor abused books against walls in frustration.
That was when it entered my mind that if I couldn’t live in someone else’s world then maybe I could create my own. ZING! I grabbed a notebook and started doodling ideas down. (Guess what? This was world building and I just didn’t know it.) Soon the characters showed up and I was hooked. There’s no way they’ll let me stop now. Too many still have stories to be told.
What does L. Shannon write?
I started off writing about a werewolf family. Since I’ve been involved with dog training and showing for over 25 years I figured the canine nature would fall under the “write what you know” adage. The first Eagle Clan book, Father of the Wolf was where it all started but soon I branched out from werewolves to demons, vampires, ghosts, selkies and a few things that didn’t even have names. Now I have over 25 works available and more soon on the way.
You can learn more me and my writing at www.lshannon.net and sign up for my news and contests at groups.yahoo.com/group/LShannon/
Why L. Shannon to teach world building?
I didn’t have an answer so I let others answer that one…
"Ms. Shannon brings the world of magic and Shape-shifters to life with her wonderful imaginative and descriptive writing.” PNR-The Best Reviews
"L. Shannon is a master at creating a mythical world and making it seem realistic; I almost expected to turn a corner and find my own shifter waiting for me. Father of the Wolf is an incredible story, and Athair and Hope fit each other perfectly." Joyfully Reviewed
"This world that L. Shannon has brought to life is one that I'd love to live in…” In the Library Reviews
"This (Walking with Synn) was just a small taste of the demons that L. Shannon has brought to life and it is simply amazing. It is cuts right to the chase, no shortcuts allowed.” Coffee Time Romance
My short answer for anyone who asks how to build a world… There is no wrong way to world build so long as it works. I’ll discuss the more in depth answer in the following lessons, which are mostly just guidelines for what I’ve seen and tried which I thought worked. By worked I mean, the author drew me into the story deeply enough that I forgot I was reading a book, and instead lived and breathed within the story. Now that is good world building.
Now try this:
Think about your favorite authors. Which ones do you think do the best job of world building? Why do you think so? (My pick would be JR Ward with her Black Dagger Brotherhood novels.)
By L. Shannon
Hello and welcome! In case you took a wrong turn this is the workshop on world building basics. I’ve divided the workshop into four lessons. Please comment and get involved wherever you like.
I’ve also set up a post for questions about world building. I’m sure you’ve heard it before – the only stupid question is the one left unasked. Please jump in with any and every question. I’ll do my best to help any way I can.
Who is L. Shannon?
My real name is Shannon and I write paranormal romance (and other paranormal stuff) as L. Shannon. I hear all the time about writers who have been writers all their lives, plotting stories out in crayon while still in the crib. That was not me. I never even considered writing let alone being a writer until 2004. During a nasty bout of insomnia I ran out of books to read. I’ve been a reader all my life and I have thousands of books here covering several walls, but I ran out of new ones and had reread most of my old ones to the point that I was throwing the poor abused books against walls in frustration.
That was when it entered my mind that if I couldn’t live in someone else’s world then maybe I could create my own. ZING! I grabbed a notebook and started doodling ideas down. (Guess what? This was world building and I just didn’t know it.) Soon the characters showed up and I was hooked. There’s no way they’ll let me stop now. Too many still have stories to be told.
What does L. Shannon write?
I started off writing about a werewolf family. Since I’ve been involved with dog training and showing for over 25 years I figured the canine nature would fall under the “write what you know” adage. The first Eagle Clan book, Father of the Wolf was where it all started but soon I branched out from werewolves to demons, vampires, ghosts, selkies and a few things that didn’t even have names. Now I have over 25 works available and more soon on the way.
You can learn more me and my writing at www.lshannon.net and sign up for my news and contests at groups.yahoo.com/group/LShannon/
Why L. Shannon to teach world building?
I didn’t have an answer so I let others answer that one…
"Ms. Shannon brings the world of magic and Shape-shifters to life with her wonderful imaginative and descriptive writing.” PNR-The Best Reviews
"L. Shannon is a master at creating a mythical world and making it seem realistic; I almost expected to turn a corner and find my own shifter waiting for me. Father of the Wolf is an incredible story, and Athair and Hope fit each other perfectly." Joyfully Reviewed
"This world that L. Shannon has brought to life is one that I'd love to live in…” In the Library Reviews
"This (Walking with Synn) was just a small taste of the demons that L. Shannon has brought to life and it is simply amazing. It is cuts right to the chase, no shortcuts allowed.” Coffee Time Romance
My short answer for anyone who asks how to build a world… There is no wrong way to world build so long as it works. I’ll discuss the more in depth answer in the following lessons, which are mostly just guidelines for what I’ve seen and tried which I thought worked. By worked I mean, the author drew me into the story deeply enough that I forgot I was reading a book, and instead lived and breathed within the story. Now that is good world building.
Now try this:
Think about your favorite authors. Which ones do you think do the best job of world building? Why do you think so? (My pick would be JR Ward with her Black Dagger Brotherhood novels.)