Meredith Mansfield, Author

What I’m doing right now (well not right now, but you know that) is to go back through the early chapters of BECOME and try to make sure that the world building comes across to the reader. This is the foundation on which a fantasy novel is built. If the reader doesn’t understand the rules of the world, how can they understand the story?

At the same time, it’s absolutely necessary to avoid the dreaded info dump. This where a story essentially stops dead for several paragraphs or several pages (or, in the worst case I’ve ever read, an entire chapter) while the author explains the world. That’s just boring–and the one thing an author can’t do is bore the reader.

I always try to do the learn-as-you-go method of world building. Explaining–or better yet, showing–only what’s necessary at the moment and letting the world sort of accumulate. But it’s a delicate balance. And obviously from the critiques I’ve received, I missed that mark with BECOME. I really don’t feel I can go ahead with the story until I’ve got that solid foundation under it.

We’ll see how well I’ve succeeded with the patches.

As soon as I think I’ve got that in hand, I’ll go back to the first draft of WAR OF MAGIC. Got to get that done.