Working My Way Through Worldbuilding

By Holly Lisle

My agent and I have been waiting for news on the new direction (which is actually an older direction I wanted to take, and a previous proposal from two years ago, resuscitated). There were two proposals from back then that might have been the one Claire wanted to see, and neither Robin nor I were sure which of the two it was. I found out which one today. I’m pleased; I liked that story.

However, what my editor wants is not just one book. She wants a book plus a world — that is, the full proposal, plus a way for other books to be written using the same rather nifty elements that I came up with for that one, that will be tied in to it.

So.

I’ll be spending the weekend worldbuilding to open up what was planned as one book to make room for any number of books written into my eerie little world.

This will entail mapmaking, writing backstory to anchor the first book and all the rest that could (we hope) follow, and creating a series of characters who will fill in the background and provide connection between the unrelated main stories, and then coming up with at least three solid main stories to pitch.

For the first time in the last couple of months, I’m genuinely excited about writing.

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