Does too much world building at the start make you quit reading?

kyupol 2024-10-01 16:19:18 UTC #21

Doesn't really affect me. Especially if there's lots of stacies to look at

Cheekybee07 2024-10-08 01:19:30 UTC #22

definitely! especially when there's maps and a glossary of characters and how to pronounce their names and everything. I try to ignore him and grit through the worldbuilding as a reader but as a writer I prefer to sprinkle in the worldbuilding and draw the reader in slowly.

If anyone is interested in how I do that, here is my latest novel:

Tubacabra 2024-10-08 01:34:22 UTC #23

If I feel like my readers need context before jumping into the plot, I put it in the description. Otherwise, word building happens little by little as things become relevant. Sure, it means the fan base (such as it is) might have questions, but an inquisitive reader is an invested reader.

As a reader, I don't need to know that the protagonists great great granpappy built an outhouse in the mountains unless said outhouse becomes relevant to the plot (and probably not even then). Just sayin'. Especially with fantasy stories. If a kingdom/country won't be relevant until halfway through the series, there's really no need to introduce it until then. Totally feel where you're coming from.

In my opinion, if it can't be explained in a sentence or less, it can wait a chapter or two. My series briefly describes the landscape and then jumps straight into the conflict. World building can be interesting and fun, but in my opinion, it doesn't really belong in the first chapter.

Lensing 2024-10-08 06:53:31 UTC #24

Stories should all (for me) start like Breaking Bad.
You can apply that to any kind of story, doesn´t matter the genre.
I don´t need to understand why his pants are flying around and why
he is in his underwear or why there is some liquid coming out of the
camper at this point of the story. Nothing needs to
be explained, I don´t care. I want to get hooked to what´s going on,
I want to be left with the feeling of wanting to know more.

The Star Wars episode IV beginning, that BoomerZ mentioned, is similiar for me,
I don´t need to know who Darth Vader is, I don´t need to know anything about the
universe or the space ships and that´s exactly what gets me hooked, I want to find
out who he is during the story.

The big mistake of many writers is that they think that the reader finds all the background
information interesting, how the magic system works and all the details that "you need
to understand" to understand the story. It all makes me stop reading the story. I want
short and super interesting clues and not all of your thoughts, infos and explainations

incoMan 2024-10-08 07:31:03 UTC #25

putting too much lore on the first chapter can overload and scare away your readers, so make sure to get yourself a good hook to keep em from running away

MelancholicOtaku 2024-10-12 17:59:05 UTC #26

I think when it comes to world building finding that sweet spot is a must. Making a novel or comic is like cooking lol, too much salt and you can only taste the saltiness, too little and the food is bland. Basically too much world building Or info dumping is going to be too much for the reader who may not connect with the story and too little the reader may not connect with the story. It should be just a tad bit of mystery sprinkled in the world building.

Honestly I’m still trying to find my perfect middle ground

Cucito 2024-10-12 18:07:01 UTC #27

Honestly it does, even things like info dumps disengage me. I get that sometimes they're unavoidable but starting your first couple of chapters littered with info just disengages me. I know some people think otherwise but do what works best for your readers, if they like too much worldbuilding at the start then keep doing it, if they don't then change it up. At the end of the day there's many different type of story writers, 2 big ones are you either write for your readers or you write for yourself.

Lensing 2024-10-13 05:12:40 UTC #28

I agree with everything you say, but I don´t understand what you mean with

Do you mean that the creators shouldn´t make the mistake to publish backstory?

arcaneer99 2024-10-14 03:50:46 UTC #29

Greetings!

I would like to read a story that's well-balanced with worldbuilding, plot and characters. That balance would keep me attached to an author's work. I wouldn't mind a separate part at the start of the story, sort of like a prelude that welcomes the reader to the world.
When I put my story together, I was worried about my worldbuilding, given that it's completely off-world. I quarreled with myself on whether there's too much or not enough. I learned to keep everything in a story fleshed out.
Worldbuilding doesn't have to be an info dump in the first few chapters. It can be sprinkled every few or so chapters.

SwordSong 2024-10-14 04:37:51 UTC #30

Definitely.

Another thread mentions that most good stories are character-driven, and if a story goes on and on and on without showing/mentioning the people the audience is supposed to care about, then it gets boring fast.

I don't necessarily agree with this. Dumping the audience in a middle of intense action or complicated situation with absolutely no context is also a good way to make me immediately disengage. This might work better in a movie with a chase sequence, but a lot more difficult to pull off with prose.

Cucito 2024-10-14 05:14:03 UTC #31

No that's not what I meant, It's kind of hard to explain because I am not this type of writer so I am just assuming off word of mouth.

In context many writers do write a story for themselves as a goal, not to entertain others, or publish for a wider audience but rather to say "hey I wrote a book/comic/etc." That's what I mean when people write for themselves, they don't really take constructive criticism because they don't really care about it and write for the sole purpose of getting their own story out there.