Building the Mundane
A lot gets discussed about wouldbuilding the fantastical and the extraordinary. Not as often discussed is building the “boring” things, and when it is discussed, it’s often done with the intention of making those things fantastic. However, this isn’t always what’s needed. Sometimes it’s okay, or even necessary, for things to simply be mundane. Just because it’s a fantasy world, doesn’t mean something as basic as eating a meal must be strange and unfamiliar, or that every user of magic must be training to be a great wizard. Sometimes the quiet moments, or corners of the world, are where there’s the most space for story to blossom, or characters to grow.
This article will cover different aspects of worldbuilding the more mundane parts of a world, whether your scope covers a small town or spans the multiverse.
Making The Day-To-Day Special
Just because something is normal doesn’t mean it can’t be special. Of course, one way of achieving that can be to come up with some zany or fantastical alternative, but that’s not always necessary. Instead, sometimes you can provide meaning to something simple, simply by giving it meaning to an individual. It may not be particularly special that winter has arrived, but if the protagonist’s favourite season in winter, when the snow begins to fall and everyone has to bundle themselves up all cozy to go outside. A t-shirt might not be a creative or inventive new kind of clothing, but one particular t-shirt might mean everything to the person who lost its owner.
It can be an easy trap to fall into, trying to make every aspect of your story, and the world it is set in, as ensnaring as possible. Sometimes, however, leaving things familiar to the reader can be a better option. This allows you to focus instead on the very human connections between your characters and the world they live in, even if those characters aren’t themselves human. (your reader probably is, though)
Not Everything Should be Novel
The other, often hidden cost of uniqueness, is that it requires explanation. Sometimes this can be achieved simply by context, or subtle implication, but more often than not, you actually have to tell the reader about it in some capacity. However, if it’s not something that directly contributes to moving the plot forward, it just takes up space on the page. It's easy to see it as necessary to have on the page, because without that information, the reader might not understand what is going on. This, however, is not the best reasoning, as the need for explanation is artificially imposed.
Some amount of this is perfectly acceptable to create a deep and real-feeling world and different genres set different expectations for their readers to tolerate different amounts of this. However, if every scene requires you to read an essay on the nuances of cultural tradition, it can become tedious. (though some fans of fantasy will definitely disagree) Consider, when writing or worldbuilding, what purpose each detail you add serves.
This isn’t to discourage creativity, or even to say you can’t have things be different. There is a distinction to be made between things that are simply different than they are in real life and things that are so foreign they require explanation.
Verisimilitude and Realism
There are also some concepts which are a far bigger deal to make foreign than others. In these cases, actual realism, meaning being the same as in the real world, can be vital. The best example of this is the passage of time. While it can be really cool to go beyond just a custom calendar, and even change up how time is measured, this can really mess with the reader. The moment you make the reader unable to grasp something as simple as time passing they will have severe difficulty understanding what is going on. Even just a custom calendar can be problematic if it’s much more than renamed months. You often see stories refer to passing summers, winters or harvests in place of years. This allows for the implication that they use something other than the Gregorian calendar, without actually forcing the reader to grapple with the details of what that means or how it works.
This runs counter to my typical advice, that verisimilitude is far more important than realism, and that as long as things are internally consistent, they can work. I still believe this to be largely true. However, the more fundamental a concept to your general functioning within society, or just within life more broadly, the more work it takes to get the reader on board with it. And the unfortunate truth is, sometimes it’s just not worth it.
Making The World Feel Inviting
Even beyond where I believe it is required, included realistic, toned-down or mundane elements in your world can make it feel richer and more inviting. People like things that are familiar, and while we also like things that are new and exciting, we need a balance of both to be comfortable. If you have enough mundane elements which are familiar, it will be far easier to digest the elements which are foreign. If you think of your favourite books, movies and tv shows, you're probably thinking of all the really creative and out-there elements, but while you won't always remember the mundane parts, they're the glue that held it all together.