WEBVTT

00:00:07.282 --> 00:00:08.967
In J.R.R.'s world,

00:00:08.991 --> 00:00:11.977
Gandalf is one of five wizards
sent by the Valar

00:00:12.001 --> 00:00:14.274
to guide the inhabitants of Middle Earth

00:00:14.298 --> 00:00:17.905
in their struggles
against the dark force of Sauron.

00:00:17.929 --> 00:00:19.628
Gandalf's body was mortal,

00:00:19.652 --> 00:00:22.285
subject to the physical
rules of Middle Earth,

00:00:22.309 --> 00:00:24.368
but his spirit was immortal,

00:00:24.392 --> 00:00:26.773
as seen when he died as Gandalf the Grey

00:00:26.797 --> 00:00:29.339
and resurrected as Gandalf the White.

00:00:29.363 --> 00:00:31.507
According to the Wachowski's script,

00:00:31.531 --> 00:00:34.174
an awakened human only has to link up

00:00:34.198 --> 00:00:37.552
and hack the neon binary
code of the Matrix

00:00:37.576 --> 00:00:41.385
to learn how to fly a helicopter
in a matter of seconds.

00:00:41.409 --> 00:00:44.304
Or if you are the One, or one of the Ones,

00:00:44.328 --> 00:00:48.301
you don't even need a helicopter,
you just need a cool pair of shades.

00:00:49.388 --> 00:00:51.892
Cheshire cats can juggle their own heads.

00:00:51.916 --> 00:00:54.071
iPads are rudimentary.

00:00:54.465 --> 00:00:58.657
No Quidditch match ends
until the Golden Snitch is caught.

00:00:58.681 --> 00:01:01.888
And the answer to the ultimate
question of life, the universe,

00:01:01.912 --> 00:01:02.919
and everything

00:01:02.943 --> 00:01:04.809
is most certainly 42.

00:01:04.833 --> 00:01:08.117
Just like real life,
fictional worlds operate consistently

00:01:08.141 --> 00:01:11.432
within a spectrum of physical
and societal rules.

00:01:11.456 --> 00:01:13.361
That's what makes these intricate worlds

00:01:13.385 --> 00:01:16.463
believable, comprehensible,
and worth exploring.

00:01:17.634 --> 00:01:21.768
In real life, the Law of Gravity
holds seven book sets of "Harry Potter"

00:01:21.792 --> 00:01:24.114
to millions of bookshelves
around the world.

00:01:24.138 --> 00:01:26.997
We know this to be true, but we also know

00:01:27.021 --> 00:01:29.940
that ever since J.K. typed the words

00:01:29.964 --> 00:01:33.238
wizard, wand, and "Wingardium Leviosa,"

00:01:33.262 --> 00:01:35.990
that Law of Gravity has ceased to exist

00:01:36.014 --> 00:01:39.531
on the trillions of pages
resting between those bookends.

00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:44.653
Authors of science fiction and fantasy
literally build worlds.

00:01:44.677 --> 00:01:47.264
They make rules, maps, lineages,

00:01:47.288 --> 00:01:50.446
languages, cultures, universes,

00:01:50.047 --> 00:01:52.609
alternate universes within universes,

00:01:53.056 --> 00:01:57.034
and from those worlds sprout
story, after story, after story.

00:01:57.058 --> 00:01:58.085
When it's done well,

00:01:58.109 --> 00:02:01.565
readers can understand
fictional worlds and their rules

00:02:01.589 --> 00:02:04.525
just as well as the characters
that live in them do

00:02:04.549 --> 00:02:07.115
and sometimes, just as well or even better

00:02:07.139 --> 00:02:10.114
than the reader understands
the world outside of the book.

00:02:11.304 --> 00:02:12.304
But how?

00:02:12.328 --> 00:02:14.403
How can human-made squiggles on a page

00:02:15.102 --> 00:02:19.016
reflect lights into our eyes
that send signals to our brains

00:02:19.004 --> 00:02:23.558
that we logically and emotionally decode
as complex narratives

00:02:23.618 --> 00:02:25.153
that move us to fight,

00:02:25.177 --> 00:02:27.514
cry, sing, and think,

00:02:27.538 --> 00:02:28.861
that are strong enough

00:02:28.885 --> 00:02:29.974
not only to hold up a world

00:02:30.799 --> 00:02:33.112
that is completely invented by the author,

00:02:33.136 --> 00:02:36.473
but also to change
the reader's perspective

00:02:36.497 --> 00:02:38.773
on the real world that resumes

00:02:38.797 --> 00:02:41.118
only when the final squiggle is reached?

00:02:42.038 --> 00:02:44.706
I'm not sure anyone knows
the answer to that question,

00:02:45.072 --> 00:02:48.799
yet fantastical, fictional worlds
are created everyday

00:02:48.823 --> 00:02:49.912
in our minds, on computers,

00:02:50.737 --> 00:02:53.878
even on napkins at the restaurant
down the street.

00:02:53.902 --> 00:02:58.384
The truth is your imagination
and a willingness to, figuratively,

00:02:58.408 --> 00:02:59.479
live in your own world

00:02:59.503 --> 00:03:02.470
are all you need to get
started writing a novel.

00:03:02.494 --> 00:03:05.507
I didn't dream up Hogwarts
or the Star Wars' Cantina,

00:03:05.648 --> 00:03:09.353
but I have written some science thrillers
for kids and young adults.

00:03:09.377 --> 00:03:11.686
Here are some questions
and methods I've used

00:03:11.071 --> 00:03:14.096
to help build the worlds
in which those books take place.

00:03:16.088 --> 00:03:18.239
I start with a basic place and time.

00:03:18.263 --> 00:03:22.288
Whether that's a fantasy world
or a futuristic setting in the real world,

00:03:22.312 --> 00:03:26.168
it's important to know where you are
and whether you're working in the past,

00:03:26.192 --> 00:03:27.861
present, or future.

00:03:27.885 --> 00:03:29.627
I like to create a timeline

00:03:29.651 --> 00:03:31.784
showing how the world came to be.

00:03:31.808 --> 00:03:34.871
What past events have shaped
the way it is now?

00:03:34.895 --> 00:03:37.302
Then I brainstorm answers to questions

00:03:37.326 --> 00:03:40.497
that draw out the details
of my fictional world.

00:03:40.521 --> 00:03:42.493
What rules are in place here?

00:03:42.517 --> 00:03:45.161
This covers everything
from laws of gravity,

00:03:45.185 --> 00:03:46.263
or not,

00:03:46.287 --> 00:03:47.414
to the rules of society

00:03:47.438 --> 00:03:50.234
and the punishments
for individuals who break them.

00:03:51.361 --> 00:03:53.513
What kind of government
does this world have?

00:03:53.537 --> 00:03:55.653
Who has power, and who doesn't?

00:03:55.677 --> 00:03:58.004
What do people believe in here?

00:03:58.028 --> 00:04:00.937
And what does this society value most?

00:04:00.961 --> 00:04:03.585
Then it's time to think
about day-to-day life.

00:04:03.609 --> 00:04:05.751
What's the weather like in this world?

00:04:05.775 --> 00:04:08.806
Where do the inhabitants live
and work and go to school?

00:04:09.109 --> 00:04:10.111
What do they eat

00:04:10.135 --> 00:04:11.162
and how do they play?

00:04:11.429 --> 00:04:13.833
How do they treat their young
and their old?

00:04:13.857 --> 00:04:17.753
What relationships do they have
with the animals and plants of the world?

00:04:17.777 --> 00:04:20.375
And what do those animals
and plants look like?

00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:23.103
What kind of technology exists?

00:04:23.127 --> 00:04:24.133
Transportation?

00:04:24.157 --> 00:04:25.165
Communication?

00:04:25.189 --> 00:04:26.263
Access to information?

00:04:26.953 --> 00:04:29.302
There's so much to think about!

00:04:29.326 --> 00:04:33.854
So, spend some time living in those tasks
and the answers to those questions,

00:04:33.878 --> 00:04:37.579
and you're well on your way
to building your own fictional world.

00:04:37.603 --> 00:04:40.859
Once you know your world
as well as you hope your reader will,

00:04:40.883 --> 00:04:44.674
set your characters free in it
and see what happens.

00:04:44.698 --> 00:04:45.893
And ask yourself,

00:04:45.917 --> 00:04:50.434
"How does this world you created
shape the individuals who live in it?

00:04:50.458 --> 00:04:53.787
And what kind of conflict
is likely to emerge?"

00:04:53.811 --> 00:04:57.020
Answer those questions,
and you have your story.

00:04:57.044 --> 00:04:59.025
Good luck, future world-builder!