First Steps to Creating Your Own Story Universe
A Beginner's Guide
Welcome to the Apple Hair CANON!
Here, I’ll explore creating a fictional universe, and I’m hoping you’ll follow along with your own world. I’m by no means an expert, so let’s discuss how to create a believable, magical, and captivating world. Let’s be storycatchers together!
Want to read Apple Hair, the boy band fantasy novel, from the very beginning? You can start here! Apple Hair is a fictional, Asian American boy band from Hawaii.
Welcome to the newsletter, and I’m excited to lay down the foundations of our storyworlds together, one word at a time.
Hi, storycatchers! Last time, I went into the why of creating a “why I’m awesome document.” Did you get started in writing down your accomplishments? I’m struggling a bit with confidence on that front, but it’s been helpful to know that I have value as a writer and storyteller. Today, why don’t we dive into creating your own story universe? I’m going to be giving my best beginner tips to make sure your world flourishes in your hands—and in the eyes of readers too!
So, to make things more fun, I’m going to be giving five tips—each one represented by each letter in CANON!
C—Character Focused
I know that it might be fun to dive straight into the big picture of the storyworld. But sometimes, we need to start here. Right in the head of the main character or characters! I see that in many instances, writers get stuck on developing all of the details of their story world. They get lost in the politics, languages, religion, etc… and characters take a back seat. I will get into the nitty gritty of these details in my “Nucleus” section, but until then, let’s talk about characters a little bit more.
Even with the most vibrant and bustling world, without a good character, the story universe will suffer greatly. For instance, an author might choose to develop multiple countries, languages, and religions, and then choose a character that completely gets overshadowed.
When I start with the character, I find that the elements of my world come into place too. For instance, Van Le is the leader in Apple Hair, my boy band fantasy series. He came from a loving family, but he wants to prove himself to them and show that their love nourished him to become a confident performer. If I focused too much on developing the K-pop scene in Hawaii, Van might’ve gotten lost in the mix!
A—Action and Authenticity First!
Okay, when the character or main characters are fleshed out, I recommend starting with the action. You might’ve heard that the best scenes start “in the middle” of something—whether it be in a conversation or more literal action. I found that this “action” can also be applied to story universe-building. When I start in the middle of the action, I can fill in the details of the story universe later.
This means not starting the novel in the very origin of the story world, unless your story calls for it! In Apple Hair, I chose not to introduce the boy band members on their very first day of practice. Rather, I chose to introduce them while they’re in the middle of their training. This places the reader in a momentum that hints that there’s more to be discovered! (That the details of the past will be revealed later.) Not everything needs to start at the very, very beginning of the story universe!
With authenticity, this story universe should feel alive and natural. So, the main character should be choosing to act in a way that feels realistic in the world. In Apple Hair, Van, Corrin, Kaden, Seiya, and David choose to move forward as a boy band, even when supernatural opposition arises within the entertainment company. They make it clear that they want to debut more than anything.
N—No Pain No Gain
This applies to all stories, even the coziest of coziest story universes! All story universes need some sort of conflict. A conflict that runs through the whole storyworld, but also the conflict that the main character is dealing with. This conflict can be something like the threat to Katniss’ life and her family in The Hunger Games. It could also be something less obvious, like Seiya’s need to find himself and his identity in my book Apple Hair.
Whether this conflict is emotional, physical, or spiritual, make sure to have something here! This will drive the tension in your story universe. Trust me, I am still working on this—sometimes, I will fill up a story with so much fluff, and there’s not enough struggle. Remember, No Pain No Gain!
O—Original to You
Yes, you are the great mastermind behind the storyworld, so show off elements of yourself, and combine things that are interesting to you!
In my first-ever book, I ripped off one of my favorite games. The novel was definitely someone else’s, not original to me. I don’t recommend this, unless you’re starting out with fanfic! (Which can be another great playground for figuring out storyworlds!)
I would love to encourage you and say that your life experiences will fuel this universe and make it a compelling read. Maybe not to everyone, but to people who can relate in some way. Don’t worry about this too much, because as long as your world touches on real human experiences with other people represented as well, you’re on the right track.
To be Original to You, take your top five favorite books and your top five favorite shows. Try to see what kind of elements you’re drawn to. Is it the sweetness of romance? Is it the action and the fantasy battle scenes? It’s all up to you. When it comes to storyworlds, we can piece together each element like a massive puzzle.
N—Nucleus!
What do you think of when you hear the word “nucleus”? For me, I think of the body and each individual cell. This is how detailed we should be when creating our story universe.
Now, you might be thinking, this is really where I want to start. Because “Nucleus” means that this is our time to flesh out the details that we love so much about worldbuilding. This includes language, religion, politics, and more. If you are creating a story in the contemporary world, don’t fret! There are still things to research—a unique landscape to make within the climate of your main character(s).
For instance, you can come up with a creative arts academy, with a whole slew of original characters. You could create a fictional town inspired by your hometown, with a twist of magical realism! The possibilities are honestly exciting and endless. Feel free to go ham in the Nucleus, even though the other four points are very important as well.
I loved writing this entry in the CANON so much. This was “First Steps to Creating Your Own Story Universe: A Beginner’s Guide.” I love long titles sometimes. Tell me about your WIP. Is it a long title or a short title, and does it reflect the heart of your story universe? Also, what would you like me to discuss in the next post? Comment below! Or jump into my Chat or on one of my Notes, and I’ll be happy to hear your input. Flourish while writing this week!
I love this post so much. I just start replanning my serial story and this is so great to keep in mind. Based on the story I have to create a magic system, but I'm going to have to plan out of the cast of first. I also enjoy acronyms, they're so easy to remember.