Based on the reaction it’s been receiving, writers and gamers seem to agree that Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, SWC’s first how-to book on the particulars needed to create detailed fantasy worlds, is a hit!
In Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
However, as often happens in nonfiction publishing, sometimes editorial cuts are made to manuscripts when there’s material that either deviates from the book’s focus, or runs the risk of making the final book too long. Terra Incognito is no different. In the case of the Tracy Hickman interview, he and Rich began discussing a Batman novel that Hickman had completed in 2012 for Warner Books, which led to a discussion about working in licensed publishing. A fascinating subject, to be sure, but a deviation from world building, so I made the decision to excise it.
But fear not! That portion of the interview was saved as bonus material, and now appears at Rich White’s blog, where you can read that part of the discussion in its entirety.
And it’s not just that extra Hickman material that you’ll find on Rich’s blog. He’s also posted the first section of a two-part reminiscense about how he applied his knowledge of world building to a steampunk fantasy project called “The Dark Codex,” for another publisher.
But that’s not all! Just recently, Rich White has started “World Building 101,” a brand-new column on the subject, at online magazine Black Gate! Check out his first entry: “The Village.”
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.
