Talked to a guy at my local library who said my fantasy worldbuilding was too safe

Ran into this older dude in the fantasy section at the library. He was looking for old pulp novels. I told him about my world with three kingdoms and a magic system based on colors. He looked at me and said 'What's the worst thing that can happen in your world?' I started listing wars and betrayals. He shook his head and said 'No, not to your characters. To the world itself. What happens if your magic breaks completely or the sun goes out?' That got me thinking. I had everything balanced and stable. No real stakes for the setting itself. I redid my whole magic system over the weekend. Has anyone else had someone point out a blind spot in their writing that totally changed how you approach things?

2 comments

2 Comments

paul_ramirez15d ago

Always thought stability was the goal until someone pointed out that's just a map with no fire.

jordan_henderson1315d ago

Fire's just as likely to burn the map if you're not careful, so stability still has its place. The trick is knowing when to hold the map steady and when to spark something new. Balance matters more than picking one over the other.