A few weeks ago, my daughter re-introduced me to the story telling game MASH. For those old enough to remember, this has nothing to do with the famous TV series; the acronym stands for Mansion, Apartment, Shack, and House. A pencil and paper game, it’s at least as old as I am, which according to my daughter, probably makes it “ancient.” There are several variations, but the following link shares the basic version. (http://mashplus.com/how-to-play-mash)
When I played this with my daughter, it was a strange experience since my story is already “started”—happily married, living in a house, driving a minivan, etc. As we played, I realized this is an excellent tool for world-building diversity because each category requires four choices.
When you begin a story, you may have an idea, a character or two, and a vague plot. At this point, your world isn’t complete and has holes. You’ll need to finish building your world to make your reader believe your story, even if that information never shows up in the pages of your story. Try playing MASH with your main character and it will help you fill in your holes.
For example, what are the different weapons in your story (i.e., gun, sword, laser, trained killer zombies)? Different magic systems? Different gods? Does the reader see a fully realized world? Not every Star Wars character flew a Millennium Falcon. In my own novel, The Firebrand, each character has a special talent. Although the main character is a Firebrand, I gave each character his or her own ability. Even if the story isn’t about them, I needed to fill that hole for my world.
As creators of our own little worlds, our responsibility is to fulfill the reader by building the best world possible. Try MASH and then contact me. I’d love to hear about your experiences.
When I played this with my daughter, it was a strange experience since my story is already “started”—happily married, living in a house, driving a minivan, etc. As we played, I realized this is an excellent tool for world-building diversity because each category requires four choices.
When you begin a story, you may have an idea, a character or two, and a vague plot. At this point, your world isn’t complete and has holes. You’ll need to finish building your world to make your reader believe your story, even if that information never shows up in the pages of your story. Try playing MASH with your main character and it will help you fill in your holes.
For example, what are the different weapons in your story (i.e., gun, sword, laser, trained killer zombies)? Different magic systems? Different gods? Does the reader see a fully realized world? Not every Star Wars character flew a Millennium Falcon. In my own novel, The Firebrand, each character has a special talent. Although the main character is a Firebrand, I gave each character his or her own ability. Even if the story isn’t about them, I needed to fill that hole for my world.
As creators of our own little worlds, our responsibility is to fulfill the reader by building the best world possible. Try MASH and then contact me. I’d love to hear about your experiences.