A few years ago my friends and I got together for our first ever game of Dungeons and Dragons.

As the Dungeon Master, I was so excited for them to get into the epic story and fight and solve puzzles! I drew maps full of characters and settings, I wrote a forbidden love story set in a warzone between Mermaids and Goblins.

The game started with the characters walking along a trail when they came upon a hole in the ground (a quick obstacle I’d thrown in at the last second to let everyone try rolling their nice new 20 sided dice)

One by one they all rolled terribly and fell into the hole. then they rolled terribly and struggled to get out of the hole.

it was surreal, this hole wasn’t supposed to be a part of the story and now it was the whole focus.

As the players looked around, I had to put my epic plans on hold and describe the hole. I described gnarled roots along the walls and a centipede darting into a hole in the mud. The players climbed on each others shoulders and emerged from the hole triumphant!

be in the hole with the players

The world is what’s in front of your eyes. That’s all that exists!

If you remain present with your audience and with your characters, your world will gain more depth. The world fills with details and the story naturally unfolds when you stay present in the room.

part 2. believe the world exists

Tolkien didn’t write silly stories about dragons and hobbits, he wrote The Lord of the Rings.

Middle Earth is grounded in truth. Gollum and Gandalf and Gimli are so unforgettable because they are real.

Just take a leap of faith. Believe in your world and watch. If I’m making a 3D bedroom for an animation, it will be fine. but if I make a bedroom for Bridget Jones it will be full of details and life. I know that she would have a few cups by her bedside table. Why is her alarm clock unplugged on the floor? Oh she’s in bed sleeping late. Instantly the story emerges from the setting and the character. Now the phone is ringing. Work is calling and this woman is asleep!

it’s not even more work for me to model this bedroom but there is 1000 times more interest when I’m watching someone sleep late vs looking at a sterile bedroom.

Now imagine the smell of the room. Is that the smell of pancakes? Oh my god, she peeks out from under the covers. Did she bring someone home last night and is he making breakfast? She wants to be annoyed but it smells so good. Lines of steamy pancakes drift into the room.

why was this so hard to figure out?

This is a huge breakthrough for me.

I’ve been so hesitant to take this leap into the world of story. I think it’s a dangerous mix of confusing and scary. I sit down to write a story and I’m thinking about themes and big ideas. No, just start with a setting or a character. Add a little conflict and a little desire and baby, you got a stew goin!