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On Writing and Worldbuilding - Volume I cover art

On Writing and Worldbuilding - Volume I

Written by: Timothy Hickson
Narrated by: Larissa Thompson,Merphy Napier
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Publisher's Summary

Writing advice tends to be full of "rules" and "tips" which are either too broad to be helpful or outright wrong. In On Writing and Worldbuilding, we will discuss specific and applicable ideas to consider, from effective methods of delivering exposition and foreshadowing, to how communication, commerce, and control play into the fall of an empire.

On Writing

  • Part I: Prologues
  • Part II: The First Chapter
  • Part III: The Exposition Problem
  • Part IV: Foreshadowing
  • Part V: Villain Motivation
  • Part VI: Hero-Villain Relationships
  • Part VII: Final Battles
  • Part VIII: The Chosen One
  • Part IX: Hard Magic Systems
  • Part X: Soft Magic Systems
  • Part XI: Magic Systems and Storytelling

On Worldbuilding

  • Part XII: Polytheistic Religions
  • Part XIII: Hidden Magical Worlds
  • Part XIV: How Empires Rise
  • Part XV: How Empires Work
  • Part XVI: How Empires Fall

Exclusive Content

  • Part XVII: How I Plan a Novel

Dozens of sidenotes and extra thoughts on all these wonderful stories

©2019 Timothy Hickson (P)2020 Timothy Hickson

What listeners say about On Writing and Worldbuilding - Volume I

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A great explanation of world building

This book tied together so many elements in an organized and digestible way. Learned a lot, and helped me realize how to hone some of my ideas - into a more impactful story and message. Came here from your YouTube vid on AI, thanks advocating for artists across all disciplines, I appreciate your work and insight greatly.

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More than I Expected

This was exactly what I needed. "On Writing and World Building" is not only that of a literary, how-to but an interesting dive into the structure that makes humans the way they are. I very much enjoyed this!

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Helpful collection set of advice.

As a fan of the channel, it's great to have mostly everything here. Definitely recommend.

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  • M. M.
  • 2021-03-25

all hail mishka

the content? absolutely amazing. the pronunciation of Javert? "JAH-verT" (instead of "ja-VER). tfw you don't know french so you just go hardcore on the american.

but otherwise, as a writer, this is literally setting off so many plot points that I think is gonna make my book dope af. my favorite is the villain sections, especially with the final battle.

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7 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2021-03-12

overall good.

I enjoyed the content, gave a lot to think about. the narrator mispronounces several names

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5 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2021-12-24

Great book, okay reading

This book really is an invaluable source for writers in ALL genres, not only those we "typically" associate with worldbuilding like fantasy or science fiction. All stories are comprised of worlds, even if they ostensibly take place in the "real" one, and Tim really understands that. Accessible and well-researched. Not the biggest fan of the narrator, who often mispronounced words or sometimes mis-read the book to the point where I had to refer to my print copy in order to understand points. This made listening less immersive.

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3 people found this helpful

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  • Rosalind
  • 2022-06-07

good lord, her pronunciation is atrocious!

there was some decent information here, but the reader absolutely butchered certain words, and repeatedly, which made it difficult to listen to. it was jarring because for the most part she was okay, and I appreciated her enunciation and clarity, and then suddenly she would pronounce something so incorrectly that I had to back up and listen again just to get the point of the sentence. it was so distracting.
also, I wish the author had properly credited the creator of dragon Ball as Akira Toriyama. If you're going to cite anime, at least be aware that the true creators are the writers of the manga.

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  • Harris McGrade
  • 2021-09-15

Phenomenally helpful!

This book is phenomenally helpful in writing novels, screenplays, teleplays, and more. Tim Hickson (Hello Future Me), is as talented as they come!

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  • YT: TwitchyTopHat
  • 2021-07-24

Fantastic, informative, insightful

Long time fan of this author's work with his YouTube channel. Bought the paperback and it's one of my favorite books for writing. After hearing that there was an audiobook too, I absolutely had to get it. Was not disappointed :) looking forward to volume 2

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  • Ashante
  • 2021-07-29

Solid enjoyment from youtube

I enjoyed having the videos structured from initial concepts to more nuanced ones near the end. My only sadness was that it ended too quickly for me. I look forward to Tim's part 2.

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1 person found this helpful

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  • Judas Mallory
  • 2023-11-01

The Narrator was Unlistenable

The narrator has a bit of vocal fry and weird emphasis on words. Maybe I am just too old (43 years old)? I really liked the subject matter, but I only lasted an hour. I missed portions of the material because I was too jarred by the narration. Bizarre choice for a narrator.

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  • Melissa
  • 2023-08-23

love it

I got back into writing when I was given the chance to have some time off. Every time listen it inspires me to get back into my novel to make it better. highly recommend

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  • Bane
  • 2023-08-15

Some useful info

The narrator's voice is terrible. She mispronounced many names and sounds over emotional and over acting, and worst of all, she didn't seem to understand the material and was unable to input correct emphasis when it needed. The book makes too many references about anime. And we don't need to hear a long list of citing. Just stick it somewhere that doesn't interrupt the main chapters. Overall, this was very hard to listen to despite the useful information that it offers.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2021-04-16

THANK YOU for such a clear and understandable job

I am not really fond of Larissa Thompson's voice: I cannot help but having my throat soring listening to her. It is really sad that she is the main reader of the book. Because of this, I still prefer watching Hickson's amazing videos on YouTube. The job he did there is really useful, and I cannot wait for his next book. I bought this one to send him a big "Thank you" and here it is: THANK YOU for your kind help!

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