Blending Thriller and Epic Fantasy

[Steerpike]

Depending on what you're writing, you may or may not need to do substantial world-building. There is no reason to do more of it than required to make your story work (which may be a lot, or very little, depending on the story), unless you simply enjoy world-building for its own sake.

 

[Malik]

Depending on what you're writing, you may or may not need to do substantial world-building. There is no reason to do more of it than required to make your story work (which may be a lot, or very little, depending on the story), unless you simply enjoy world-building for its own sake.

I actually think there is a reason to build past the point of only making your story work. I believe that if the real world aspects of a book aren't correct, then the reader won't suspend disbelief sufficiently to allow the fantasy aspects. It's not just functional worldbuilding; additional worldbuilding past gross function results in smaller and smaller details. This goes back to that iceberg concept again.

 

[Miskatonic]

That's sort of what I'm going for, though I'd say "murder mystery" type atmosphere combined with fantasy is a better description. With pacing I just worry about whether I accomplished something in each chapter and if it served to speed the story up when needed or slow the story down when needed. The problem I want to avoid is the reader stopping for a moment and wondering to themselves if what they are reading is actually going anywhere, or at least if what they are reading has a definite purpose to it.