The Essential Guide to Internal and External Logic in World Building

How do you make your world make logical sense to your audience?

Are you overwhelmed by the endless possibilities in world building for your story? Are you struggling to get it all to make sense?

You're not alone! In this blog, we'll dive into the crucial concepts of internal and external logic that will help anchor your narrative.
Let's take a look at these concepts so we can create worlds that resonate with consistency and believability.
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Understanding Internal Logic

Internal logic forms the backbone of your fictional world. It's about setting ground rules that dictate everything from societal structures to the laws of nature. Consistency is key here. For instance, if gravity vanishes in your world, and your characters float away, can you justify it logically? Inconsistent rules can disorient your audience. The basic rules and laws that ground your characters in the reality of their world need to be logically coherent and consistent to keep your audience immersed.

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The Role of External Logic

External logic connects your fictional world to our reality. It's about integrating elements familiar to your audience, like the law of gravity or not chewing with your mouth open! This helps ease your audience into your world, blending uniqueness with familiarity. Remember, too bizarre might be intriguing, but it can also alienate your audience.

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Consistency in Storytelling

Consistency in both internal and external logic is crucial. It helps in suspending disbelief and maintaining narrative structure. Whether you're dealing with a society where people walk backward or introducing a new fire spell in a wizard's arsenal, ensuring logical consistency keeps the audience engaged and the story credible. People will bump into things and fire is hot! If you go against this external logic, the internal logic must be rock-solid to allow the audience to suspend their disbelief.

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Balancing Logic with Creativity

While logic is your anchor, please don't shy away from creativity! Use logic as a tool to guide your creativity, ensuring that your unique ideas still fit within the logical framework of your world. This balance is what will make your story both relatable and fascinating.

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Conclusion:

Creating a believable world is an art that balances internal and external logic.
By understanding and applying this balance, you can build a world and craft a narrative that is coherent and immersive, without losing that fantastical sense of wonder.

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Is there anything in your work that has internal logic, making sense in your world, but defies the external logic of reality?

What measures are you taking to get your audience to believe in it?

1. Worldbuilding — Wikipedia
2. Fictional universe — Wikipedia
3. What is internal and external logic in a narrative — Medium
4. Form and The Fantastic — Brandon Sanderson
5. Sanderson’s First Law — Brandon Sanderson

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