I’ve met with a couple writers lately. They had designed elaborate worlds. One guy had invented new physics and had some interesting ideas about gravity. He made notes, but he was much farther from publication than he thought he was.
The problem was that neither of these writers had a story in mind at all. There was no rising plot boiling characters whose needs cross swords. Complications did not ensue. There were no people/aliens/sulphur-based plants doing anything. When these writers do some further inventing, they might have interesting environments for their protagonists.
When you’re thinking about your book, ask yourself, “What’s the story?” These folks had a where but no what. Where is less important.
Filed under: publishing, queries, plots, queries, story