: Re: How to maximize reader comprehension if worldbuilding is complicated? Parts of my worldbuilding are critical to the plot. If readers don't understand the world, they won't understand the stakes

@Ravi5107385

Vote Up Vote Down

Both of your examples seem to have the same problem. You expect people to understand something is important before it actually is. You yourself may know what will become important to the plot later but readers have no way to do so. And unfortunately this means that the wonderfully efficient human brain will simply filter out those "not important" details out.

In your example, you want people to understand that failure means death, presumably when the MC makes the decision. However the potential risks only actualize and become important when you have failed or there is imminent risk of failure. Of course they should be important considerations when making the initial decision but in practice human mind sucks at that kind of risk assessment. We can do it when we have to but nobody needs to properly assess risks of a fictional character making fictional decision. So nobody will.

There are basically two solutions here.

You can use another character such as a friend or wife who is concerned about the risk and have an argument or conflict on whether it is worth it. Since that conflict is imminent and the risk of death is relevant to it, the risk will be actual and people will note it.

Or if it fits the story you can simply postpone the point where you make the risk clear to readers until the risk of failure becomes imminent. At that point the risk will be directly relevant to what is going on and people will note it properly. Prior explanation would then work as foreshadowing.

Your second example... Why do you think being a sociopath should be clearly important to people? The world is full of functioning sociopaths and that is what the training presumably is designed to produce. So there is no clear direct practical importance.

By contrast ability to recognize facial expressions is extremely important to normal social interactions. That is why our brains use so much resources to do it.

Same solutions apply. Either show some direct consequence or relevance now or postpone the point where it is clear to readers until it actually matters.

(0)

Login to post a comment!