Hello, fellow writers and worldbuilders! This glossary is a collection of terms used in the practice of writing or the building a world or setting, along with genres, methods, tips, and more. … Yes, the list is quite sparse at the moment! … We are updating this list monthly. New terms will show up in the Dungeon Delve weekly newsletter. Consider subscribing to receive worldbuilding or tabletop RPG links, free resources, quirky finds, and more!
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- Architect Method
- A writing approach by assembling a plan ahead of time to guide their writing. A solid foundation and an outline ensures their goals are met in each part of the story. (opposed to Gardener Method)
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- Framing Device
- A narrative technique in which the main story is “framed” by a secondary story. Often depicted as an outer character sharing the main tale with others (parent reading a bedtime story, prisoner confessing to a constable how a heist occurred, someone finding and reading a lost journal, etc.)
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- Gardener Method
- A writing approach by planting the seed of an idea, and nurturing it to see how it grows over time. Gardeners write to discover, and unveil their creation as they write. (opposed to Architect Method)
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- Inciting Incident
- A key story beat in “Three Act Structure” and similar story structures. The pivotal moment when a problem or force outside the protagonists familiar world appears before them, challenging their status quo. Eventually, they are forced make a choice; stay in the familiar, or break into the new.
- Info Dump
- In terms of story writing, a massive amount of background information for readers to parse through, rather than allowing the information to unfold naturally thought the course of the narrative.
(Example: pulling readers out of a characters conversation to explain the foreign policy of a specific kingdom, rather than presenting the details using action or careful dialogue it when it becomes relevant to a scene.)
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- Primary World
- Coined by JRR Tolkien, referring to the real physical world (out-of-universe) as it pertains to certain elements of world building. An example would be the process of a writer constructing a language for a story. (as opposed to Secondary World)
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- Secondary World
- Coined by JRR Tolkien, referring to a world constructed for a story (in-universe) as it pertains to certain elements of world building. An example would be the history of how a language (constructed for a story) was developed and adopted by its appropriate peoples within the lore of the world. (as opposed to Primary World)
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- Vexillography
- The art and practice of designing flags, whether for a nation, state, city, organization, or political movement. Separate from vexillology, which is the scholarly study of flags.
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