0:00:06.999,0:00:08.991
In J.R.R.'s world,

0:00:08.991,0:00:12.001
Gandalf is one of five wizards sent by the Valar

0:00:12.001,0:00:14.298
to guide the inhabitants of Middle Earth

0:00:14.298,0:00:17.929
in their struggles against the dark force of Sauron.

0:00:17.929,0:00:19.652
Galdalf's body was mortal,

0:00:19.652,0:00:22.309
subject to the physical rules of Middle Earth,

0:00:22.309,0:00:24.392
but his spirit was immortal,

0:00:24.392,0:00:26.797
as seen when he died as Galdalf the Grey

0:00:26.797,0:00:29.363
and resurrected as Galdalf the White.

0:00:29.363,0:00:31.531
According to the Wachowski script,

0:00:31.531,0:00:34.198
an awakened human only has to link up

0:00:34.198,0:00:37.576
and hack the neon binary code of the matrix

0:00:37.576,0:00:39.713
to learn how to fly a helicopter

0:00:39.713,0:00:41.409
in a matter of seconds.

0:00:41.409,0:00:42.966
Or if you are the one,

0:00:42.966,0:00:44.328
or one of the ones,

0:00:44.328,0:00:46.099
you don't even need a helicopter,

0:00:46.099,0:00:49.148
you just need a cool pair of shades.

0:00:49.148,0:00:51.916
Cheshire cats can juggle their own heads.

0:00:51.916,0:00:54.095
iPads are rudimentary.

0:00:54.095,0:00:56.058
No quidditch match ends

0:00:56.058,0:00:58.820
until the golden snitch is caught.

0:00:58.820,0:01:01.128
And the answer to the ultimate question of life,

0:01:01.128,0:01:01.912
the universe,

0:01:01.912,0:01:02.749
and everything

0:01:02.749,0:01:04.833
is most certainly 42.

0:01:04.833,0:01:05.906
Just like real life,

0:01:05.906,0:01:08.141
fictional worlds operate consistently

0:01:08.141,0:01:11.456
within a spectrum of physical and societal rules.

0:01:11.456,0:01:13.281
That's what makes these intricate worlds

0:01:13.281,0:01:14.203
believable,

0:01:14.203,0:01:15.107
comprehensible,

0:01:15.107,0:01:17.339
and worth exploring.

0:01:17.339,0:01:19.328
In real life, the Law of Gravity

0:01:19.328,0:01:21.792
holds seven book sets of Harry Potter

0:01:21.792,0:01:24.138
to millions of bookshelves around the world.

0:01:24.138,0:01:25.802
We know this to be true,

0:01:25.802,0:01:27.021
but we also know

0:01:27.021,0:01:29.964
that ever since J.K. typed the words

0:01:29.964,0:01:30.547
wizard,

0:01:30.547,0:01:31.261
wand,

0:01:31.261,0:01:33.262
and Wingardium Leviosa,

0:01:33.262,0:01:36.014
that Law of Gravity has ceased to exist

0:01:36.014,0:01:37.313
on the trillions of pages

0:01:37.313,0:01:39.859
resting between those book ends.

0:01:40.536,0:01:42.684
Authors of science fiction and fantasy

0:01:42.684,0:01:44.677
literally build worlds.

0:01:44.677,0:01:45.793
They make rules,

0:01:45.793,0:01:46.429
maps,

0:01:46.429,0:01:47.335
lineages,

0:01:47.335,0:01:48.186
languages,

0:01:48.186,0:01:49.085
cultures,

0:01:49.085,0:01:50.470
universes,

0:01:50.470,0:01:53.056
alternate universes within universes.

0:01:53.056,0:01:55.880
And from those worlds sprout story, after story,

0:01:55.880,0:01:57.058
after story.

0:01:57.058,0:01:58.109
When it's done well,

0:01:58.109,0:01:59.611
readers can understand

0:01:59.611,0:02:01.589
fictional worlds and their rules

0:02:01.589,0:02:03.138
just as well as the characters

0:02:03.138,0:02:04.780
that live in them do

0:02:04.780,0:02:06.392
and sometimes, just as well

0:02:06.392,0:02:08.230
or even better than the reader understands

0:02:08.230,0:02:10.824
the world outside of the book.

0:02:10.824,0:02:12.328
But how?

0:02:12.328,0:02:14.872
How can human-made squiggles on a page

0:02:14.872,0:02:17.200
reflect lights into our eyes

0:02:17.200,0:02:18.748
that send signals to our brains

0:02:18.748,0:02:21.745
that we logically and emotionally decode

0:02:21.745,0:02:23.618
as complex narratives

0:02:23.618,0:02:25.177
that move us to fight,

0:02:25.177,0:02:26.114
cry,

0:02:26.114,0:02:26.671
sing,

0:02:26.671,0:02:27.538
and think,

0:02:27.538,0:02:28.885
that are strong enough

0:02:28.885,0:02:30.799
not only to hold up a world

0:02:30.799,0:02:33.136
that is completely invented by the author,

0:02:33.136,0:02:36.497
but also to change the reader's perspective

0:02:36.497,0:02:38.797
on the real world that resumes

0:02:38.797,0:02:42.084
only when the final squiggle is reached?

0:02:42.084,0:02:43.568
I'm not sure anyone knows

0:02:43.568,0:02:45.072
the answer to that question,

0:02:45.072,0:02:48.823
yet fantastical, fictional worlds are created everyday

0:02:48.823,0:02:49.785
in our minds,

0:02:49.785,0:02:50.737
on computers,

0:02:50.737,0:02:53.902
even on napkins at the restaurant down the street.

0:02:53.902,0:02:55.911
The truth is your imagination

0:02:55.911,0:02:58.408
and a willingness to, figuratively,

0:02:58.408,0:02:59.503
live in your own world

0:02:59.503,0:03:02.494
are all you need to get started writing a novel.

0:03:02.494,0:03:04.256
I didn't dream up Hogwarts

0:03:04.256,0:03:05.648
or the Star Wars' Cantina,

0:03:05.648,0:03:08.026
but I have written some science thrillers

0:03:08.026,0:03:09.377
for kids and young adults.

0:03:09.377,0:03:11.710
Here are some questions and methods I've used

0:03:11.710,0:03:13.104
to help build the worlds

0:03:13.104,0:03:15.270
in which those books take place.

0:03:15.270,0:03:18.263
I start with a basic place and time.

0:03:18.263,0:03:19.792
Whether that's a fantasy world

0:03:19.792,0:03:22.312
or a futuristic setting in the real world,

0:03:22.312,0:03:24.183
it's important to know where you are

0:03:24.183,0:03:26.192
and whether you're working in the past,

0:03:26.192,0:03:26.804
present,

0:03:26.804,0:03:27.885
or future.

0:03:27.885,0:03:29.651
I like to create a timeline

0:03:29.651,0:03:31.808
showing how the world came to be.

0:03:31.808,0:03:34.895
What past events have shaped the way it is now?

0:03:34.895,0:03:37.326
Then I'd brainstorm answers to questions

0:03:37.326,0:03:40.521
that draw out the details of my fictional world.

0:03:40.521,0:03:42.517
What rules are in place here?

0:03:42.517,0:03:45.185
This covers everything from laws of gravity

0:03:45.185,0:03:46.024
(or not)

0:03:46.024,0:03:47.438
to the rules of society

0:03:47.438,0:03:50.790
and the punishments for individuals who break them.

0:03:50.790,0:03:53.537
What kind of government does this world have?

0:03:53.537,0:03:54.496
Who has power

0:03:54.496,0:03:55.677
and who doesn't?

0:03:55.677,0:03:57.859
What do people believe in here?

0:03:57.859,0:04:00.961
And what does this society value most?

0:04:00.961,0:04:03.609
Then it's time to think about day-to-day life.

0:04:03.609,0:04:05.775
What's the weather like in this world?

0:04:05.775,0:04:07.526
Where do the inhabitants lives

0:04:07.526,0:04:08.029
and work

0:04:08.029,0:04:09.109
and go to school?

0:04:09.109,0:04:09.897
What do they eat

0:04:09.897,0:04:11.191
and how do they play?

0:04:11.191,0:04:12.690
How do they treat their young

0:04:12.690,0:04:13.558
and their old?

0:04:13.558,0:04:15.356
What relationships do they have

0:04:15.356,0:04:17.777
with the animals and plants of the world?

0:04:17.777,0:04:20.400
And what do those animals and plants look like?

0:04:20.400,0:04:23.150
What kind of technology exists?

0:04:23.150,0:04:24.026
Transportation,

0:04:24.026,0:04:25.111
communication,

0:04:25.111,0:04:26.953
access to information,

0:04:26.953,0:04:29.326
there's so much to think about.

0:04:29.326,0:04:32.023
So, spend some time living in those tasks

0:04:32.023,0:04:33.878
and the answers to those questions,

0:04:33.878,0:04:35.295
and you're well on your way

0:04:35.295,0:04:37.603
to building your own fictional world.

0:04:37.603,0:04:39.059
Once you know your world

0:04:39.059,0:04:40.883
as well as you hope your reader will,

0:04:40.883,0:04:42.874
set your characters free in it

0:04:42.874,0:04:44.698
and see what happens.

0:04:44.698,0:04:45.917
And ask yourself,

0:04:45.917,0:04:47.835
"How does this world you created

0:04:47.835,0:04:50.458
shape the individuals who live in it?

0:04:50.458,0:04:53.811
And what kind of conflict is likely to emerge?"

0:04:53.811,0:04:54.972
Answer those questions

0:04:54.972,0:04:56.936
and you have your story.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
need to replace