Over on AbsoluteWrite.com, author Richard Garfinkle had some great things to say about worldbuilding – from a reader’s point of view.
“One of the things I often say at writer’s workshops is that readers who get into the story will often push the edges of what is written. They’ll wonder about the lives of the characters and the history of the society. They may even wish to write fanfic in the world.
When they push against the walls, they expect a solid response rather than having the walls fall over and reveal themselves to be nothing but cardboard stage settings.
Solidly built worlds and characters create an environment that will allow readers to stray off the beaten paths of the story and create a richer experience in their own minds.”
This goes to the level of reader submersion in a specific fictional world.
In very general terms, I’ve seen how romance readers are often less immersed in the ‘world’ of a story, than in the emotional arc of the characters. If that arc isn’t believable or at least entertaining, the readers will rebel. Illogical or cardboard details about setting and plot can often be more easily excused. (I have heard from romance readers who liked my characters, but disliked the amount of worldbuilding I did with the simple Lost Prince/Insta-lust tropes I played with in Moro’s Price.)
I wonder if this is the remaining legacy from the awkward ‘New Romances’ of the 1980’s, when publishers unfamiliar with classic SF&F tried to emulate its trappings in the romance field? Or the mindset of newer authors who came to science fiction and fantasy settings from the contemporary romance field instead of straight up SF&F? (Note, I do not single out historical romance – with the exception of Beatrice Small writing about a potato in 5th C Ireland, I’ve seen many historical romance authors do amazing, exacting research.)
SF&F geeks often seem to be as interested in the story’s underpinnings as they are in the characters. Often to the point of excusing or expecting page after page of setting details that do not primarily advance action, plot, or even character development. George R. R. Martin, I love ya, man, but I’m looking at you for reinforcing Tolkien’s bad (or just archaic) habits in this.
Neither response is all good or all bad, in either case – it’s more about a fundamental difference in perceiving stories.
A lot of erotic romance authors want to reach the untapped territory in between, with vivid settings and emotional payoffs. We seem to be getting somewhere with this, as the borders between the marketing genres soften and blur. The next few years should be interesting, in both the romance and the SF&F fields.
I’ll leave my readers with this thought: few people ever write fan fiction about boring characters or settings.