Writing Tips That Make Sense: How to Worldbuild in Fantasy
So You Want to Build a World?
Some consider world-building to be the most dreadful part of writing Fantasy, but to me, it’s the most fun. Sure, it has its moments of pure rage and frustration, and yet, there is something so fulfilling about it.
Think about it: you build a new WORLD. Something new and fresh and exciting!
Or at least it should be.
When it comes to Fantasy, there is a lot that can go wrong with world-building throughout the course of a story. There are rules and laws you must remember, cultures and kingdoms to manage, and don’t forget the magic systems!
All of that begins to overwhelm people, and I know because I’ve been there! The world for my book, The City of Snow & Stars is massive. We see only a small glimpse of it in the book, and while we’ll get to explore more later in the series, it’s a daunting task to take on.
Thankfully, I’ve come up with some easy ways to world-build that I hope will help you along in your own writing.
The 4 C’s of World-building
If you haven’t noticed, our world is pretty big and full of amazing things. Beautiful waterfalls, diverse and rich cultures, and breathtaking landscapes. Sometimes authors forget to put those same kinds of details into their books, which leaves the story ending up flat and bland.
But you’re not that author. While you may not desire to go “Full Tolkien” in your story, you just want to do what you do a little better. Let’s dive into the first C.
Creatures
One of my favorite things in Fantasy is seeing unique and interesting creatures. I don’t care if it’s dragons, shadow-spawn, trolls, etc. I want to see them in a story. If you don’t have any in your story, that’s okay (it’s not), all you need to do is add a little here and there to flesh out the creatures you do have.
Are dogs in your world? What about cats? Horses? Platypus? What is currently in there?
You see, you can add a lot of depth with just regular animals. Let’s go with dogs for the moment; they are man’s best friend and loyal. Perhaps your hero has a pet or comes across a dog on their quest and suddenly the thing follows them everywhere. This creates a dynamic that wouldn’t have been there before and creates interest.
Maybe you’re like me, and you want monsters in your story. I want creatures that terrify people because they are scary looking, extremely powerful, or downright deadly.
But therein lies the problem I’ve seen in Fantasy stories: the creatures have zero impact on the story OR the world around them.
It’s the shiny object you tease the reader with and ultimately never show because it serves no purpose to the story. It’s just… there. And readers hate that.
If you’re going to create creatures for your world, you must imagine the kind of impact that would have on the populous. Seriously, if there are freaken DRAGONS flying around, how the heck do you think people feel about that?
“But the peoples know dragons exist, so there is not really any impact,” you might say.
Wrong. Go deeper.
What do people tend to do when confronted with things that can kill them? They either Hunt, Worship, or Train. So what happens when people who worship the dragons as their lords are confronted by people looking to hunt the dragons down?
Creatures will always influence the world around them, be it big or small.
Cultures
As with our world, I recommend having a variety of cultures and backgrounds for your characters. It adds so many wonderful depths and richness to your world, which helps it feel real to the reader.
Now, I’m not calling for diversity for the sake of it, nor will this fit all stories. They need to feel like they belong there, not like you shoehorned them in because you read a blog post telling you to do it.
You need to think about where your story takes place and whether it makes sense to have multiple cultures and ethnic groups, or if you are focusing on one in particular. There is no right or wrong answer here, only what the story demands. Once you have figured that out, you need to ask yourself some questions.
- What does this culture believe?
- Do they use magic? If so/not, why?
- What customs do they have?
- What is their religion?
- How do these things impact their daily life? (Most important question)
Taking note of these things will not only help you build your cultures but will also keep them from having a copy/paste feel.
Another thing is geography. It impacts how cultures develop over time, the resources available, their trade, economy, everything. Take these things into account when world-building and you will set yourself up for success.
Creation
The world itself becomes a type of character when you think of it in this way. What is the world like? What is the climate like? What is the geography within the world?
The options are endless and, in some ways, limitless. The caveat to the ‘limitless’ part is that it still has to be grounded to the in-world laws you establish. For instance, if you have floating mountains, we know in our world that isn’t a thing, so establish why it is a thing in your world.
Two ways you can do it is through character point-of-view. First, there is the ‘old news’ feel of a character who lives within the world and lives on the floating mountains. Big deal. Doesn’t everyone?
The second is to have a character who has never seen them before, which would be pretty dang awe-inspiring. You could have a character with them explaining how [insert magical reasons here] works, or you could leave the character in awe and move on with the story.
However, if you’re going the last route I mentioned, you should refer back to it at least two or three times because FLOATING MOUNTAINS! Seriously, that’s going to stick with someone until the day they die.
World-building at its best is immersion into your world. It feels real to the reader because you focused on the 98% and were consistent with it.
Final Thoughts
I hope this had helped you see that world-building is easier than you thought it ever could be. It’s one of the best aspects of writing because our worlds are so real and vivid to us it’s sometimes hard to translate. But focusing on the 4 C’s as you write your story will bring your world to life in ways you never expected.
Do you have additional questions on world-building? Comment below and let me know!
Until next time, friends.
S. D. Howard
Author | Editor | Coach
Website: sdhowardauthor.com
