Welcome to A Writer’s Ritual, a place where we discuss fiction writing. I’m glad you’re here!
What Is World Building?
World-building is the process of creating an entire world from scratch. It can be very fun but also tedious.
It’s important to create your fantasy world before you start writing your fantasy novel. You want something to refer back to as you are writing.
This post will cover some important things to consider while creating your world. Things like fundamental elements you need for your fantasy world.
Let’s get into it!
Creating a Unique World: Where To Start
I suggest you start with the geography of your world. The foundation essentially.
- Map out your world.
- What is the terrain? is it flat? Are there mountains?
- What is the climate? Is it winter year-round? Are there seasons?
- Is it a big city or a small village?
- Any hidden realms?
- What is your world called? Name each realm or village (whatever it may be).
Building Cultures and Societies
What are the politics and social structures of your world?
Things to consider:
- What language do they speak? Do they all speak the same language?
- Traditions and costumes
- Is there some kind of ruler of the world such as a king and queen?
- Do the people like their ruler?
- What is the problem with the politics or is there a problem at all?
- Are they at war with another kingdom or realm? Any conflicts?
- Are there religions and/or spirituality?
Developing a Magic System
Is there magic within your world?
Things to consider:
- What are the rules set in place for magical practices
- What are the abilities?
- Does everyone have magic?
- What are the limitations and consequences?
Crafting History and Lore
Having history in your world can play an important role. Your world existed well before your story starts and it’s good to have somewhat of an idea about where it all began.
Think about what shaped your world into where it is currently.
Be careful not to info dump the lore of your world at the beginning of your novel because nobody wants the first 5 chapters to be a play-by-play of the last 100 years of your world. Sprinkle in information as needed through your book only when necessary. Spoon-feed the info to your audience slowly.
Things to consider when crafting history and lore:
- Wars
- Discoveries
- Disasters
- rise and fall of civilizations
What Kind of People or Beings Exist in Your World?
Is your world humans that have magic or do you have humans and orcs? Maybe some people are ghosts… the possibilities are endless.
What is your main character and where do they fit in with the rest of the population?
Creating Characters
Your characters are one of the most important parts of your story. There wouldn’t be a story without them.
Design your characters to fit within your world.
Which part of your world are they from?
What are their political views?
What is their backstory?
Using Visual Aids for World-Building
When creating your world you need to be organized. You could write everything in a notebook if you like. You could use folders and label each one for each element of your world.
There are so many helpful tools on the internet to help you bring your world to life with visuals, character creation, map creation, and so much more. You can even write your whole novel on some of these websites.
Find the tools you need to build your world here.
Testing Your World with Readers
Getting opinions on your world is optional of course but it can be helpful.
You can get beta readers to look at the material. Join writing groups online on sites like Facebook and Reddit to ask people to take a look and give an opinion.
Creating a world is so much fun although it can get very overwhelming. I hope you gained some helpful ideas from this guide!
Please feel free to comment with your ideas, tips, and tricks on world-building, or let me know if this was helpful at all for you. I want to give the best content possible for my readers so I appreciate any feedback!
Thank you for reading and happy writing!
-A Writer’s Ritual