Quick Guide to Effective World-Building

World-building infuses stories with depth and realism and hauls readers into a story. Creating a fantasy world from scratch including geography, society, languages, fantasy maps and magic systems can feel overwhelming, so I’m sharing a quick practical exercise that helped me with world-building many times below! So, how to create a believable fantasy world, even if you are not feeling inspired?

Those among you who have been following this blog for a while might have already noticed that recently, I have shared more writing content again and less music news. This is because you voiced in a recent poll I created on Instagram that this is the content you want to see more of, so this blog will be focusing on writing, world-building, and creativity again, which I’m looking forward to!

What is world-building?

World-building is not only about creating a setting- it’s what holds your fantasy world together. World-building is what gives your characters a place to exist, to interact with, to journey through. Whether you’re working on a fantasy world or dystopian future, each element you create adds another dimension to your world.

Creating realistic fantasy worlds made easy – Exercise

For me, starting with a scene works best to create a world. This means I start with a scene and work outwards to piece together the fantasy world. For example, let’s say you have a female protagonist, and your story takes place mostly on a ship.

Character

Imagine a scene with your protagonist, on the ship. It can be a scene you have already written, or a concept art image to fuel your inspiration. Write down notes as you think about the scene. What is she wearing? An armor? A coat and a shirt that could be from the 18^th century? A uniform? A cloak? Futuristic clothing? Your protagonist’s look can tell you a lot about your setting and help you define the character, for example if your protagonist’s outfit does not match the timeline.

Society, culture, magic system

Next, let’s move to the background. What type of ship is she standing on? Is the ship ancient, steampunk, futuristic, magical? Who else is on the ship? Don’t forget the theme of your book – you might want to adjust the world slightly to better fit your genre or your target audience.

How do the characters interact with each other? Let’s say, your character is the captain and is giving commands while on the ship. Why is she on the ship? How did she become captain? Is everyone in your world able to become a sailor? Are they considered powerful or are people not interested in them? Do they have any powers, and how are they important in relation to the scene on the ship? Thinking about this gives you a lot of information on your society.

Geography

Next, think about the background. Is the ship on an ocean, a lake, at the harbor? Is there any land nearby? Is the scene drenched in sunlight or are sullen clouds obscuring the sky? How many moons do you see? How many suns? Do you see galaxies in the background or flying cities? How do they affect the characters in your world? The more details you write down, the easier it will be to decide on a setting.

Now, imagine a scene from your own book, concept, or video game, and try the exercise. What did you learn about your fantasy world? Did this exercise help you? What fantasy world did you come up with? Let me know in the comments!

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