So You Want To Be A Writer | An Advice Book

|I| Fantastical Worlds and Where To Find Them

World building.

It's a very very important thing, especially for any story in which you're creating an entirely new world, whether it be fantasy or sci-fi. You need to think about lots of different things, because if you think about it, our own world is very diverse. There are multiple different cultures, with multiple different beliefs, and if you want to create a semi-realistic world you'll have to think about these things.

Culture & Race

Are there numerous different intelligent species living on this world of yours? Elves, Dragons, Demons, etc.? How do they get along, and more importantly, why? The why question is very important. Everything has a backstory, and even if you don't say it outright in your story, you should at least have some idea of it yourself. What myths and legends are there surrounding this world? Do they worship gods or other deities? Are their rituals, places of worship, or festivals concerning these? What bedtime stories do parents read their children? What do people view as sacred and taboo? How does it differ between races?

What do your races look like? If you're creating a new one (which needs to have a pronounceable name) then you'll need to describe them as well as you can. Do they use different cutlery? Are their buildings different to one another? Not every home is going to be red brick. Not every place uses the same cutlery.

Like they say, the devil's in the details... but don't get too caught up in everything or explaining things. That can bog you down and make it hard to write. It's part of the world, so the character shouldn't find it too spectacular. It's just there. There's a balance, and you'll need to practice finding it. As they say, practice makes perfect, and that applies to writing too.

Climate & Landscape

What sort of places are there in the world? Hot, arid, dry? Wet, moist, muddy? No one place will be the same. There'll be valleys, mountains, deserts, jungles... you name it, your world will likely have it somewhere. It's also good to think about where these warm and cold places will be, and why. On earth, the countries across the equator tend to be the hottest, while the two poles are the coolest. If your world has more than one sun, or more than one moon, how would that affect things? Are there any legends as to how the planet was made? What about the seasons? Seasonal weather? What animals and other creatures live there? How do they survive there? Any key features to their design?

There are lots of different things to think about when creating a whole entire planet from scratch – so perhaps base it off something if you're just starting out – but these are only some of the questions you might want to ponder when thinking about the nitty gritty aspects of your world. This will be your world so you need to take the necessary steps – you need to breathe life into it and decide on the details.