So, worldbuilding is intense, to put it short, haha. I am what you call a "pantser," and if you don't know, I'm basically a writer who does not like outlining her books. I tend to just go with the flow, and let book ideas come to me during the writing process. It has worked fine for me for years, however, now I see why worldbuilding has always been a bit of a pain, because instead of planning and mapping the world out, I kind of just let it live on in my mind, and well, in there, the story is always evolving. Every day, new mini piles of sticky notes would pile on my desk of new ideas for what the cities of this series, Rosswood and Ebbot, would be like, and how things worked with the culture and lore surrounding them both, as well as how the Gerenia family's situation affected these places.
Recently, I discovered a Youtuber, Sara Lubratt, and her videos chronicling her journey going from a pantser to outlining her works. I highly suggest watching her writing videos, they're very relatable and helpful! A few videos in particular caught my eye, when she decided to try and outline like J.K. Rowling did for her Harry Potter series. Lubratt went off the template for Order of the Phoenix that has been posted online. Called a 'series grid,' this outline goes chapter by chapter of a novel, detailing the timeline for each chapter, specific character pov's, and the important events that take place. I was surprised at how simple, yet orderly this outlining form was, and I have decided to experiment with that for writing "No Return," after I compile all my general worldbuilding notes together. J.K. Rowling is one of my greatest writing inspirations, and one of the first big stories I wrote was a Harry Potter fanfiction, because I loved that series so much. I'm excited to try this form of outlining, and hopefully, it can get this pantser to write a more detailed and organized story.
I'll keep you guys updated on this little journey, and maybe it can help inspire you too!
