A Whole New World: 6 Steps to Worldbuilding Commented [ST1]: This is a great title!

Have you ever been reading a novel and you can picture the world exactly as the author

describes it? Are you ever amazed by the intricate politics and histories that the authors builds?

This attention to detail is worldbuilding and it is the basis of every novel. But worldbuilding is

incredibly difficult. It takes time, research, and a great deal of thought. The best novels have
extremely intricate worlds that the books take place in. They contain maps, detailed histories,
Commented [ST2]: The fact that worldbuilding is difficult
is implied in the last sentence with “But creating these
worlds is no simple task.” Consider removing this part of the
sentence to reduce repetitiveness.

and, in some cases, entire functioning languages that readers can be learned. The worlds feel real

to the readers, which makes the story come alive. But creating these worlds is no simple task, so

I have compiled a list of the most important categories to consider when building your a fictional

world to help novice authors make your worlds feel more real. Commented [ST3]: Saying “novice authors” in referring
to the readers and then using your to refer to the readers
felt a little off. Maybe delete novice authors?

Does Worldbuilding Even Matter?

Worldbuilding helps to establish your story. Readers should be able to step into the world

you have created and feel that it is real and intricate instead of being feeling frozen in the

timeline of your story. But worldbuilding serves a function beyond the literary. Authors that take

the time to worldbuild will have a much easier time writing and escaping plot holes and

inconsistencies. If you set up the rules of your world and establish what kind of world it is, you

won’t be left at a loss later on. Worldbuilding creates a foundation for authors to build and

expand on. Consider stories that have spinoffs and multiple stories like Star Trek, Lord of the

Rings, Game of Thrones, Marvel, etc. The authors of each of the stories created a well-

established and immense world with clear-cut rules, which allowsed for spin-offs and sequels,

even decades later. Situating your story in a solid world helps your writing process later on.
Map It Out

One of the very first things you should do when creating your world is consider its

geography. What does it look like? Is it similar to our world? Is it a forest planet like in the

movie Avatar? Or is it set in space? Create the world your characters are going to inhabit and

keep a running list of all the aspects of that world.

Several authors have taken to creating actual maps of the world and putting them in the Commented [ST4]: Consider using a word like many
instead because several makes map creating feel less
prominent.
books to help the reader visualize the world they are entering. Creating a physical representation
Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"
of your world could help you as the author plan out future aspects of your book. But when you

are creating the geography of your world consider how it would affect the history, the culture,

the religion, etc. How does this world influence the way your story progresses? Considering all

of these aspects of a physical world will go a long way toward creating an intricate world that

feels more real to your readers.

Flowers, and Trees, and Bears, and Bees Commented [ST5]: I really love this heading, but I wonder
if the ands are a little hard to read. Maybe we should do
something like ‘Flowers, Trees, Bears, and Bees.” Or maybe
After you have created the geography of your world, consider the plants and animals that “Flowers and Trees, Bears and Bees”

inhabit it. How do these animals interact with the world around them? How do people interact

with these animals? What history do the plants and animals have with the world they are in and

the people that inhabit it? What plants are medicinal? What animals are important or well-liked?

Worlds have plants and animals to populate them. You don’t have to write for ten pages Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"

about trees or have an entire section dedicated to furry little creatures, but you can pepper in

details about the flora and fauna of your planet that makes your story come alive in new ways.

Reading about how people interact with the living factors of their environment makes the world
seem more real, detailed, and thought-out. It will likely interest some of your readers to see some

of the more mundane and quirky aspects of the flora and fauna that inhabit your chosen world.

It All Goes Back to History

The history of the world you have created will influence the course your novel takes.

When creating your world, consider the history. What were the important battles? Who are the

well-known rulers and conquerors? Have there been any floods or fires or other major events?

How did the people who live there come to be there?

The history of the world you have created will influence the course your novel takes. But Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"

while ancient history is important, you also have to situate your story within the recent history.

Consider what events in the recent and distant past could affect the progression of your story.

Having a detailed history of the your world you have created fascinates readers and could create

learning moments for your characters. But be wary of info dumping in your story. Every person

may have heard of a particular battle, but not every character will be aware of all the details of it.

Consider how people in the real world know their history. Not everyone has a perfect Commented [ST6]: There are quite a few considers in this
section. Perhaps we should change one or two of them.
recollection of their history. While most authors don’t write entire other books and novels based

around the history of the world they have created, many authors will have notes upon notes of

that history just in case it comes in handy later in the writing process.

Take Me to Your Leader

The government and social systems that govern your world are incredibly important.

Even if your novel is not a dystopian novel, the characters are influenced by their government

and how they interact with it is important. The rules that govern the different regions of your
world could create interesting side stories. Perhaps your character has a run-in over a small, silly
Commented [ST7]: Since we talk about rules later, in the
last section, it might be better to call these rules laws that
way we avoid any repetition and keep readers from getting
confused.
law in one region that doesn’t exist in another. Create your political structures and consider how

they would affect the progression of your story. How does your character react to the

government and the laws created by it? How does society view it’s government? But be careful

in this aspect because if the entire society believes its laws are unjust but refuses to rise up or go

against the laws, readers will have a hard time believing in that.
But the governments areis not the only thing that dictates how people act. What are the
Commented [ST8]: I noticed that most of the 6 steps
sections start with “Consider…” and guiding questions.
Consider moving this to the top of this section to match the
format of the other ones.

social systems in place? Are there classes and divisions? What are the social rules that govern the Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"

world you are creating? Are there any faux pas your characters need to worry about? What

language do they use? How do relationships work? Are there issues with race, gender, sex, etc.?

How do your characters interact with these social rules? To create a world that seems real, it is

important to consider these questions and how they affect your characters and your story.

Cultural Differences Commented [ST9]: This heading feels a little off

compared to the tone of the others. Maybe something like
“The Art of Culture,” or just something else fun that will fit
After you have populated your world and considered the laws and societal rules that with the other headings like “Take Me to Your Leader.”

govern it, consider its culture. What religions or thought processes govern cultures? What are

some rituals or festivals or holidays that characters might celebrate? How do different cultures

interact? Is there animosity between cultures? How does this culture affect your main character?

Are there language differences? How does culture affect societal norms and governmental laws?

One of the most interesting parts of your story is going to be the culture of the people Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"

who live there. It gives the characters more life and it draws readers in and makes them wonder

more about the culture society and the people. Culture affects the entire worldbuilding process

and the progression of your story. So consider spending a great deal of your worldbuilding time

on the culture of your world.

What Are the Rules?
One of the most important components of world building are the Rrules. What rules
govern the world you have created? This goes beyond governments and law. This is the rules of
technology, magic, reality. If you have created a world with magic in it, what are it’s limitations?
What can your characters do and what is impossible? If your character is going to break any of
these rules, make sure there is a reason behind why they can do it. Maybe they found a new way
to do things;, maybe the government was preventing people from doing it. But make sure that
your characters do not break the rules without care or cause.
Creating rules for the way your world operates will spare you a headache later when you
are trying to figure out if a character could actually do what you want them to. Consider writing
a separate guide to how the magic or technology in your world works. It doesn’t have to be
published, but it would be useful for you as an author to have to check your story against.
Worldbuilding is a difficult and time-consuming process, but it pays off in the end.
Writing your story without considering how they the characters interact with the world it is set in
is possible, but it leaves you open for inconsistencies and ambiguity. Readers like to know more
about the world that the characters live in. They like to imagine themselves in that world. The
more effort you put into worldbuilding, the more your readers are going to appreciate the world
you have built and how it affects your characters. And honestly? Worldbuilding is incredibly fun.
You have your own sandbox and you can create whatever you want.
Commented [ST10]: This heading is also a little off in
tone, but I think it works if you want to stick with it.
Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"
Commented [ST11]: They was sort of ambiguous since
there were no people mentioned yet in this paragraph.
Commented [ST12]: It is a little ambiguous here since we
clarified who they is. (1) We could change the phrase “the
world it is set in” to “the world they live in”, or (2) since “the
world that the characters live in” is in the next sentence and
we might not want to modify that, we could change it to
“your story” or something similar.
For example:
(1)“Writing your story without considering how the
characters interact with the world they live in is possible,
but…”
(2)“Writing your book without considering how the
characters interact with the world that the story is set in
is possible, but…”
About the Author

I have always been fascinated with the intricate worlds that authors create in their stories. One of

the very first things I did when I began writing as a kid was create this fantastical worlds for my

characters to inhabit. I’ve grown up quite a bit since them, but I am still fascinated by the worlds that

authors create. Because of my fascination with this topic, I have done quite a bit of research into the best

ways to create intricate and realistic fantastical worlds that will fascinate a reader. Commented [ST13]: I love how you tie your bio into the
topic of this article!
I like working with first-time authors or authors who are trying out new genres. They bring

something new and refreshing to the literary world and I love helping authors create the world they want

to put their characters in. My background with worldbuilding means that I can work side-by-side with

authors, fleshing out the details of the world that they may not have considered before, but details that

would add nuance to their story in a powerful way.

When I’m not editing or daydreaming, you can find me hiking, drawing, or swimming around. I Commented [ST14]: Since this is mentioned in the next
sentence as part of what makes you a creative person, we
love the outdoors, but I’m also a creative person that loves to draw and write. I enjoy spending time with might consider changing drawing here to some other
outdoorsy activity, that way there’s a clear distinction
between the two.
my family doing puzzles or playing games. And the one quirky fact about myself that always surprises

people? I am an archer and I competed nationally in high school for my school’s varsity archery team.