World Building Suggestions for Fantasy Writers
- Marie M Gray
- Oct 24, 2024
- 7 min read
Get out of your own head and put it on paper!
World building, as the phrase suggests, is a lot of work. It can be as exciting as it can be boring. However, I am a firm believer that the more in-depth you go the more of a story you have to offer. This is a little advice I've picked up from writing short stories and full-length manuscripts regarding setting, characters, and conflict.
(Note: Not all of this solely pertains to fantasy. Writer's of any genre can use these methods.)
SETTING
Setting shapes characters, motivations, the past, present, and future of your story. More than we may realize when we start writing. In my opinion, the setting is one of the most important aspects of a story, even if your focal point is your main character. The setting should be where you start in my experience. The biggest pill you need to swallow with world building is a lot of it will be for your benefit, not the reader. I have pages and pages of notes on setting and character building I've done that no one other than I will read. And why should they? I don't want to bore my readers with my in-depth timeline of some made up currency for a nation where the predominant demographic is mixed race space pirates. Good writing within a fantasy world doesn't read like a textbook.
Still, I think it is necessary to write that textbook. The first bit of advice?
1. Make your own encyclopedia.
Yes, this is MUCH easier said than done and some people may even regard this as a waste of time. And, no, you don't have to do this step. I have always done it though, and speaking from experience, it was well worth it as I avoided a fair amount of plot holes and painting myself into a corner. The encyclopedia does not need to be as long as your novel. It can be ten pages maximum that act as cheat sheets for you: what towns are on this continent? What do they eat? How much money does the average citizen have compared to other townships?
Thinking about these things matter and writing them down makes you consistent (also more creative in my opinion because you are giving yourself limitations to work with). All of these parameters will certainly help you in your character building, motivations, and conflicts.
I have quick notes about a few specific things that I think can be organically worked into a story, or are just useful for you to keep in the back of your mind while writing.
For each nation, consider these factors:
Climate
Historical Figures (important people)
Economy/Demographics
Cuisine
Architecture
Religion
Education
I find are essential to pinpointing why my characters think and act the way they do and how motivations clash. Also good to include in your encyclopedia are major historical events, mythical creatures, global festivals/beliefs, and what kind of era, in general, the world is currently in.
...Okay, this tactic isn't for everyone. If you don't do this at least have some semblance of an overview to refer to as you tell your story. There is only benefit in establishing your vision for yourself on paper, rather than desperately trying to recall in when you sit down to write.
2. Timelines / Webs
If you don't want to do a whole encyclopedia and would rather have a few "note to self" pieces of paper, a timeline or web is still a must. I do this for family trees, political timelines, economic timelines, and my overall plan for the plot the reader will actually be reading.
Ex. 10 years before the story takes place:
(King Candy is assassinated) ----> (King Vegetable rises to power) ----> (Supporters of King Candy are forced into hiding) ----> (Our hero is born) ----> (They are affiliated with the past king) ----> THE STORY BEGINS.
Timelines can be a lot of work too, especially for people like me who are allergic to numbers and require more brain juice to keep track of dates. But don't give up on these!
They've saved me from accidentally shoehorning in characters who are already dead and have given me solutions to tragic backstories.
3. Maps
These are pretty much a staple in fantasy or sci-fi books and they're usually on the first page. You don't have to be an amazing artist to create and use your own map. They certainly assist you in creating a mental image though, and your readers will benefit from YOU knowing where your story is taking place.
CHARACTERS
Whew! Well, honestly everything after the setting tends to fall into place in my experience, and the experiences of my other writer friends. Character design is fair to focus on next, and it doesn't necessarily have to be as in-depth as the setting. Characters tend to be built upon more within the story, rather than prior to. I often have a rough outline with bullet points, and then go back and add to that list as the story develops.
1. Character Breakdown
Again another cheat sheet, these are often one word or one sentence lists I structure for my main and supporting cast. For example:
Elliot -- Age: 46. Ethnicity: Gnome. Occupation: Blacksmith
Elliot has been a blacksmith since he was 18.
He lives in Gnomexandrea.
Elliot is obsessed with snow-globes.
He wants to travel the world to collect them.
When he sees an opportunity, Elliot takes it and leaves his shop to travel.
He gets mixed up in the plot after he gets a ticket aboard an airship and his airship crashes.
You don't have to script the whole adventure for Elliot on his character page. Just have little things to keep in mind that will drive his actions/responses.
2. Family Trees
Pretty self-explanatory. These can be simple but helpful. I don't do these for ALL of my characters, really just the main cast.
3. Motivation Organizer/Timeline
This is one of the most important things you can do for character development. I've worked with a lot of clients as an editor and ghostwriter, and in the first draft the characters have lacked consistency. Hell, my own drafts are no strangers to characters motivations not linking up to their previous ones. You have to map out what your characters do and why they do these things. This is useful for any genre to save you from looking like you've written a story that you didn't even read, yourself.
My character is shy. Okay; keep that in mind so they're not the one going off on the main antagonist right away. These are certainly subject to change when you come up to new ideas, (as are all your notes and cheat sheets) but your characters will be more fleshed out and real to the reader when they make logistical sense.
CONFLICTS & MOTIVATIONS
Conflict is best considered when your developing your story, NOT after you've written two hundred or more pages. I know many fantasy writers (myself included) who are so caught up in creating the setting and characters, they forget that things actually need to happen in this world to make it worth reading. A story sucks without tension and sucks, even more, when the tension is lazy and cliched. Conflict can be developed after your setting and characters, as these aspects shape the conflicts reasons and execution. Despite that, don't neglect it!
1. Cliche List
This can arguably be used across the board. Conflict is where it is best served. I make have a list of cliche dreams and goals for my protagonists and antagonists I keep a close watch on when I'm outlining my plans. Is my main character a lonely soul wanting to explore? DING! (Hey, I even think my example above had that in it...huh.)
Is my antagonist an orphan who didn't receive enough hugs? DING! Is my protagonists best friend a cute animal/guide? DING! I'm not suggesting you make a list of these to wholly avoid them. What you can do with a list like this is decide which you want to include and how you'll SUBVERT them. And no, subverting a loner character doesn't mean, "making her different by giving her the one true power." You can do these things, just do them right by altering them enough to be an exciting read.
Does your character have magic powers? Maybe they draw them from soil and therefore they're powerless in urban areas. Does your antagonist want to take over the world? Maybe they want to in order to save a dying species of frogs, but their solution is to murder activists who don't align with their beliefs.
Don't shy away from cliches wholly. Don't pump out a ton and wonder why people think your story is pretentious or dull.
2. IT'S ANOTHER TIMELINE!
Just map out your general idea for the progression we all learned in middle-school: inciting action, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. Basic. Essential. Just do it. You'll likely avoid tangents or losing your original goal altogether. Or losing sight of your new goal.
Ex. Batman's parents are killed ----> he decides to dress up a like a bat when fighting bad guys ----> girlfriend is in danger/dies ----> battles the villain ----> villain dies or is imprisoned ----> Batman goes out on a rooftop and glares at the moon.
3. Chapter Breakdown
This is if you're super anal (as is a fair amount of this post...) about planning I guess but I like to write up a quick outline dedicating my timeline to chapters. Maybe chapters one through three will be about the inciting action.
ALL of this is VERY rough and is certainly not set in stone. I do this more as I start really writing so I don't feel like I'm launching myself down the rabbit hole; instead, this allows me to pace myself. Just another security blanket so I know where I'm headed.
In conclusion...
The biggest thing I have to say about all that this post encompasses is don't just sit down and do this without inspiration. Just start writing your story and begin this after your first few ideas stick. I start doing this after I've written about a chapter or so and I have a concrete idea I really want to run with.
No, not everything on this list needs to be done, nor will they guarantee your novel will appear after a week or even a month of feverish writing.
Writing is not simple. However, having a plan of attack sure helps
Comments