{"id":216,"date":"2020-11-16T11:37:27","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T11:37:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/?p=216"},"modified":"2025-05-09T09:41:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T08:41:51","slug":"worldbuilding-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/worldbuilding-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Generate Ideas For Worldbuilding In Fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Novelists of science-fiction or fantasy<\/a> know worldbuilding is a huge part of the fun of writing, from magical medieval worlds to apocalyptic dystopias. There\u2019s something wonderful about writing brave new worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As George R.R. Martin<\/a> has written:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La. They can keep their heaven. When I die, I\u2019d sooner go to middle Earth.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s described here just comes down to worldbuilding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever genre you\u2019re in love with \u2013 historical<\/a> fantasy, urban fantasy, hard or soft science-fiction, or something else \u2013 here are some general guidelines from us and an overview to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worldbuilding: Two Methods To Choose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

M. John Harrison has defined worldbuilding as an \u2018attempt to exhaustively survey a place that isn\u2019t there\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two established methods for science-fiction and fantasy, defined in The Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding<\/a><\/em>. These are outside-in<\/em> (otherwise called top-down) or inside-out<\/em> (bottom-up) \u2013 so we\u2019ll work with these definitions to help you sense which broad approach you prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re for outside-in<\/em>, you\u2019ll go with worldbuilding before just about anything else (i.e. plot<\/a>, character<\/a>, creatures<\/a>) in your sci-fi or fantasy writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll want that intricately-crafted world there in your mind, detailed in notes, ready for readers to explore as much as you yourself would wish to. Maybe you\u2019ll need it complete with histories, languages and more \u2013 because you feel fantastical worlds need a sense and structure first for a story to operate in. Perhaps you\u2019ll want to know every nook and cranny, creating mythologies, histories, etymologies surrounding your characters, like J.K. Rowling, or as J.R.R. Tolkien<\/a> did when he created Middle Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tolkien, though, built The Hobbit<\/em> around Bilbo Baggins \u2013 and then there came the history of Middle Earth and more. This makes Tolkien an inside-out<\/em> world-builder. Bilbo, his character, came first and Middle Earth is built around Bilbo \u2013 all he must achieve, how he must grow \u2013 before Bilbo\u2019s young cousin, Frodo, is forced to pick up Bilbo\u2019s legacy in The Lord of the Rings<\/em> and continue the journey. Similarly, the centre of J.K. Rowling\u2019s series was always Harry himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With an inside-out<\/em> approach, you\u2019ll build worlds around characters, exploring as you go. This way is (arguably) most useful to you, helping you not get bogged down in the fun of worldbuilding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You mustn\u2019t ever neglect your story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mapping A New World<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just a lot fun to create a world map. It\u2019s worth doing even as a draft sketch for yourself, because the key rule to never break in worldbuilding is that your world must have an internal, underpinning logic to it. This helps convince us that no matter how fantastical your book material, it is authentic enough to feel plausible \u2013 enough for readers to buy into it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think as you map mountains, savannahs, deserts \u2013 what do terrains mean for the societies you\u2019ll create?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fantasy epics, much of plot<\/a> \u2013 including backstories<\/a>, world histories and more \u2013 is tied up in mapping. The Iron Islands of A Song of Ice and Fire<\/em>, as an example, are known for ironborn ships. Surrounded by seas, Iron Islanders depend upon their Iron Fleet. This doesn\u2019t just sound imposing and impressive as a plot device from George R.R. Martin. It makes a certain logical sense that Iron Islanders would be dedicated to seafaring for their prosperity and survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There must be underpinning, internal rules to your world<\/a> to create a due sense of realism, and this can feed into your plot arc<\/a>, character journeys<\/a> and all the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Jeff Vandermeer has written in Wonderbook<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Approaches to setting and character should be multidirectional: organic and three-dimension, with layers and depths. Throwaway settings are like throwaway characters: a missed opportunity.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These geographical elements are interconnected and worth exploring, researching carefully as a conscientious writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mapping A Universe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re building a planet for your science-fiction novel, or mapping star systems \u2013 all sorts of scientific questions begin to surface. That\u2019s enough for a separate tome entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, a quick note here to \u2018hard sci-fi\u2019 writers on its importance. Let\u2019s say you were creating an alien planet with rings like Jupiter or Saturn. In terms of detail, some geological knowledge and understanding could help you in your descriptive writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writer Stephen L. Gillett has written in his book World-Building<\/em> how this planet would look:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rings would make for spectacular skies \u2026 during the day, a vast white arch, probably visibly subdivided into concentric arcs, would stretch high across the southern sky, pallid but plainly visible. \u2026 As the sun set, the arch would blaze \u2026 like a lacework with its multiple interior arcs. Shepherd moons would appear like bright pearls. \u2026 As nightfall encroached \u2026 no stars at all would appear in the black band \u2026 [then] high in the east a brilliant arc would appear where the rings first caught the sunlight, and the brilliance would spread westward until the whole arch would glow just before dawn.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re an enthusiast for science-fiction, learn to love the sciences, and read up on them. They could just offer new mines of inspiration. It\u2019ll all take time, yes \u2013 and is it necessary?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It just depends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know how deep you wish to go. Know if your story (or you) may need it. It can\u2019t hurt to consider, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Writing World Histories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Readers love exploring the histories of Westeros in A Song of Ice and Fire<\/em> \u2013 the complex, horrific politics of King\u2019s Landing. Readers become immersed in the stories of George R.R. Martin\u2019s great families, forging uneasy alliances to retain positions of power. The books wouldn\u2019t allure us if it weren\u2019t for such details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, part of the suspense and unease of a novel like Margaret Atwood<\/a>\u2019s The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em> stems from Offred\u2019s patchy knowledge of her dystopia and its ambiguity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fairy-tale retelling like Uprooted<\/em> by Naomi Novik<\/a> strikes a middle ground. Some history is sketched for us but there\u2019s no extensive mapping, no comprehensive history of intrigue. There\u2019s still much mystery surrounding the Dragon, the \u2018reaping\u2019 faced by Agnieszka and Kasia, which can work to advantage in Uprooted<\/em>. A little mystery is no bad thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, to truly know your world, a world history or survey detailing just as much as you need to write <\/em>would probably be useful. It\u2019ll be useful material for you, yourself \u2013 no matter how much you share of it in your book. So that\u2019s the most valid reason to create a world history \u2013 if you\u2019ll enjoy making it, love writing it. Create notes, etchings for yourself. You needn\u2019t create these with the intension to publish, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Silmarillion<\/em>, reams on the histories of Middle Earth, but never meant this book or others to be published. J.K. Rowling also kept detailed notes and sketches of Harry Potter\u2019s world for years. All of it was meant for her reference and only after Harry\u2019s success did she go on to reveal these on the website Pottermore<\/a>, from supporting characters\u2019 back stories to the intricacies and origins of wandlore, and more. Wherever stories catch on, a desire for more can often follow as George R.R. Martin also discovered before finishing his series. He published The World of Ice and Fire<\/em>, an informative history \u2018textbook\u2019 for his world, detailing all that led up to events of A Game of Thrones<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, your world history is really your backdrop for readers. In one sense, you must \u2018always leave them hungry\u2019 because a world history is not the same thing as your story \u2013 and it\u2019s the stories themselves that grip us. Better leave readers hungry then inundate too much and risk boring anyone. This said, a world history would still bear heavily upon your plot and any world history should feel organic, not tacked on. Your world history, at least as far as readers are concerned, needs to be fleshed out just enough as far as is relevant for the here and now of your plot and characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing Alternate Histories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Building alternate histories (i.e. reworking the histories of this world, recreating this world with intricately changed aspects), though, is another matter. A separate branch of worldbuilding, this is trickier, because you\u2019ll need to research extensively before you rework. If certain events didn\u2019t happen, how would this bear on your written worlds or societies?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susanna Clarke<\/a>\u2019s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell<\/em> is an example of how to write an alternative history well. Set in Regency England with magicians thrown in, the myth of the Raven King casts a shadow over all as magic \u2018returns\u2019 to England, as London society is dazzled by spells and ladies raised from the dead. The entire novel is punctuated with long (optional) footnotes and backstories, making for a deftly and thoroughly researched world of alternative history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this sense, you can take inspiration from real-life histories \u2013 in A Song of Ice and Fire<\/em>, civil war ensues following the beheading of key protagonist Eddard Stark \u2013 but anyone who\u2019s read The<\/em> Accursed Kings<\/em> by Maurice Druon (on the collapse of the French Capetian Dynasty) will see some parallels in A Song of Ice and Fire<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be afraid of tapping into history, however extensively, to inform your own worldbuilding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating Magical Societies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re writing a fantastical society with some magic (as so often will be the case), what are your magic\u2019s rules and limitations? Harry Potter\u2019s magical universe is held together by rules. A curse can be met with a counter-curse. Servile creatures like house-elves have secret powers that Voldemort, who wants to be invincible, spurns to his cost. Are there cults (religious or not), guilds or secret societies, like the Order of the Phoenix created to battle Voldemort?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, how will it affect your protagonist if he or she isn\u2019t using magic in a magical world? Are they afraid of it? In children\u2019s series The Song of the Lioness<\/em> by Tamora Pierce<\/a>, Alanna and Thom are twins sent away from home. Protagonist Alanna is to go north and learn magic (as ladies do in her world). Thom is to become a knight, and neither wants their fate. In secret, Thom travels north \u2013 both boys and girls can learn magic \u2013 but Alanna becomes \u2018Alan\u2019, disguises herself a boy, and learns to fight. Alanna isn\u2019t drawn to magic (synonymous with power in these stories), as her brother is. She finds she must still use her magic to help defend Tortall as she grows older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re creating religions, too, will these be monotheistic or polytheistic? In George R.R. Martin\u2019s A Song of Ice and Fire<\/em>, different gods are worshipped \u2013 with consequences. Arya Stark joins a cult worshipping the \u2018Many-faced God\u2019 or \u2018God of Death\u2019 to become an assassin. Melisandre is a prophetess carrying religion to catastrophic extremes. In The Song of the Lioness<\/em>, however, it is a Goddess worshipped. She\u2019s able to appear to protagonist Alanna as a tangible being, appealing to Alanna\u2019s inner life and journey at a deeply personal level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how will your story\u2019s religion affect things, if you\u2019re writing one? This can\u2019t be a throwaway topic, just as there can\u2019t be throwaway settings<\/a> or people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything, no matter how much you create, how big or small the details, should remain significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating Dystopias<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dystopian societies are (arguably) on trend in writing right now. Dystopia has long been established as a \u2018soft\u2019 sci-fi subgenre, as have fantasy novels. Writing dystopian<\/a> societies whilst keeping details rich, and characters human despite their loathsomeness, can be tricky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em>, for instance, \u2018criminals\u2019 targeted are hanged in public to control, to crush subversion. Handmaids like Offred lose their names in Gilead, so Gilead also makes the spread of information impossible. Margaret Atwood\u2019s setup is clever and it makes revolution seem a distant dream \u2013 it\u2019s impossible to rebel if you can\u2019t pull together accurate enough information. As an example, Offred meets her companion, Ofglen, one day, only to find a different Ofglen waiting. Her Ofglen has been replaced. In the novel, Offred is left to believe Ofglen hanged herself before a van could arrive and take her away. Names, identities, information, are lost as another tool of this repressive society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even in Gilead, though, nothing is black and white. Offred\u2019s Commander helps uphold a sick regime. Yet even he is nostalgic for the past \u2013 offering Offred a secret night out, bribing her with Scrabble game matches, old magazines \u2013 outlawed under Gilead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So keep your storytelling, characters and worldbuilding complex, even (or especially) where it\u2019s tempting to paint the world in black and world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Releasing Information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you inundate readers too much on \u2018world material\u2019, it could risk being a \u2018turn-off\u2019. So often a novel works because of a delicate control of information, i.e. you reveal more as you write, more as we read. Authors like J.R.R. Tolkien know this. He released information to his readers and to Frodo over time, just as J.K. Rowling does for Harry, etc., etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Samantha Shannon<\/a>, author of fantastical dystopia The Bone Season<\/em>, has written on building heroine Paige Mahoney\u2019s world of clairvoyants and the Rephaim, as well as writing about releases of information. How do you reveal a complex world without launching into fully-fledged history?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samantha\u2019s blog post reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

After several attempts at an opening, I finally decided that it was worth setting aside a few pages in the early chapters to explain some key aspects of the world \u2013 spirit combat, the London gangs, Edward VII, dreamwalking and so on \u2013 before the story got going. In the long run, I knew this would save me time and stop me having to drop in this information in later chapters. It would also, critically, allow a reader to grasp the bare bones of the world before I started fleshing it out \u2013 at the risk of making them feel like they were being \u2018talked at\u2019. It was a fairly big risk and I know it won\u2019t work for everyone, but I\u2019d rather a reader knew too much than too little.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So just remember to bear in mind \u2018story view\u2019, as a narrator \u2013 how much do your readers need to know at this moment? Will it serve the plot?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think where and how you\u2019ll connect the dots over your novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An End Is Just A Beginning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These are the pointers, the foundations of all you need to think about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sketch and map out the details of your world, and if you need, create a collage (or a Pinterest board) of ideas and images to spark inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly \u2013 have fun, and happy writing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Novelists of science-fiction or fantasy know worldbuilding is a huge part of the fun of writing, from magical medieval worlds to apocalyptic dystopias. There\u2019s something wonderful about writing brave new worlds. As George R.R. Martin has written: We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462377,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28665],"tags":[27498],"class_list":["post-216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plotting-and-planning","tag-idea-generator"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJericho Writers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our ultimate worldbuilding guide helps you create your own world. Read our definitive guide to worldbuilding. 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