Six tips for successful world-building 

Worldbuilding is what draws your readers into your narrative. When people remember science fiction or fantasy books, it tends not to be the plot that they revel in, but a general sense of what the world was like: the plains of Rohan, or the hellish mountains of Mordor, or the great desert planet of Dune. 

Successful world-building should feel effortless. There are two major forms of fantasy: the portal, and the entirely fantastical. Both, however, come with the same problems, as the reader must not be subjected to large amounts of exposition, in dialogue or otherwise. Some people like to build their worlds inside out, knowing exactly how the economy works, and how many kings or presidents there were, and so forth. Others like to be more painterly and impressionistic, simply giving a little touch here and there to suggest something.  

You, of course, can find your own balance between these two, and sometimes the former approach doesn’t work. If you are working in the realm of fable, for example, we don’t need to know exactly what it is that the dwarves were mining, and who they sold it to, and how they sustained themselves in the hut in the woods. But if you are dealing with something where you are aiming for the realistic – and yes, this can happen even in fantasy and sci fi – then you would need to work all that out. 

Bad world-building is easy to spot. Names are particularly revealing: some people just choose random names and hope for the best; others will go into great detail in terms of etymology and meaning. Again, finding a sweet spot between the two will help you understand what kind of writer you are. 

You can build up from something simple, like a boy in a village; or you can build down from something, like a planet made entirely of ice. But either way, there has to be a sense of wholeness, and a sense that this is a world that actually exists, just as much as ours does.  

It’s worth remembering that world-building is something realist novelists do as well – readers just don’t notice it as much. 

Here, then, are six tips on how to build your fictional world successfully. 

1. Develop encyclopaedic knowledge

Of course you don’t have to make an actual encyclopedia; but it is very helpful to have a world-building document alongside your manuscript, to which you can refer.  

This can contain information such as what countries are in the world, what their systems are, what kinds of names the characters have, and so forth. This information can then appear more naturally in the weave of the novel.  

The more you know your world, the more readily the information will flow out of your pen (or keyboard) in a convincing way. 

2. Consider geography and weather 

It really helps to have some sense of the kind of world your characters inhabit. You can draw simple maps (even if, like me, you can’t draw.) Is it forested? Is it mountainous? Where do the rivers lead?  Is there another country beyond that mountain range?  

You don’t need to go too far (well, you can if you like), but a general sense of direction is absolutely necessary. Setting helps to define both character and plot, so having a strong sense of yours will help with other aspects of your writing. 

3. History and memory matter 

When we walk down the street, we take in statues, road names, plaques and so on, without really thinking about it. Your characters should do the same. “Mendaro ran down King Vilnius-platz, avoiding the railings around the shining bronze statue of the country’s first monarch” is much better than “Mendaro ran down King Vilnius-plazt which had been named after the country’s first king.”  

Similarly, we all have personal histories, and that can really help to liven things up. When a character walks past a building, he or she can remember what happened there: “Alvo never liked to go past the Titan Temple if he could help it. The shadow of what had happened to Old Bruno seemed to live there, staining the air itself…”

4. Sensation can make a story 

New fantasy writers often forget that we are rooted in the physical, and that the senses themselves inform how we act within the world. Think of warm baking smells, and newly-cut grass; think of polluted air and the smell of petrol.  

The more your characters can interact with the world in that sensory way, the better. 

5. Remember you need rules

If you are writing about magic, then the magic should have limits. Magic is simply a metaphor, in any case, and giving magic to protagonists means that they need to grapple with it: learn it, understand its purpose, and understand what the effect of using the magic is.  

Imagine if, in order to defeat a Dark Lord, your character had to perform a rite that involved killing someone – and not just someone, but a good person. Would it still be worth it?  

Those kinds of questions help to inform the philosophical underpinnings of your novel. 

6. And finally… enjoy yourself 

I think this is absolutely paramount. Building up a fictional world is quite simply one of the most enjoyable activities that a human can do. You are in control! You can make the mountains green, or the seas red, or people eight feet tall, as long as it all hangs together.  

I think too many people come to world-building having ingested a lot of fantasy tropes – orcs, elves, and so forth – and I think the really enjoyable part comes in thinking about these tropes and how you can break away from them. It really helps if your fantasy world has a purpose. Fantasy is a way of exploring our world, and you can do that in your world-building with a great deal of fun. 

Philip Womack is a tutor on the Ultimate Novel Writing Programme. To find out more about working with him on your novel over 8 or 12 months, fill in this form or book an exploratory one-to-one where you can chat with him about your story idea. These sessions cost just £20, and this fee is fully refundable if you go on to book mentoring or study with us.