How to Build a Fantasy World

Fantasy writer Donna Sundblad’s creative writing book Pumping Your Muse states, “World building on the front side of writing your story reduces the likelihood of going back to add threads of details about your world to make the plot work.” Creating a fantasy landscape is a foundational aspect when writing a fantasy novel. Geographical detail captured on paper helps develop scenes logically, correctly and with clarity. If the evil sorcerer lives beyond the dark forest to the south, indicate trees to the south on your map with a mark showing the evil sorcerer's home. It doesn't have to be an artistic map worthy of publication. Instead, it should be detailed in a way that the fantasy author understands and recognizes.

Mapping Fantasy Landscape

When mapping your fantasy landscape, consider what’s important to the emerging society. Include categories like:

Fertile Farming Land - Agriculture: Fresh produce is needed even in the cities. Where does it come from? If it is transported from more rural areas, how is it moved? Or, does each home have a garden tucked away on flat roofs, or community property set aside for this purpose?

Water Resources: Gold or silver profits nothing if you have no water. How scarce or abundant is water in your world? How does the water system work? Do water treatment plants exist? If so, are they well protected or is there no need for such fortification? Is the water run through pipelines or does it travel by more natural avenues? Does water supply power? If a dam exists, be sure to mark it on the map with consideration of potential devastation if it should break.

Seaports and Industrial Areas - Commerce: What type of goods do the cities in your fantasy land buy and sell? Is the economy healthy? Are things bought on credit, or do people pay up front? What currency is accepted? Is this the same throughout the kingdom? Does trade exist between other cities, provinces or nations? How did this trade relationship develop?

Forestry: Is the majority of your fantasy world forested? If cities exist, do they have parks, forest preserves or other natural settings for the residents to enjoy, or is it a futuristic, barren post-nuclear war metropolis? Consider the importance plant life plays in the quality of air and condition of soil.

Fantasy World Seasons and Weather

The same town or setting, with a different climate makes for a different scene. Sounds of wind and rain change the setting's mood. Depending on other known factors, weather elements add a sense of suspense to an otherwise ordinary day. Use weather to provide an obscure foreshadowing. For instance, according to weather folklore a condition known as storm moon occurs in March. A fantasy writer can take a tidbit like this and incorporate it as fact within the fantasy world to give the moon powers that change the weather, thus setting the scene for the plot to unfold.

Does the expanding fantasy land experience four seasons? Are any of the seasons harsh or extreme? Are the seasons changing and unpredictable?

Take a look at the weather channel, or even your local weather broadcast. Jot down weather in various parts of the world and problems that arise. Use the information to add a splash of weather to your world to stimulate your imagination and see what happens.

Construct a History

Fantasy novel writers work out a history as they build a fantasy world. This involves anything from politics, religious views, and anything similar that may divide or bring people together.

Books with pictures stimulate world-building ideas. Encyclopedias for older children present one potential source. Flip through the pages and glance at the pictures. When you find an item or event that stimulates your imagination, consider it. Text included in this type of book is short enough to peruse information in minutes. From there you can either research it further, use what you’ve learned or dismiss it entirely. The bottom line is that it doesn’t waste a lot of time.

Don’t allow character or plot to sidetrack from the task of pulling together geographical details; jot down exciting but distracting ideas to get them out of your head and into a safe place until the basic world has evolved enough for characters to walk about. If your story takes place in a specific city investigate the history of that city. Even when writing fiction you need to use enough facts to make the story believable.

Once the landscape is in place, add characters and build a rough timeline. The past and future don’t need to be well defined, but exist enough to help the fantasy writer know where characters came from and where they are going.
 

(link) How to Build a Fantasy World
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(link) Costume, Combat and Culture in Make Believe Worlds by guest author Teel James Glenn
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(link)How to Create a Pre-Modern Fantasy World
(link)Logic and Consistency in World Building by guest author Brynneth N Colvin
(link)Fantasy World Schools and Education Part 1
(link)Fantasy World Schools and Education Part 2
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