World Building 101 - Define Your Environment

A World All to Your Own...

Odds are, if you've taken the time to develop a story, hash out the characters, the plots, the hooks, and the "Oh no he didn'ts", then you likely already have an idea of the type of world you'll be creating...or do you?  Have you actually thought through the world as a whole and how it will weave its way through your story?  Have you thought about the use of magic, lore, or potential supernatural elements?  In this section, we'll lay the foundation for any new world...the environment.  What is the setting, what are the rules, and what challenges will it present our heroes.

Fantasy vs. Reality

The world you are developing will be to your story what earth is for you...it's quite literally the air your characters breathe.  It will help define their actions, give understanding to your readers, and set the framework for all the other details involved in world-building.  While real-world environments are a comfortable starting point due to familiarity by both the writer and your readers...does it make sense for your storyline?  

We'll take a quick dive into the different types of worlds you could create for your story: Fantasy, Alternate Reality, and Real World.  We'll discuss the subtle nuances of each type and give a little insight into which one works best for you and your characters.  Most importantly, we'll give you a few ideas to ponder about your world that you may not have thought of before...maybe even give a little more creative inspiration along the way :)  

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Explore the Differences

First, let's quickly explore the 3 main types of worlds used in writing: Fantasy, Alternate Reality, and Real World.

Fantasy Worlds - Building an entirely fictional world.  Primarily used in the fantasy genre, but also applicable to some Sci-Fi settings.

Alternate Reality - Taking the existing world we live in and re-creating events to imagine a different reality.  This world is very popular among Sci-Fi authors as it poses the 'what if' questions.

Real World - As the name implies, a story set in our current world.  Sights, sounds, settings...all familiar to the reader and drawn from our history.

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Fantasy Worlds
         Create a Starting Point
         Ask Questions 
         Use Personal Inspiration
         Blur the Lines

Alternate Reality
         What If...?
         Define Your Beliefs
​         Playing With Blocks
         One For the 'Ages'
​         ...And I Feel Fine         

Real World
         Explore your Surroundings
         Pack your bags
         Feed your senses
         Become an expert​         

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Fantasy Worlds

 

If you've found my website, then you're probably already very familiar with the world of Fantasy...a realm where all things are new, and anything's possible.  Sometimes that's the challenge, however.  When anything is possible, it's sometimes hard to wrap our minds around exactly what will bind our characters to our own unique universe.  Whether it be magical elements, fantastic creatures, or environmental phenomena, use these key ingredients to start honing in on your world.

Magical Worlds

Create a Starting Point

 

Much like a kid in a candy store, the idea of creating an entirely new world from scratch can be daunting.  The options seem limitless!!  And with so many options, where do you even begin? It's very easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities, but it's in this moment that you want to refer back to your puzzle...building the outside first.  Set the elements that are required for your story and add those that complement one another.  Whether your world requires floating islands and waterfalls from nowhere, or Dragons and Orcs from the underworld, it's important to choose elements that make sense.

Frodo's 'Precious'

Lord of the Rings is an epic example of a fantasy world done right.  There's orcs, magic, undead, elves, etc...truly unbelievable elements existing in an amazingly rich, believable world.  So when thinking of things you need to exist, give them a reason for their existence.  How do they interact with your story and your characters?  Is there and explanation for their presence, even if the explanation exists outside our current world?  Readers of fantasy know they will be immersing themselves in a fictional world beyond their own window, but they still want to be able to place themselves in that world and make sense of that which cannot otherwise be explained.  Give them the respect they deserve and make your key elements interact and come together in a way that lets your story be the focus.

Ask Questions About Your World

This is the section where you start to really piece together your world, and the reason for everything in it.  If you want to have magical elements in your environment, you should ask yourself, "why?"  Why is there magic here and not there, why does he have it but she doesn't, why does this sword glow but this doesn't?  What makes your elements make sense?  For example, is magic an element in itself that can be obtained, or is it a gift?  Is it accepted by society or is it a curse?  Why does magic even exist at all?  Using Lord of the Rings again as an example, we all know why the Ring was magical.  We know what power it was infused with and what its purposes were.  We even know why Frodo's sword would glow blue.  Things like this make the reader believe in the magic, and its purpose.

You also have to answer the questions about the creatures in your world.  Game of Thrones does a great job of explaining why there were no more dragons, and gives the reader an explanation for the magical elements involved, even if the characters in the series have trouble believing it.  Some of these creatures will exist because they're part of nature, such as the Bantha's in Star Wars, while others were created or 'brought into existence' like the orcs of Lord of the Rings.  Think about the creatures in your story and ask how they got there.  Did they exist all along, or were they created?  Can they be destroyed or are they part of some other fabric that connects everything together?

Games of Thrones, HBO

And finally, we ask ourselves about the world itself.  Is the sky blue?  Why?  Are there 2 moons instead of one?  Why?  What happens when they line up?  What happens if ALL the planets line up (Pitch Black)?  Why does the magical floating island have a 400 foot endless waterfall?  Just set each element aside for a moment and decide what questions you should ask about it, then place them all back together and start to see your world unfold before you!

Dream or Reality?

 

Use Personal Inspiration

Even when reading about worlds of fantasy, your readers still want to draw on something familiar to them...something they can believe in when everything else is so 'out of this world'.  There's no better place to do that, and make your world unique in the process, than drawing from your own personal inspirations.  All of us have seen things that didn't seem believable at first, or witnessed something that couldn't be explained.  The beauty is that in the end, there likely was an explanation...it just wasn't immediately known to you at the time.  Use this to create richness within your world and give your readers a small glimpse of your own world at the same time.

Angel Being Born or Just a Natural Work of Art?

Have you ever seen a sunset that was so amazing that it was impossible to describe?  You ran and grabbed your camera only to later discover that it wasn't capable of capturing what you were seeing with your own eyes.  You try to describe it to your friends but realize, as they look at you with a blank expression, that they'll never get it.  That's the kind of experience I mean...instead of being an amazing natural phenomenon, make it mean something else.  Perhaps when a new angel is born, the Gods of the underworld grow into a fit of rage, knowing the odds have turned against them once again.  They lash out from their dark burrows, causing intense heat and radiation to spill into the world above, polluting the night sky with various hues of magenta and purple.  Those living above are completely unaware of the turmoil raging, and instead get to bask at the glory of an otherwise amazing sunset.

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I encourage you to spend time, preferably outside, thinking of a few amazing things that you've seen within your life.  Think about how you were able to experience them.  Then think of how you could try to describe them to someone else, using as elaborate of words as necessary.  Then, go a step beyond and build a story behind the description.  Think of fantastic reasons that experience may have occurred and then try to make the same logical connections your readers would.  It'll make you a stronger writer while giving your world a deeper richness.

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Fact v. Fiction

Blur the Lines

Finally, you could take a very common approach to bridging the gape between fantasy and reality by blurring the lines a little.  Some stories take elements of magic or supernatural and place them within the confines of our world.  Superman is essentially an alien with powers unknown to man, yet he was sent to live right here on earth...thus, the story itself is told from the familiar perspective of earth and all the societal confines it offers.  Another such example of blurring the lines is the Harry Potter series.  There is clearly magic involved, but those with magical abilities are sent to another location, leaving the rest of the world unaffected.

Both of these examples would actually be more suited for an 'alternate reality' world, but the point made is the same.  Let's go back to the Lord of the Rings...the world is dominated by Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Orcs, Trolls, etc...yet Tolkein incorporated a race relatively new to the realms.  A race easily swayed by Sauron and was drawn to power and wealth...humans.  By adding the human element to an otherwise fantastic world, he created a race that was familiar to the readers.  Since the reader could bond with and relate to the strife of the human clans, they were more emotionally available to accept the new races, and thus the story was made more believable.

In essence, make the world your own.  Make it as unique as you are.  But if you're able to add some elements that are familiar to your reader, even if everything else is foreign, then it will add credibility to the environment and your audience will be more inclined to accept everything else.

Back to the beginning and our Overview of World Building

Next up, explore Alternate Reality!  Learn how to reinvent your readers' world

Alternate Reality Worlds

World Building Series Navigation

Setting

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Fantasy

Alternate Reality

Real World

Geography

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Terrain ( 1,2 )

Boundaries

Resources

History

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Origins

Ancient Civ

Lore

​Society

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Gender Roles

Social Classes

Lifestyles

Politics

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Government

Legal System

Economics

Conflict

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War

Religion

Power