all about world building

World building is a term used a lot in fantasy. As it should be because it's super important in the fantasy genre. When you're creating something fantastical and new with unfamiliar words and imagined places and creatures and the existence of magic and Protectresses then...you've got a lot of explaining to do to get your readers into the world.

The good news: you get to create a world that's as different as you want it to be from our world. You get to draw it, visit it, move in there, spend lots and lots of time dreaming it up. The bad news: you won't get to share ALL of your hard work in your story. But all of the work in building the world matters. Because you want the world to be interesting, so you need to know all the details big and small.

So, how do you do create a world out of words? For one, you should absolutely watch the Masterclass with N.K. Jemisin for exercises and such helpful advice. Before you do that, here are some very quick, amateur thoughts about what's helped along my journey so far.

1. It's all in the details. You don't have to explain every single aspect about the world you're creating. But you still need to know all of it. What does this world look like? What time is it? Are there seasons? Are there unusual sounds or smells? Can you close your eyes and picture it? What stands out? Ask yourself lots and lots of questions. Be so curious. Physically draw it on paper. Spend lots of time with it.

2. Whether they're villains or heroes or complex creations, your world needs characters. Ask yourself, what kinds of characters live in your world. Are they people? Magical creatures? Animals? Witches? What motivates them? Do they work? Or go to school? How do they live? What makes them interesting?

3. The words you use matter in the world you're creating, so think about words that will contribute to understanding that world. Do your characters cuss? Do they say OH MY GOD? Are there words that are more pertinent to your created world than what we use in our world? Can you make up words? Example: I've now read SKIES as a perjorative in three separate books. And, I loved it the first time I saw it, but after that I just wondered if something else would've fit better. Who's to say, but you'll never know unless you try to create something new within the confines of your world.

4. Obviously, the story itself is crucial here. But, it's also important that the story you want to tell fits within the world you've created. If magic or supernatural concepts exist in your world, then they're probably gonna be pretty central to your plot. Big picture, consider how everything intertwines. Why does your story need to be told in the world you're writing?

A few questions to ask along the way, the more curious you are, the more you'll come up with. And OH what fun it'll be to read! Don't forget to watch that Masterclass now too.