Most people have normal hobbies like swimming, hiking, sports, or maybe some artsy stuff. Not me—I spend hours on end working on a fictional world for no reason other than just to do it. I imagine some of you do something similar, whether that be for a book, a D&D campaign, a screenplay, or just for plain fun. For those who wish to start, or those who are just starting, I have a list of tips for you!
1 – There are no rules
In worldbuilding communities, I often see people asking each other, “Is this a good thing to add?” or “How should I do X?” Well, here’s the thing: you can do whatever you like. It’s your world, and it can be whatever you want it to be. It can include whatever wacky things you want or be so geographically incorrect that it’ll give a geographer an aneurysm. Do whatever you like.
2 – Best place to start
While this is far more subjective, I see the best place to start as drawing a map. Simply take paper and pencil and make a few continents, then add things like rivers, forests, mountains, and other features.
3 – What is this world for?
It’s good to determine what you are making this world for, as it allows you to focus on needed elements rather than something too broad. For example, if a narrative is very focused on politics, it’s good to figure out the political systems of the world.
4 – Where do people settle?
When it comes to the placement of towns and cities—especially for fantasy and historically based worlds—it is essential to give these places a water source if they need water to live. Often, this would at least be a well connected to an underground reservoir, or more commonly, rivers and coastlines.
5 – What’s the economy like?
While you don’t have to be super detailed—like calculating GDP (the general size of a nation’s economy)—it’s good to at least figure out what a nation imports and exports to get a sense of its position in the world.
6 – Medieval stagnation
In traditionally inspired fantasy worlds, you often see what is called “medieval stagnation,” where technology is in a perpetual state of non-progression. If you are only working within a particular time period, then it works fine. However, if your world spans hundreds or thousands of years, it becomes less believable. I’d suggest trying to incorporate some technological advancement throughout a world’s history, which can also coincide with political evolution (such as a shift from monarchy to democracy).
7 – Know some history
When making a world inspired by a certain time period, it’s helpful to look at that time period for reference. While this may sound like a no-brainer, it’s still important to remember.
8 – What’s the history of your world?
While this can be more tedious to implement, if you are working within a small window of time, it’s good to define what happened before the narrative to shape the current state of the world.
9 – There’s no such thing as an original idea
Sometimes you may feel like, “I’m just stealing this,” but that’s okay. Everything is inspired by something else. What makes it unique is how you implement those ideas.
10 – Go outside the box
Pretty self-explanatory, but when making a world, it’s good to experiment with its elements. Try things that may be wacky or weird.
