The Write Zone

I’ve often viewed getting to create my own world as getting to fix the imperfections of the one I actually live in. But honestly, all realistic worlds have to have those problems. And while you might not like the ones in the world we live in, the issues in your imaginary world make it more interesting. If two kingdoms are at war, think about everything that could happen to your hero during this. I’m sure that if your protagonist was real, they’d hate the problems you created just like we dislike the complications in our world, but if they read about your life, they’d probably find that your problems just made your story more interesting.

Alright, let’s dive in. Grab a notebook, a empty Google Doc, or a giant stack of sticky notes and get ready to write. (Tip: if you’re choosing the sticky note method, I’d find a wall or the side of a bookshelf in order to have a place to stick your notes where you can view them easily)

You need to determine the core idea that your story revolves around. That is the center of your world (you can check out my Writing Exercises to Prompt Ideas for Your Novel post is your brain needs an extra push)

Mapping out your world can help you determine things like, ‘how long does it take to travel from here to there’ and ‘where could this event happen’. So even if you don’t have names or all of your locations, creating a rough map of your future world is incredibly helpful, whether you draw it or write it. (If you need placeholder names, do what I do; look around your space and use the names of objects around you. Like The Kingdom of Coffee Cup, The Isle of Laptop, The Land of Grumpy Older Sister, etc.)

Think about when you want your story to take place. Perhaps years in the future? Back in medieval times? Or possibly even in a fairytale world where the time doesn’t matter? Determining that can give you a better grip on your world. (If you’re writing back in time, make sure you’re ready to do some research so you’re historically accurate)

Okay, next, we actually need to think about history. Yeah, it’s my least favorite part about worldbuilding, but it matters and can affect your characters a lot. Plot out when this person came to power, or a war that split this kingdom, or when any other major event happened that is important.

Sciences, magic systems, and tech are in most books. So you need to explain your choice of the three and it’s limits. With magic, you really have the most breathing room, but you also need to set boundaries. So if you decide to kill off a character, you can’t resurrect them unless you make it clear that it is possible earlier in the book- otherwise it feels thrown in and unbelievable.

Next set up your social systems. Who’s in power and why? What do they use for currency? What are the laws and justice system? With this, you can create problems that your hero might have to navigate, or ways your villain can come to power.

What is the culture? Myths, language, fashion, art, food, and holidays are important in stories, and so you need to figure out what your world holds in that area. Just think small; How do people greet each other? What is considered rude?

Time to look at an average person’s life. What do they do for different jobs? What do kids learn in schools- if they do go to school at all? What is their daily routine?

Think about how your people get their food, what beasts and/or animals are useful and which are dangerous, and medicines. Other things to think about are plants, fuel, how they build settlements/cites, where things will grow and where things won’t.

Now, think about how every major world detail affects your protagonist. Turn world facts into problems, moral dilemmas, or advantages. Do the same with your bad guy too.

Finally, find names! I normally just think of words and twist them into something that fits my world, kingdoms, or cities. Like this- the word ‘pleasant’ could be twisted into ‘Pleasentia’, which sounds like a name for a fairytale kingdom. (And ending names with an ‘a’ is a great way to make them sound more fantasy-like. Just make sure to not end all of them with that)

Okay, by now you should have a pretty solid idea of your world. So now you can jump over to my post ‘Dragons, Damsels, and the Distress Your Brain is in When Creating Characters’ to start making your characters if you haven’t already. Otherwise, happy writing!

Till my pen meets the paper again,

Tatum