World Building 101

So many people dream of writing a fantasy novel, and one important part of that is building an immersive world that the reader can disappear into.

I’d like to start by asking you to reflect on something. Think of a fantasy world that you really like. (Examples could include Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, etc.) Imagine that world for a bit and think about why you like it so much. What makes the world feel real?

One little diversion I want to take you on is that there’s this concept of primary and secondary worlds. In Tolkien’s “On Fairy-Stories,” he talks about two worlds. The primary world is the real world - the everyday world with humans. The secondary world is the one created - the fantasy world. It’s a world that the author creates, complete with its own history, rules, people, and governance, just like the primary world. When the reader enters, they kind of accept the inner truth of the story while they are immersed in it.

When you want to construct a world, you’d need to remember the iceberg principle. There’s only a little bit of the world that the reader sees; however, you, as the author, need to construct the entire world. Most of the world is off the page, but what the reader never sees is also part of what they perceive.

There are, of course, layers of world-building. There are certain things that you need to include when you try to make a world. First and foremost is the geographical setting. Where is the world? Is it in the future or past or somewhere completely made up? Second is the world’s history. What made the world the way it is now? Then there is the hierarchy in the world. Is there a class system in place? Who rules the world? Next are the beliefs and myths present in the world. What do the people in this world consider sacred, and what do they fear?

What language do the people in your world speak? What do the people wear and eat? What kind of jobs do they have? What’s the economy of this world like? What do the people here trade in? What are the rules of this world? What’s possible and impossible?

The worlds you build are made real through the details and descriptions you provide. The more you give, the more immersive your world is. The more details there are, the better the reader will be able to visualize it. You can use all kinds of sensory details.

Once you’ve thought about your world and sketched it out, you have to think about how to introduce your world and how to explain it. What would you like to show and withhold? How would you like to hide the exposition to make sure it’s not explicitly stated? One idea I like is using friction to show the rules.

To conclude, I’d like to leave you with six questions you can think about.

1. What does this world want and fear?

2. Who holds the power and why?

3. What is taboo here?

4. What do the people believe to be sacred?

5. What is scarce or lacking?

6. What is about to break?