Creating a Fictional World: The Beginner's Guide to World-Building: Make Fantasy Planets, Characters, Magic and More (With Prompts)

By Alex Lyn

Do you want to be the master of worlds? Have you been dreaming of creating a fictional world, but don't know where to start? The Beginner's Guide to World-Building covers everything you need to know about the basics of world-building - from designing the setting of your story to the characters, plot, magic systems and so much more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bright Quill
• Release date: Aug 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798990952409

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Alex Lyn

Creating a Fictional World:

The Beginner’s Guide to

World-Building

Bright Quill

Copyright © 2024 Alex Lyn

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without expressed written permission from the

copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations for

reviews.

This book was originally published in 2024 by Bright Quill

a division of Knight and Starlight Publishing

Disclaimer:

The information in this guidebook is a compilation of the opinions of the author relating to the subject matter. The author has made every attempt to provide complete and accurate information, but this book is not intended as a substitute for any kind of scientific, technical, or other educational resource. The author has no connection to the works produced as a result of this guidebook. The author and publisher make no guarantee that any reader or consumer of this book will be successful following the advice and strategies mentioned in this book, results will vary for each individual. Additionally, all characters, names, and incidents in the examples created in this book are entirely fictional.

Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9909524-1-6

eBook ISBN: 979-8-9909524-0-9

Bright Quill

To everyone who supported me and all my crazy ideas.

Thank you for believing in me.

Introduction

Key Terms

This section defines world-building and goes over the general details of the world-building process.

World-building: The process of creating a fictional world

Setting: The place in which a story occurs

General World-building: The most basic form of world-building, the foundation

Intensive World-building: The all-encompassing level of world-building which considers all possible details within a story

Creator: The one who creates the world, such as an author, producer, writer or game master

Audience: The consumer of the final product or story

The World-Building Guide

The sun had long since blinked out behind the mountains when I finally returned to the mortal realm. Like most nights, I had spent my evening on an adventure in a faraway land. Of course, I was actually on the couch holding a book the whole time, though the sentiment remains the same. For many, stories are not only an escape, but a way of understanding and conceptualizing the world around us. They are a way to comment on world events occurring before our eyes in forms that make heavy nuances understandable to the masses. Stories are also a way for us to live out and share our wildest dreams. Above all else, the tales we tell carry our history, beliefs and values through generations.

As long as humans have existed, stories have been passed down from generation to generation. They have always been and always will be a tool to define culture and help us find meaning in this little life. Humans have always been telling stories, from the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt to the world-famous fantasy and science fiction movies of today. To tell a good story, there needs to be a good foundation, and a world in which your story occurs. This guide covers one of the many ways in which you can create that world and will walk you through the process step by step.

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What is World-building?

Generally, world-building is the construction of fictional settings (or worlds) where stories take place. This process can be incorporated into every manner of storytelling including poetry, game development, art, cinema and even music. While the scope or extent of the world-building process may vary depending on the medium, it is one of the most important foundational steps in creating a storytelling work. This process involves brainstorming, creation and documentation of a fictional world and its characteristics.

World-building encompasses more than just the physical or mythological attributes of a setting. It also includes the creation of characters, magic or technological systems, significant creatures, socio-political factors, the built environment, history, culture and other features. It is used to explore the themes of your story, develop important details, and make your story flow more smoothly.

World-building is not just for high fantasy and science fiction media. It should be used for any story where there is a partially or completely fictional setting or event taking place. It also does not have to encompass an entirely new world. If a story is based on a slightly altered version of an existing world, noting the changes and reasons for those changes is a form of world-building. Consider a horror story based in Chicago where the city is overrun with vengeful ghosts. Though Chicago is real, there will be some level of world-building necessary to explain why the ghosts are there, where they came from, and other details.

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Why is World-building important?

Understanding the foundation of a world is the most important part of planning a story. To tell a story, the storyteller needs to know the world in which that story takes place. They need to build a world that their characters can interact with. Good world-building allows you to visualize your character’s surroundings and interpret the reasoning behind why the events of your story are happening.

Strong world-building also improves the quality and clarity of your storytelling. Storytellers should be able to create vivid environments that the audience will feel completely immersed in. Weak or sloppy world-building can feel jarring to your audience and can create complications for the creator. It is much easier to be caught in plot holes if the details of your world haven't been thoroughly considered. When world-building is done well, the audience should be able to feel it - and the creator won’t need to explicitly state every detail.

Effect of a Good Setting

The setting is the environment where a story is told, essentially the place and time. A good setting can have a remarkable impact on the mood (vibe) of the story and the development of characters and situations.

Consider these two passages:

As Darren's eyes peeled open he found himself in a seemingly endless expanse of suffocating dust. The surrounding rocks were so jagged they cut through his skin simply from the pressure he exerted to stand. Indigo dust in the air coated most of the surrounding area, giving everything a ghastly blue hue. In the distance, he could just barely make out a sinister mountain range. It towered so high the peaks were hidden behind fiery clouds. There was little to no foliage, save for a few mangled bushes. The scorching heat made Darren believe it was midday, but the sun was not visible through the blue air. He was caught in a dust storm, and it was worsening by the minute…

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Celia took a deep breath and shivered at the crisp scent of pine in the air. Her family’s cabin was surrounded by the most grand evergreen forest on the continent. It was known for perfectly emerald trees and crystal clear streams. This paired with the warm summers and wonderfully blissful winters meant it was about as close as you could get to an oasis. Celia started on the trail leading to the springs below which were surrounded by mossy rocks and small vibrant flowers…

Notice how the mood varies between passages. Just from the description of the land and weather patterns, the feeling of the two are completely different. The first leaves readers with a sense of uneasiness, while the second is much more peaceful. Of course, there are some other components at play, but the setting descriptions have the most impact on the mood.

How to Build a World

There’s truly no wrong way to complete world-building - aside from not doing it at all. Everyone has different preferences and formats that they follow. Some storytellers prefer to write everything down in a journal as the ideas come to them. Some make note of the details that unfold during their creative process, while others prefer a more directed and methodical approach. This guide provides you with prompts and questions to help you consider different aspects of your story. It can be used at any point in your process but may be most helpful in the planning stages. This will be stated multiple times throughout the guide, but remember that you can answer as many or as few questions as you need. Additionally, the process in this book is not the only way to complete world-building. It is intended to guide your creativity - not control it.

General vs Intensive World-building

Generally speaking, the storytelling community has agreed that world-building happens on a spectrum. You may have heard the terms hard and soft¹ world-building to describe the ends of this spectrum. These definitions are not suitable for a world-building or creation guide. This guide defines the opposite ends of the world-building spectrum as general and intensive world-building. The modern