World-Building

[sarillia]

I noticed that I'm not the only one around here who likes to write fantasy and come up with my own worlds. So how you do go about it?

For me it depends on which elements of the world will be most important to the story. I have one where the religion is very important so that's what I started with. Other times it may be a political story so it's the government that's most important. Or the family structure for more domestic stories.

Once I've figured out the elements that are most important to the plot, I go through a typical day in the life of my main character and write down any questions I have. What food do they eat? That will largely depend on indigenous wildlife in their climate and how sophisticated their trade networks are. Same with what clothes they wear.

So how do you all build your fantasy cultures?

Comments

[badass_tiger]

Whenever I build a world, I start by writing a short story from the POV of a minor character. When I write fanfiction and find plot holes, I often find ways to explain them, like the mechanics behind the magic and so on, so beginning by writing is the best way for me to explore the world I'm making. I know some people fill out questionnaires and profiles, but I always get stuck on those. It's like living for a day in that world so that I get to know the place better.

[sarillia]

Ooh, I like that idea. I may have to borrow that.

I sometimes find questionnaires helpful but I always skip over the questions I don't care about.

All of my planning, from the plot to the characters to the world, is basically one big mess of notes where I ask myself questions and then come up with a bunch of possible answers.

[serria]

This is an awesome question, and very relevant to my own work in the fantasy genre.

I have written fantasy before where I've just gone with the flow of the story and made it up as I went, and there is something to be said about flexibility with the atmosphere as your characters and plot develop. But that being said, I really enjoy complex world-building. I am academically studying medieval history, though history is kind of a hobby for me, too. It's caused me to think about, for example, what kind of resources my people have, what crops they have (and don't have), what food they make, what their houses look like, etc.

For my main fantasy story - the one that will probably span several books if it ever gets done - I put together a binder of info. I've typed up loads of info for my own reference; for example, mythology (yeah, I kind of wrote one, lol!), political/religious hierarchies, relationships with other countries/fantasy races, clothes, the magic system, etc.

It's my favorite part of studying history (what was the day to day like life of premodern people?) and therefore I love the creativity that comes with world building. The problem is I don't think half the stuff I've "built" will ever show up in the actual story, haha.

I like your strategy of thinking about what a character would go through in a day, though I guess I don't really think of that unless I'm actually writing. I tend to approach it more textbook style.

[sarillia]

For me the amount that I build that will actually show up in the story varies. My usual approach is to only build what I have to so that I will actually start writing and not get caught up on the worldbuilding forever. But there are times when I really enjoy the world I'm making and I go deeper.

I actually created a mythology for my latest project but that's because it's set at a temple and the characters will be learning and teaching about the religion so it was important to know. But I've also done it for other stories where it wasn't as important. I love creating religions especially.

I haven't studied history much academically beyond the requirements at school but I do enjoy researching on my own.

[serria]

I love creating religions, too, which probably comes from a personal interest in religion and mythology (especially ancient stuff). The "epic" I'm working on actually has several religions, as some of the characters from from different countries.

For worldbuilding, I know I sometimes do go overboard - I find it fun to write short essays about whatever element of my world, but that's probably time better spent actually working on my story. Still, even if I don't use it all, I like being able to add little details here and there that (hopefully) make the story feel more authentic.

[belacqua]

I use questionnaires religiously. It can get tedious, but I just feel better knowing all the little unnecessary details. Right now, I'm working through them for an astrology-based fantasy world. I started by thinking up some basic facets of their religion and society, then dug into the questionnaires.

[sarillia]

Do you have any favorite questionnaires?

I love this Character and Setting Integration Worksheet. Obviously it's not a typical questionnaire but it approaches things the same way I do, by looking at the interaction of setting and character.

[inkdust]

Oh I like the look of that one. It doesn't go on and on like a lot of character bio sheets and the questions seem more conducive to non-present-day-earth settings ("Setting Integration," I like it).

[belacqua]

My favorite is Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions. It's very thorough. I also consult Magical World Builder and World Weaving sometimes, but those two act more as guides than questionnaires.

I like that worksheet you posted! I usually start with worlds before characters, but that could come in handy still.

[inkdust]

I looove questionnaires. I'm not very good at using them, I tend to start skipping questions that would take more than a minute to find the answer to and I never actually finish them, but it satisfies my organizational drive. I have this one bookmarked for when I eventually get to my full-on fantasy novel but I don't know if it's really any good because I haven't looked at more than the first day or two.
http://www.web-writer.net/fantasy/days/index.html

So I second sarillia's question about favorites.

[belacqua]

Oh, I've used the 30 Day Builder too. It's definitely come in handy for me, but tbh, it's not my first pick. I just prefer the thoroughness of Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions. The 30 Day Builder has its advantages though; it's a lot less overwhelming and it has some solid commentary. It, along with World Weaving, is something I don't necessarily follow completely, but still use from time to time.

[inkdust]

Ooh awesome. Thanks!