Fantasy Worldbuilding


Hi, everyone! Last week, in lieu of a blog, I posted a poll on Facebook on what I should write about this week. The two options were my favorite writing resources and fantasy worldbuilding. You chose worldbuilding, so here we go!

Think About the Time
You've probably heard this before, but not every single fantasy story has to be set in medieval Europe. There are so many captivating things that happened in the past, and that's excluding the present and the future.

Disney did a great job of this in their classic movies. While Snow White was estimated to take place from the 1500's to the 1550's, a very generic medieval setting, Cinderella took place from the 1850's to the 1880's, the Princess and the Frog took place in the 1920's, and Aladdin is estimated to have taken place around the time of the Achaemenid Empire (the Persian Empire). I could go on.

Setting your story in present-day could be utterly fascinating, and this doesn't just apply to the urban fantasy genre. Your story could take place in a totally different universe and yet include modern-day technology. There are so many ways you can run with this. "Write what you know" becomes much easier when you're writing modern concepts.

And the future? Even cooler. Meshing magic with technology brings limitless opportunities. Cyberpunk cities with mages in the streets, dystopian governments with futuristic weapons along with dark enchantments, dragons from space, anything.

Don't just set your story in sixteenth-century England. The past, the present, and the future have a lot to offer in the genre of fantasy.

Find the Location
If you're basing your fantasy world off an existing civilization, do your research. Take aspects of the culture(s) and run with them. Decide how the location influences your culture, base the mythology and language off this. Don't pull a Star Wars and make every planet have one characteristic. Although I'm personally a member of the Star Wars fandom, looking at this from a realistic standpoint, Tatooine should probably have more than just a desert. And even if it does, not every planet should be like this.

Ancient Egypt, for example, had an interesting reverence for water, due to their location in the desert.

Create Societies
Chances are, your entire universe isn't just one country. Decide the population of each civilization and how it influences the culture.

Make a history for your country. Civil wars, economic depressions, mythologies, dynasties, empires that existed in the past. Make it interesting, engaging.

Create opposing views, political arguments. Don't make it seem as though everything your religious and political leaders do is perfect, and don't make them completely evil. There will be people in support of their decisions, and there will be people against them.

Take Aesthetics Into Account
Admittedly, this might come across as superficial. But it's important. Every decade has an aesthetic, every country has an aesthetic. Your ancient Greek commoners won't be practicing the ways of the samurai, nor will members of the Han Dynasty be sporting capes, tunics, and togas.

Keep in mind what technology was/is used in your location, and what is or isn't considered attractive.

Now for some worldbuilding questions!

Technical

What are the laws of physics?
How does the geography affect the culture?
How does magic meet technology?
How do magical creatures fit in?
Are there any sentient species? How many cultures do they have?
What biomes do they have? (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE include multiple)


Religion

Answers questions about life
Is there a god/higher power? How many?
How does this religion believe the universe was created?
Is there a place to gather to worship?
What symbols are associated with this religion?


Politics

What are the political beliefs?
What is the political structure?
How is propaganda used?
How are the political figures viewed?
What are the tiers of the government?


Resources

What are the natural resources?
Where does the water come from?
What is the food supply?
Which areas are agricultural? Which areas are industrial?
Which foods are delicacies, and which are traditionally eaten?
Where are the agricultural resources, and where are the mineral resources?
Which areas, if any, have been depleted over time? How has this issue been dealt with?
Even if you don't include ninety percent of what you planned in your manuscript, worldbuilding is still beneficial. If no planning goes into your fantasy world, it shows. Try to keep your best, most relevant ideas, and discard the ones that do nothing or don't fit in.

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