I’m having trouble worlduilding. Building a society, let alone a whole universe is overwhelming. I feel like i’m going in circles trying to have my setting make sense. Any advice on how to start or where? Research methods? I’ve been stuck for weeks.
First, take a deep breath! I know it’s overwhelming, but world building can be incredibly fun, too. 🙂
Second, you do not have to plan out every detail of your world before you start writing. All you really need to figure out are the basic details and anything really important to the story. The rest can be figured out along the way or after your first draft. You will be amazed at how much develops naturally as you get a chance to explore your new world in the first draft. Plus, you can flesh things out and add details when your first draft is complete.
So, what are the basics?
1) Where does the story take place?
Universe > galaxy > solar system > planet > continent > region, nation, or kingdom > city, town, or village > important “sets”
Focus on the thing that are important to your story. If the solar system doesn’t matter, don’t bother with it. Just know the basic details of the planet (is it earth or a planet like earth?) and the continent where the story is set. Then, the closer you zoom in on the locations where your story actually takes place, fill in more detail. Have a general idea about geographical details like mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans, What is the specific setting where your story mainly takes place? Is it a high-tech futuristic metropolis? Or maybe a ramshackle civilization built on the ashes of a scorched earth? Is it a city, town, or village? Or perhaps an entire kingdom or nation?
You may want to think about doing a general map of the areas important in your story. I love these maps from Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha universe and Mary E. Pearson’s Remnant Chronicles:
When it comes to figuring out specific settings, you can look to Google for help. For example, “what were medieval villages like” or “castle layout.” You may want to look to the real world for inspiration. Leigh Bardugo modeled Ketterdam after a cross between Las Vegas and Venice. Tumblr can also be a fantastic resource for picture inspiration. Just search tags for things like: city, cottage, castle, winter, abandoned places, etc., and you can find any number of photo blogs with endless visual inspiration.
2) When does the story take place?
If you’re writing speculative fiction, like fantasy, sci-fi, or dystopian, you’ll need to figure out exactly when your story takes place and what things are like at that time. A lot of fantasies are modeled after medieval and renaissance England, but there are lots of other eras and places that would make for interesting fantasy inspiration. You may want to do a general timeline of your story’s events including important dates and events in the back story.
3) What is this place like?
Once you know when and where your story are set, and once you have some inspiration for the when and where, you can start to look at what your world is like.
What level of technology is available in your world? Is it the same for everyone or dependent upon location or social class? What sort of transportation do they use? What type of military technology do they possess? What kind of technology is used in the home? Do they have television or radio?
How do they get around? Is there magic? Do they live in castles or sky scrapers? Are there important details in the history of this place? What are the people like? What different cultures can be found? How do these people live their daily lives? How are their basic needs met? What type of medical care do they have? Do they have a religion? Are there any gangs, guilds, or other important groups? Do they have an education system? What language do they speak? What plants and animals live in your world, and how do people interact with them? Do they hunt and fish? Do they have livestock? Do they have pets? Do they gather plant life? Do they cultivate crops?
4) Government and Infrastructure
What type of government does your world have? Who are the important players? What about the government makes it oppressive? (It isn’t easy to find unbiased information about oppressive governments. Whether you agree or not, this article has some ideas about things the US government is doing that qualify as oppressive. This article discusses ten steps to a closed society. Between them, you should find some ideas for things your government might do. How does your government relate to other governments? Are there any current conflicts?
What type of economic system does your world have? What currency is used? What industries bring money into your world, and who buys the products? What is imported and what is exported? To and from where?
What is the system of law? What are the laws and how are they enforced? Is there a judicial system? Lawyers? Police? Prisons and jails? What are the consequences for breaking the law?
This should be more than enough to get you going. Anything else you can figure out along the way. And remember, even with all of the things I mentioned above–if they’re not important to the story, don’t worry about them. Don’t feel like you have to flesh out every single plant and animal that populates your setting.
——————————————————————— Have a writing question? I’d love to hear from you! Please be sure to read my ask rulesand master listfirst or your question will not be answered. 🙂
What do dragons look like? >Are there different types/subspecies of dragons, or is there only one? >>If there are different subspecies, what are the similarities? Why are they all dragons instead of being classified as different species? >How large do dragons get when fully grown? >What size are they when they’re babies? >What is the general shape of a dragon? >>Short and fat? >>Cow-like? >>Lizard-like? >>Long and skinny? >>Snake-like? >How many legs do they have? >Do they have wings? >>How many sets? >Do they have horns? >Spikes? >Antlers? >Claws? >>Are their claws for digging or for tearing? >What does their face look like? >What shape are their teeth? >>Or do they have beaks? >Do they have feathers or scales? >>Both? >>Neither? >>>What do they have instead?
How strong are dragons naturally? >Can they do anything to increase their strength? >>What? >What does their hide protect them against? >>The heat? >>The cold? >>Water? >>Scrapes from rocks? >>Animal attacks? >>Is their hide strong enough to protect against human weapons? >>>How strong would the weapon have to be to penetrate the dragon’s hide? >Can dragons fly? >>How high? (Remember that air gets thinner and colder at higher altitudes.) >Can dragons swim? >>How long? >>How deep? (Remember that water gets more pressurized and colder at lower depths.) >Can dragons breathe out fire? >>Can they breathe out something else? >>>Does this happen every time they exhale, or do they have to consciously decide to do it? >>>Are there any times when they can’t? >>>>Underwater? >>>>Above certain altitudes? >>>>When they’re tired or malnourished? >>>>When they’re juvenile?
What do dragons eat? >If they can breathe fire, do they cook their food first? >Where are dragons located on the food chain? >>Are they apex predators, or are they derpy little lizard babies that get eaten by bears and condors?
Where do dragons live? >Do they live mostly by themselves, or in family units? >How much space do they take to nest in? >How much territory to they claim as their own outside the nest?
Do dragons hoard things? >What kinds of things? >Do they like shiny things? >>Do they like worthless things too, as long as their shiny, or can they tell the value of an item? >>>Is this dependent on the individual dragon in question? >>>Does it depend on the dragon’s age? >>>The dragon’s subspecies? >Where do dragons keep their hoard? >>Do they keep it in a back room? >>Do they use it as a bed? >>>How do they not damage the items with their weight?
Can dragons use magic? >Can dragons shift into a humanoid form? >>For how long? >>How often? >>What determines what their human form will look like?
How intelligent are dragons? >Do they have their own names? >Do they have rulers? >Do they have a culture of their own? >>How far apart do dragons have to be before there are noticeable regional differences? >Do dragons have a sense of humor? >If dragons aren’t intelligent, can they be/have they been domesticated? >>Can they be trained? >How do dragons communicate? >Are dragons antagonistic towards humanoids? >>Any specifically, or all of them? >>If not, will they allow humanoids or others to ride on their backs? >Are dragons antagonistic toward other dragons? >>Only ones they aren’t related to? >>Only ones from other subspecies? >>Only ones that trespass? >>Only to ones from different regions? >>Only to ones with different politics? >>To ones that smell bad?
Are dragons more reptilian or mammalian? Keep in mind that if they are mammalian, the females will have mammary glands.
How do dragons reproduce? >Are they live births? >Do they hang out in a pouch for a while afterwards, like kangaroos? >Are they up and about almost immediately, like horses? >Are they pretty useless, like human babies? >Do they hatch from eggs?
If they do hatch from eggs how long is their incubation period?
Does each parent take turns watching the nest?
Are the baby hatchlings dangerous or vulnerable when newly hatched?
How many eggs does a female dragon lay? (Per year/life)
How do they treat their hatchlings?
Does this treatment differ as they age?
starry-eyed 