We’ve all been there, right in the middle of a tense scene, when we lose the flow of the writing because we need to figure out a detail, a world mechanic, a backstory, or another little thing that underpins the moment we’re crafting. Worldbuilding is a complicated task, a mixture of Big Picture Overviews and Nitty Gritty Details that require organizational skills and excellent recordkeeping–or I suppose, an impeccable memory, though I cannot claim that (especially after Covid broke my brain!).
There are many ways to create your world–and there are just as many ways to record those details to doublecheck later on when you need to ensure consistency across a series. Some authors create massive world guides (which they can later publish as reader extras!), though I have seen some people spend so much time on this document that they never actually get around to the story they want to tell inside that world. Another downside of the massive world guide is that some authors get so excited about it that the story they meant to tell gets lost amid the new details and context they have developed. Think of this guide as an iceberg–yes, readers know there’s more under the water. They can explore it if they want when they read your guide (published after the series ends, of course), but remember that your job as the author is to tell a story. With Characters. And Conflicts. All these details are nice to know when the moment arises (so you can mention the former governor’s policies on tea taxes), but they aren’t the story you’re telling–and they should always just stay in the background. Just think–if your story is as popular as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, you’ll be able to publish multiple guides and early drafts to satisfy the superfans. Most of your readers, though, just want the story that rests atop the world you have created.
On the other hand, some authors wing it, relying on memory and fans to tell them if they switched a detail. Readers tend to be annoyed by this style, but plenty of authors still do it. The downside, of course, is that once a story screws up a detail or world mechanic, it’s really hard to recover–and some readers will DNF and never forget.
Let’s avoid all that unpleasantness and allow readers to get lost in the Secondary World of your story! One way to do this is to get a worldbuilding guide–a book designed to help you create your world. (Psst, I wrote one).
Your worldbuilding guide should help you consider the following:
- Big Picture issues like creation, gods, myths, legends, and heroes (and probably villains)
- Where did your world come from?
- Are there gods or god-like beings that affect your character’s lives?
- What are common myths or legends your characters would know?
- Cultural issues like government, society, cultural practices, warfare, and appearance (and you probably need a map somewhere!)
- How does the world run? Who’s in charge? How does this affect your characters?
- What social practices are familiar to your characters? What behaviors would shock them?
- Social issues like economy, education, relationships, communication, technology, travel, and health and wellness
- What does it mean to be educated in your world?
- What is a “normal” relationship between characters?
- How do your characters communicate over distances?
- World Mechanics like science, nature, weather, measurements (time and distance)
- Does your world use a recognized system of measurement (Pounds, kilograms) or something you’ve created (wheels, boughs)?
- People and creatures who live in your world
- Who lives in your world? How do they get along with the other inhabitants?
If you like this layout, check The General Guide to Worldbuilding by JM Paquette (order HERE). This one also includes open-ended questions, guided activities, cool artwork, and a ton of resources like character cards, plot points, general notes, and top five lists.
If you write in a specific genre, you may enjoy the themed Worldbuilding Guides, coming soon from 4 Horsemen Publications–Fantasy, Paranormal Horror, Science Fiction, and Romance.
