The ultimate cheat sheet on creating your fantasy world. But williamsons book offers solid guidance, topshelf suggestions for brainstorming, and a great list of questions that rivals even my goto resource, patricia c. Aug 23, 2019 go beyond just outlining the setting your characters live and work in. However, if you write any sort of speculative fiction, you have the opportunity and often the need to create fictional cultures of your own. Then, go to a dictionary and a thesaurus and look up those words.
Have human activities affected climate, landscape, etc. Fantasy map generator is a free open source tool which procedurally generates fantasy maps. How to create a breathing world for your fantasy novel. In other words, creating a fictional world for your readers requires you to cultivate fun ideasparticularly for the setting. Great authors can create a living, breathing environment for their stories. This is one of the things i have the most trouble with in my own fantasy worlds, as i dont want them connected to earth most of the time but i do want to be able to understand how, say, a genderequal society would have developed if feminism in my world didnt happen like it did on earth.
If your world is very big, you can create multiple sheets like that and join them together. Tips on how to build a fantasy world for your novel ny book. Its so helpful and i read it all the time, forever grateful. Look at geography in the real world and in geologic history. You may use autogenerated maps as they are, edit them or even create a new map from scratch. A lot of this is simple and obvious and you can punch me for even listing them. Look at how the pronunciation is spelled, even the etymology the origin of that word. You may be creating a fictional world for a novel or for a series of books set in the same world. Think about the laws that govern the world, the way the government works, the worlds history, geography, technology and mythology.
Worldbuilding is a term youll hear from a lot of writers especially when youre. Im creating a world for a dungeons and dragons campaign, and it takes place on an endless plane of water. People think they understand what the amazon is like, but do your research and present the amazon in a unique way and people will never believe it is a real place on earth. First, one thing i feel is valuable is taking the time to establish a world, culture, history, and. Yes, we can tell a story about fantasy kingdoms which float on islands in an endless blue sky. When you hear the term worldbuilding, what comes to mind. To create this article, 16 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Or it could be a place of the imagination, like a fairyland. Ursula le guin created the ansible in her hainish cycle of books which is a. If youre writing second world fantasy, you, the worldbuilder, have the.
Worldbuilding is an essential part of any work of fiction. Broadly speaking, your book will either take place in our world or belong to. By patsy sheehan when writing fantasy or science fiction, the writer has the opportunity to create an alternate world. Jun 08, 20 of course, were writing fantasy, which means that the readers expectations dont quite refer to our real world. Worldbuilding is a term youll hear from a lot of writers especially when youre talking about the science fiction and fantasy genres. Creating or escaping to fantasy worlds can be a fun thing to do when youre bored. How to write a fantasy novel a research guide for students. This is a huge undertaking, especially for writers whose strong point is storytelling, not geography. Of course, you can, thats why there are so many modern variations on the wizard. Xd check out my fully completed fantasy map here world i als. In fantasy, your world becomes just as important as any other character. There are many books on plot and character, and you can take those rules. In this case, since were creating the broadest possible canvas, rather than.
Geography for worldbuilding and fantasy maps posted on september 28, 20 by matthew lowes whether youre creating a setting for a novel, story, or game, its a good idea to think about some basic geography, so things make sense for the most part anyway. Even though fantasy maps are heavily stylized, its important to pare them down to the bare essentials, and a working knowledge of realworld geography can help, says roberts. These and other successful fantasy writers found the magic to create realistic fantasy worlds, but they didnt find it in a book of spells. People would need time to adjust to the magic, if absolutely nothing else. Very often, world building is at the heart of a book series. Heres screen rant s take on the 12 best fantasy worlds ever created. The first half of the book describes various techniques for drawing fantasy maps, and the second half of the book takes the reader step by step in creating a map from scratch. When i made a map of my world for my stories, i first looked at real world maps so i know how they look. When you create a world, you need to create its inhabitants. I thought id do a bit of discussion about world building, especially with a focus on fantasy genre world building. The book is lavishly illustrated in colored figures showing each step in detail. Worldbuilding guide for writers and world builders part 1. Worldbuilding is at the essence of fantasy literature. Jan 07, 2018 creating a fantasy world means creating maps early on.
Having skills in map making helps but, in reality, maps look so much better when they make sense. Your storys world will interact with and sometimes provoke the protagonist. Sep 8, 2018 writing worksheet geography pdf this 4page worksheet will be most useful to sciencefiction and fantasy writers, but even if youre writing within the confines of our world, its worth giving geography some thought. Sep 28, 20 geography for worldbuilding and fantasy maps posted on september 28, 20 by matthew lowes whether youre creating a setting for a novel, story, or game, its a good idea to think about some basic geography, so things make sense for the most part anyway. In the normal map mode, you can get a very technical and accurate view of the world and find your way around easily. Creating a fictional world can be a challenge, since you may not be sure where to begin. It applies to all fantasy genres, including scifi, paranormal, and urban fantasy. Geography, climate, weather, and time may 30, 2014 ka1spriggs 3 comments i thought id do a bit of discussion about worldbuilding, especially with a focus on fantasy genre world building.
The very act of creating a map, its like taking a snapshot. Join our discord server and reddit community to ask questions, get help and share created maps. The geological history of your world establishes the landscape which upon which your legendary stories will be played. I am on the creative cloud programme which is possibly a bit extreme if you do not play with adobe tools for a living, but there are other programmes out there and you can also get older versions cs2 for free directly from adobe by clicking here. Here are a few of the best practices to follow when creating your fantasy world. Make sure you also address the rules, laws, and taboos of the world. A book like a game of thrones, a movie like star wars, or even a video game like final fantasy can make it appear their creators have effortlessly built a fantasy world out of nothing in fact, these worlds may feel as real as the world you live in. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A stepbystep guide for worldbuilders writer resources. I immediately wanted to dive into reading the book. Think about what you want to name, a landmass for instance.
Creating a fantasy culture with images writing a book. The real world is more interesting than people think. Tips on how to build a fantasy world for your novel ny book editors. Think about the laws that govern the world, the way the government works, the world s history, geography, technology and mythology. Creating a fantasy world worldbuilding part 1 geography and. How to draw fantasy maps that are realistic its science. Typical fantasy worlds involve magic or magical abilities, nonexistent technology and sometimes, either a historical or futuristic theme. You dont have to define every single element of the world in order to create a vibrant one. More importantly, how can you do it more than twothirds of my nearly 200 books are novels, but creating fictional worlds. To make this easier for you, i have created a template that gives you a 40 x 40 matrix, an 80 x 80 matrix roughly size of asia, and 100 x 100 matrix.
World building creating place names realistically and. It is an xlsm file, so a macroenabled excel file for excel 2010. I dont buy the idea that a genderbiased world would become genderequal just because someone invents a spell that would let men get pregnant. How to build a fictional world kate messner youtube. What does that land represent to your story or to the people who live on it. The resulting world may be called a constructed world or conworld.
A stepbystep guide for worldbuilders writer resources book 2 kindle edition by schmidt, jesper. The author needs to make sure the map is consistent with the story and the mapmaker needs to make sure the map makes sense. Note interesting small clumps of features and context. If you are writing in a historically accurate version of earth, you have established cultures into which to fit those inhabitants. A stepbystep guide for worldbuilders writer resources book 2 kindle edition. The world and its story were little more than an excuse to lead armies in an epic clash for dominance. You might be wondering whether these rules always have to apply. The inclusion of dragons would be a tiny, inconsequential brick in the readers backpack. I know this guide is specifically for fantasy, but this is still an important step. Writing worksheet geography pdf this 4page worksheet will be most useful to sciencefiction and fantasy writers, but even if youre writing within the confines of our world, its worth giving geography some thought.
Oct 03, 2019 how to create a fictional world from scratch. Learn how to mold your planet from a ball of magma to a masterpiece. Sovereignty, in simple terms, is the ability to defend your independence. A fantasy world is an authorconceived world created in fictional media, such as literature, film or games. A characters world plays a huge part in forming who they are. Writing worksheet geography pdf this 4page worksheet will be most useful to sciencefiction and fantasy writers, but even if youre writing within the confines of.
Very often, worldbuilding is at the heart of a book series. I use two main tools, adobe illustrator and photoshop. Check out my fully completed fantasy map here i also wrote a book to go with it. Creating a fantasy world worldbuilding part 1 geography and natural resources. How to create your own fantasy world the shadows illuminated. Jan 20, 2020 creating a fantasy world geography part 1 articles on writing better, writing faster, and more. The very fact of the way the city is run, the geography of it, the politics of it, and how. Creating an imaginary world is one of the most complex types of worldbuilding. The creation of new worlds and new universes has long been a key element of speculative fiction, from the fantasy works of tolkien and howard, to the sciencefiction universes of burroughs and asimov, to the tabletop realm of gygax and barker, and beyond. If this is an alternate earth, will the alternate part change existing effects. Many countries size depends on geography and the ability to maintain sovereignty. Over 300,000 authors trust the professionals on reedsy, come meet them.
Create strong character names for your fantasy story. I want to make it as believable and original as the wizarding world of harry potter, but i cant seem to get away from that universe. I admit, i just threw a bunch of questions at you, but the rabbit hole goes even deeper. Most of history and politics is influenced by peoples need to gather and guard the natural resou. It could be on earth, but in a mythological time, or hidden in another dimension. Before you do anything, decide what genre youre writing. Worldbuilding is one of the most important parts of fantasy writing and one that many writers understandably find challenging as well as things like culture, customs, language, religion and politics, worldbuilding involves the creation of the physical world itself.
I included natural parts for the inner landscape, like forests, mountains and hills. A single continent, maybe the size of africa, sticks out in this endless sea. Popular fantasy world books meet your next favorite book. An author creating his storys world has the power to develop it in every way. And, of course, if youre writing a fantasy without magic, you cant use this solution. Creating a fantasy world, from scratch, can be scads more overwhelming than even having to minutely research an existing historical period. Your characters must remain true to those rules throughout your story. Sahara desert growth has been increased by overfarming. Your storys world will interact with and sometimes provoke the. Building fantasy world with real world geography mythic. Here are fourteen and a half tipsideas for you to use in creating the world of your future bestselling bookseries.
Xd check out my fully completed fantasy map here i als. Go beyond just outlining the setting your characters live and work in. Jun 04, 2012 using the real world as your map is not bad, or against any rules. In earth of birdseye mode, you cannot get in quite so close, but the experience is more immersive and you get a better feel.
Ill give the book credit that it does have some useful perspectives like tectonic plates and climate implications on the realism of a world map. Its less about actually making it scientifically correct, and more about making it appear sci. A stepbystep guide for worldbuilders writer resources book 2. If youre writing second world fantasy, you, the worldbuilder, have the responsibility of giving your location a sense of history and geography. I thought id do a bit of discussion about worldbuilding, especially with a focus on fantasy genre world building. Nov 15, 2016 building the geography of your world is, for many, one of the most enjoyable parts of world building. It doesnt matter if this a region, continent or the whole world. If you are creating your world for a book, how important is the fact that the characters speak a new language, and even more importantly, how necessary is that you actually create that new language. So, after dealing with the cosmology of our new fantasy world last week, there are a couple of directions we can go. Creating an imaginary world is one of the most complex types of world building. Create your world, and then push yourself to go deeper. Create a fantasy world worldbuilding geography iulian ionescu. The same care with which he built the map is also found in the novel. Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world, sometimes associated with a whole fictional universe.
Check out worldbuilding stack exchange to get answers to your scientific, geographic, and cultural. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading fantasy map making. Developing an imaginary setting with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, and ecology is a key task for many science fiction or fantasy writers. For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike. Oct 29, 2015 learn how to mold your planet from a ball of magma to a masterpiece.
Creating a fantasy world means creating maps early on. Its most often utilised in fantasy and science fiction, where a writer conjures up from scratch every detail of a world. What matters is that is big enough to cover your plans for the world, and yet leave space to add details and. Creating your fantasy world means building a world based upon reality and making sure that your reader knows the rules of that world. Jan 09, 2014 author kate messner offers a few tricks for you, too, to create a world worth exploring in your own words. Fantastic cartography tips from the guy who mapped game of. A guide to developing mythic worlds and legendary creatures dover. Writing worksheet geography pdf this 4page worksheet will be most useful to sciencefiction and fantasy writers. Creating a history of ideas for your world, part 1. You may watch a documentary on national geographic that triggers an idea to create a fantasy planet for animals.
Jan 20, 2020 creating a fantasy world geography part 1 the first installment in the create a fantasy world series deals with the beginning. Newest geography questions worldbuilding stack exchange. The artists send their maps to the authors for feedback. All of these elements can be dragged around if you enable this feature. This map creator tool will allow you to the create a whole world of your own design using well over 1400 different images.
Building a fictional world from scratch loper, rebekah. Ill be using the setting of echo of the high kings for this, my upcoming epic fantasy novel. Creating a fantasy world geography part 1 articles on writing better, writing faster. World building is at the essence of fantasy literature. Tips on how to build a fantasy world for your novel ny. I doubt hed be such a cynic if he lived in hobbiton. Every one of your favorite books, movies and tv shows involves building a world.
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