World-Building: 3 Tips for Beginners

World-building is my personal favorite element of writing epic fantasy. I love to think through all the details, create new creatures, develop countries, and more. But it can be a huge task if you are just starting. Not to worry! If you are just getting started building your fantasy world, here are three tips for making it epic!

World-Building Tip #1: Daydream

I don’t know about you, but when I first started writing, I was spending less and less time daydreaming because I always felt like I should be writing instead. But the fact is, writing is a creative art, and creativity requires imagination. For many writers, daydreaming is an essential part of their creative process. I now take time to fit it into my writing schedule. I spend some time listening to music and imagining, especially on the weekends. Doing nothing but letting my imagination drift to worlds never before explored and seeing what comes up has produced some of the best parts of my stories. I am always ready with my notes app, but other than that, I just sit back and let the music take me.

World-Building Tip #2: Be Brave

Sometimes world-building can feel odd. This is usually the case when we have to create unusual elements and stretch our imagination beyond what we are used to thinking about. Like many other things in life, world-building is a skill and takes practice. Let yourself imagine crazy things like massive beetles with horse heads and cultures where language consists of throwing stones rather than speaking. Get creative and don’t be afraid to create too much. You can also scrap things that don’t fit or just aren’t right. But while you are daydreaming and taking notes, be brave!

World-Building Tip #3: Study Other Worlds

Just like artists in art school study paintings, sketches, and sculptors from other artists, writers need to study each other’s work. Especially world-building. If you want some great examples of world-building in fantasy, check out The Lord of the Rings and Brandon Sanderson’s books. Another great resource is all the Star Wars Legends books. Study what these authors include in their world-building. What kind of cultures did they create? What details did they include? How did they present these details? Study the experts; they have a lot to teach us!

Have fun!

As always, have fun building your world! World-building is like painting. Do it in layers, and you will feel much less overwhelmed. If you get tired, take a break. You can build your world as you go, just make sure you write down all those great ideas!