Craft a Well-Constructed Fictional World

Whether J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea, Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, or even a fictional city in a contemporary crime novel, world-building is crucial for fiction writers. Building a believable world adds depth, realism, and immersion to your story while helping a writer develop compelling and relatable characters. World-building and character creation are intertwined, as the setting influences character traits and motivations, while characters themselves bring their world to life. By crafting a well-constructed fictional world, writers can create a captivating narrative that draws readers in and keeps them engaged from start to finish.

World-building in writing goes beyond setting a story in a specific location. It involves the creation of a fictional world with its own unique geography, cultures, history, and rules. World-building is a process that adds depth and context to your narrative, allowing you to explore new perspectives, challenges, and adventures within your created world. To build a realistic world, writers must construct a detailed and immersive universe that’s coherent to readers.

It’s important to build your world slowly and deliberately.

Begin by focusing on a small-scale setting, such as a country or city, and gradually expand outward as your story unfolds. Avoid overwhelming complexity by prioritizing the critical elements that are most relevant to your narrative and reader’s interests. World-building with purpose rather than randomness will create a cohesive and immersive setting that enhances the depth and authenticity of your storytelling.

Creating the borders of your fictional land can be a fun and creative process. Here are the materials and steps you’ll need to get started:

1.     Obtain a sheet of white poster board.

2.     Find a teacup or an equivalent-sized vessel.

3.     Prepare a small amount of dark liquid (tea is recommended).

4.     Pour the liquid into the cup.

5.     Place the cup anywhere on the poster board.

6.     Tip the cup over to spill the liquid onto the poster board.

7.     Let the liquid spread, manipulating the edges to shape the stain.

8.     Trace the outline of the stain to define the borders of your fictional land.

9.     Use any splashes or droplets outside the traced borders to represent islands, black holes, portals, etc.

10.  Remember, your imagination is your only limit!

When crafting your fictional world, you’ll want to think about its physical details, and understand how these environmental elements will add depth and realism to your storytelling. Geography, climate, natural resources, the landscape – these all influence the way societies evolve, from the types of settlements they build to the resources they rely on for survival.

For example, mountain ranges can act as barriers separating regions. This can affect trade routes and cultural interactions. Mountains can impact weather patterns creating diverse climates on either side of the range. This differing climate might influence the types of crops grown, and the lifestyles of the residents living there. Bodies of freshwater might impact the development of settlements along their banks. A world with vast deserts might give rise to nomadic tribes, while a region abundant in meadowy forests could lead to communities of farmers and craftsmen skilled in woodworking.

Real life is diverse, so creating diverse cultures and societies within your fictional world is crucial in making it more authentic and engaging for readers. A well-developed world should reflect the complexity and variety found in the real world, where different communities coexist, each with their own unique customs, beliefs, and histories. A good example of this is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series where the wizarding world is distinctly different from the Muggle world, characterized by its own set of norms, customs, institutions, and disbeliefs.

To create unique, believable, and immersive fictional universes where your characters can thrive requires considerable planning on your part in order to make it feel authentic and engaging. Explore real-world histories, mythology, cultures, and locations to enrich your world-building process. Take your time with this; you have longer than seven days. By integrating these elements into your fictional worlds, you’ll create more authentic and immersive settings for your stories.

It’s good to note that in fiction, world-building doesn’t always mean inventing a whole new universe. Many authors, like urban-fantasy author Charles de Lint, draw from the rich tapestry of real-world cities, blending familiar elements with imaginative twists to create unique settings. De Lint’s fictional city, Newford, doesn’t mirror any specific metropolis, but it does capture the essence of a typical North American urban hub. By setting his fantastical stories in a world resembling our own, combining magic and the mundane, De Lint balances familiarity and wonder, creating a city that feels both relatable and magical.

My own ‘Death by’ series is set in Portland, Oregon, and I make full use of the city’s actual locations to ground the action. Places like the Pearl District, Pioneer Courthouse Square, and the Public Safety Building are more than just names; they play a crucial role in my narrative. I rely on Portland’s distinct features - geography, weather, and urban layout, to drive my story.

Another example of this method is Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. Doyle enhances the authenticity of his stories and deepens reader engagement by incorporating a genuine city and historical backdrop. His detailed descriptions of Victorian London provide a rich backdrop for his character's investigations. The vivid depiction of streets, alleys, and 221B Baker Street transports readers to a different time and place.

In world-building, consistency is key! To keep uniformity, writers should create a comprehensive reference document, a world bible if you will, that documents all the details about their world, including its history, culture, and rules. Draw maps to track the layout and create timelines for historical events to avoid congruency errors. Create character profiles to keep their stories straight. Clearly define any unique laws of your world, like magic or technology, and make sure you follow them. Regularly check in with your notes to prevent contradicting yourself. Have beta readers or editors look over your work—they might spot inconsistencies you’ve missed. And always remember to allow some flexibility for natural development within your world. Any changes you make, must make sense and follow the rules you’ve established.

When balancing detail and storytelling, it’s important not to swamp your readers with too much unnecessary information. Overloading your audience with too much detail about your world all at once can be overwhelming and will disrupt the flow of your story. Make sure every detail serves a purpose in driving your story forward, either by revealing character traits, advancing the plot, or enriching the atmosphere. This is where showing, not telling comes into play. By using sensory details, references, and dialogue, you can convey your world’s unique characteristics without resorting to lengthy exposition.

In summary, successful world-building is crucial for crafting your engaging story. It requires a careful balance of detail and narrative, steering clear of common pitfalls, and embracing an iterative development approach. It’s about crafting a believable, engaging world that complements your story and resonates with readers. There is no one-size-fits-all to world-building. Each writer’s story will have its own demands. With strategic planning and consistent refinement, your world-building can significantly boost your storytelling and make an impact on your readers.

~Dani