My current novel is set in a fantasy world with no ties to Earth. It is vast and constantly changing. I’ve brought it from barely a thought to a nation with laws and creatures, cultures and religions. Over the course of creating Feronia, my world, I’ve learned a few things that may help you in the creation process. Here are my top tips for World Building. 1. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions Questions are perhaps one of the most important things you can do when building a world. What kind of world do you want it to be? How will your characters and stories fit into the world? Don’t be afraid to be specific. What creatures are sacred to what countries? Does the king have a good or bad relationship with his son? The more you know, the more you can manipulate into your plot. 2. Have a Writing Buddy I can’t count the number of times talking to someone has helped create the best ideas of my story. I know it’s hard to find other writers to talk to, especially since the majority of us are introverts, but a writing buddy doesn’t have to be another writer. It can be your best friend, your mom, or someone you met online. Just find someone who you feel comfortable talking to about your world and story, someone who can give valuable feedback and help you when you’re stuck. They are especially good at asking questions you haven’t thought of yet. Having a writing buddy lets you look at your world through a second set of eyes. 3. Write Everything Down I’ve lost so many ideas due to not writing them down. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to do this. Keep a single journal and take it with you everywhere you go. I have a little 4x6 inch notebook that can easily fit into a purse or, if you try really hard, a back pocket. I’ve taken it everywhere with me these past few months, and it allows me to work on world development every spare moment I have. Another item I’ve fallen in love with is AquaNotes. I’ll leave a link at the end if you want to check it out. It’s basically a waterproof notepad and pencil for when you get good ideas in the shower or tub. It has saved my ideas many times. 4. Plan to Make a Story Bible “Story Bible” is a new term to me. I heard about it at DragonCon last month, and I think it’s a brilliant idea. For those who don’t know, a story bible is a notebook where you keep the laws of your world. It’s meant to be factual, which means no plot allowed. I’ve started planning out the organization of my bible and in doing so have come across more questions that I need to answer. I’d recommend splurging a bit on your story bible. I bought mine for $20 at DragonCon from a company called Poetic Earth (link at end of post). If you’d like to see how others set up their story bibles, a quick Google search will bring you to hundreds of links to blogs discussing the actual set up of a bible. 5. Don’t Make a Home Here I’ve fallen into the trap of spending years in world development. It seems like every time I start writing, I find another huge piece missing from my world. So, for my final tip, don’t make a home here. World building is important, but it’s not the focus. The world is simply support for the story. Don’t be afraid to start writing, and when you come across an underdeveloped aspect of your world, become comfortable with improvising. Write down this new idea and continue writing. Remember, your end goal is to create a story worth telling, not a freestanding world. I hope these tips helped you in your world building journey. Feel free to comment some world building tips I left out. Here are the links for AquaNotes and where I bought my Story Bible: https://www.poeticearthjournals.com/ http://www.myaquanotes.com/ Hope you all have a wonderful week, and I’ll see you next Tuesday. Stay Creative, Alexa Colon Update: Last week I promised you all that I’d get up and write 30 minutes every day. It worked for a few days, until Friday. I could not get out of bed Friday morning, and it all went down hill from there. Overall, I wrote approximately 2,000 words since last Tuesday. I will be trying again this week to find a consistent schedule for writing. I’ll update you next week.
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About The AuthorsAshlyn and Alexa are two aspiring authors and artists who decided to band together and create something to share with the world.
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