• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

How to make world building exciting?

Okay peeps, I have a problem. I hate ex ante world building. I don't like world building at the outset, before writing a word of story. It drives me crazy. It's like pulling teeth. Now, world building by the seat of my pants that's exciting, fun even. I love how an idea just pops up and you roll with it. Problem is I have created a magic system and a culture that requires some significant world building. I just completed some "rules" that bind the use of magic; it's all tied to property law.

Now I have to create a bunch of things, but I hate doing it. How do you all make it fun? Or at least not rip your eyeballs out tedious?
 

Queshire

Auror
I can't really answer that since I don't find it tedious, and I can't help but think that forcing yourself to do it if you do find it tedious is only going to lead to problems.
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
If you don't like world building... DON'T DO IT
Tell your story and then fill in any blanks later...
Or if that isn't practical for you...
Write out the principles that you want from your laws, just the bullet points or headings and then go back to writing. When you come to a point where you need to expand on those original principles, go back to that empty page and fill them in.

I am very happy that I am a self confessed World Builder and I will gladly and easily spend days working out how town is laid out or what my MC has in the pockets...
 

Ban

Troglodytic Trouvère
Article Team
World building is love, world building is life.


Sorry Brian, but I don't think world building is one of those things you will ever find fun if you don't already. Personally I have always been a nerd for many subjects that tie into world building. History, linguistics, culture, economy, geography, design, anthropology, etc... Being able to put my own creative spin to these fields of study is the main reason I write (or attempt to write) fiction.
 
Ill have to join those who are saying they love world-building. My love for world-building...designing creatures, dreaming up cities and customs, just generally making stuff up...is part of why I write fantasy. I do stuff like this for fun, even if I don't use it in a story. Stories aren't as much fun for me if I can't develop the fictional elements of them.

But maybe worldbuilding isn't your thing, and that's okay. Do what you *do* enjoy. Your heart will lead you to the stories you're meant to tell.
 

Nimue

Auror
I'm also not much of a world builder, to be honest. Much of the creation that I do centers on the plot at hand, or atmosphere. I let atmosphere and image dictate almost all of the world, and I tend to build from existing genre tropes and real-world cultures--particularly when it comes to fabricating names, which I'm really terrible at. This is all slightly ironic, because I will plan and outline the plot to its bitter end, but as I write I'll still be hashing out important details of religion, government, or geography. I've just got my priorities, and they are characters and drama.

As far as figuring out magic rules goes, I find that it can be really helpful to discover them through a character--through their internal narration or dialogue. What do these rules mean to this character? What do they look like filtered through the character's desires, ethics, worldview? I don't know--I find it hard to design much except the most general background in a vacuum, without story or character foremost.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tom
First, let me restate, that I like worldbuilding but only if it done on the fly. I cannot abide doing worldbuilding before I actually start writing the story. However, a signifcant portion of my story (a full character's arc) requires building two things, the magic and the legal system that surrounds the magic.
 

Nimue

Auror
Why not work backwards from the effect you want it to have on the story, and how you want it to help or hinder the characters? Spontaneous detail will come from writing it, but surely the bones of it lie in your plot for that character arc. Don't wonder what your magic is like, figure out what you need it to be and work from there.

(As a side note, I think it's totally possible to have worldbuilding inspire and shape your plot instead of the other way around, but if you're having trouble with ideas in the first place...that's not how it needs to be done. It can be organic either way.)
 

caters

Sage
I love all aspects of writing from the writing itself to worldbuilding. Worldbuilding for me is usually of 2 types:

Type 1, basis: Astronomy level

Type 2: Biological and Mapping

I love making species that are similar but different. My Kepler Bb humanoids are a lot similar and a lot different. Physiology is similar, anatomy is the big difference.

I love mapping things like cities and regions. In fact, I have made a draft of a city map for my first underground city in my story(I don't show it as underground directly but the shapes are only used to show that either:

1) That is what it looks like underground(roads)

or

2) Diversity(Homes and other buildings)
 
Now I have to create a bunch of things, but I hate doing it. How do you all make it fun? Or at least not rip your eyeballs out tedious?

Have you ever tried mind mapping software? I've done this for characters to brainstorm everything from their histories, their relationships, their personality traits and so forth. Cmap is a free program if you want to try it out. This video is a little dry, but it gives you the idea:


You can link between different Cmap files. So for instance, you create a separate file for each character (or concept, or magic discipline, or nation state; whatever), and then create links between them. It's fun to let your mind wander, creating linkages, developing each aspect on a separate "path."

There are other free mind mapping tools out there.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
I'll second FifthView to try mind mapping software. I would recommend XMind. But I wouldn't expect it to solve all your problems.

So, it's one thing if you're actually stuck on it because you don't have enough context without writing the story. You've just go to immerse yourself in what you story could be and imagine that you're writing it. What is your story going to need from you?

But it's another if you just don't want to do it. If that's what your story needs from you, then you've just got to suck it up and put in the work. How do you manage to get through a boring college class? Just remember that there's a bigger purpose, things you will enjoy once you're through with it, focus on your end goal, celebrate the progress you're making, and push through. Believe me, whether it's boring or not, just realizing that you're making progress should be exciting.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
BAS, maybe talk it through. Drag someone else into the pit ... er, invite others to share the fun?

What have you got so far? What rules? Where are you stuck? What do you think is needed?
 
Here's a concept map* I created for one main character of an older project. Depending on the branches/concepts, they can grow rather large. The original image export for this one is 6285px X 7033px. :D


U5edxgV.jpg


I agree with Devor: motivation and commitment to brainstorm is still important if you are going to world build before writing. I love to world build anyway, so using Cmap was just an extension of that for me. But much of what "came out" as I was drawing the diagram had already occurred to me prior to diagramming. Some of it was vague. Putting it down helped to keep it there in mind while organizing my thoughts. For instance, goals and desires:


2pBgHpI.jpg


However, there were some specific periods of her history I hadn't yet considered before mapping that I used later in the writing, either as references to past events or as a kind of background info shaping her relationships. This character is 163 years old, and something she discovered when she was in her twenties has shaped most of her life since, so having that background info was important. Plus, as I mapped this out, I had to come up with names for various individuals from her past. A lot of this could be brainstormed without mapping.

So...I don't know the value you might get out of mind mapping. Everyone's process is different. Having those solid "paths" before me helped narrow my focus as I brainstormed while also suggesting some aspects I hadn't yet considered.

*Technically this is a "concept map" and I believe that "mind maps" are slightly different, or one is a subset/type of another, but I don't know if there's a major difference.
 
Last edited:

Ragnar

Dreamer
If you don't like world building... DON'T DO IT
Tell your story and then fill in any blanks later...
Or if that isn't practical for you...
Write out the principles that you want from your laws, just the bullet points or headings and then go back to writing. When you come to a point where you need to expand on those original principles, go back to that empty page and fill them in.

I am very happy that I am a self confessed World Builder and I will gladly and easily spend days working out how town is laid out or what my MC has in the pockets...

This was what I was going to suggest :) I've read several books where the world is introduced gradually, while the story is being told. This might make the process easier for you? As you tell the story, just make notes on the world as it develops?
 
BAS, maybe talk it through. Drag someone else into the pit ... er, invite others to share the fun?

What have you got so far? What rules? Where are you stuck? What do you think is needed?

So what I have for the magic is a history. Magic requires a payment of life. The first era of magic is that the wizard would sacrifice his or her own life-force. However, some wizards discovered that they could take the life-force of other person's, which ushered in the second era of magic that had wizard-kings. The third era of magic came after the discovery that magic could be drawn from the world around them. This created a tragedy of the commons wherein strecthes of land became blights. The fourth era came when the wizards tied the magic to property, saying that people only have a right to use magic if they own that piece of property. This became binding upon all after a complex spell. The binding rules are the rules of property law. These decide who gets magic, how they get it, how it can be transferred, and so forth.

Here are things I need to know:

-Rules of court room procedure (this needs to be written down since this will feature pretty heavily in my work)
-Society (I can make this up)
-government (this needs to be at least jotted down since one character is a politician)
-history
-what the magic can actually do.
-creatures twisted by the abuse of magic
-military structure (third MC is part of the military, a captain I think)
 

Ban

Troglodytic Trouvère
Article Team
So what I have for the magic is a history. Magic requires a payment of life. The first era of magic is that the wizard would sacrifice his or her own life-force. However, some wizards discovered that they could take the life-force of other person's, which ushered in the second era of magic that had wizard-kings. The third era of magic came after the discovery that magic could be drawn from the world around them. This created a tragedy of the commons wherein strecthes of land became blights. The fourth era came when the wizards tied the magic to property, saying that people only have a right to use magic if they own that piece of property. This became binding upon all after a complex spell. The binding rules are the rules of property law. These decide who gets magic, how they get it, how it can be transferred, and so forth.

Here are things I need to know:

-Rules of court room procedure (this needs to be written down since this will feature pretty heavily in my work)
-Society (I can make this up)
-government (this needs to be at least jotted down since one character is a politician)
-history
-what the magic can actually do.
-creatures twisted by the abuse of magic
-military structure (third MC is part of the military, a captain I think)

Law: Society would be heavily decentralised. The mages would have become nobles. From this decentralisation a common law system emerged, heavily biased towards the mage-nobles. Each judge is paid by the mage-noble owning the land the judge operates in and will therefore always give a verdict agreeable to the mage-noble. The King is however powerful enough to send his own judges in isolated cases. For example, when a particular judge’s verdicts are too far out of line with the royal policy he can be temporarily replaced by a royal judiciary.

Society: A strong class division has emerged. The king and his family are on top. Directly beneath the king are the powerful mage-nobles ruling the land. These nobles function as largely autonomous rulers. Minor nobles lack the resources for powerful magic, but they still have power due to their connections. The bourgeois class is subservient to the mage-nobles.
Bourgeois don’t own significant amounts of land and lack the magic powers of their rulers, they are however powerful in their own right due to their extensive wealth. The rest of the common folk serve the nobles and bourgeois.
The church is a class on its own, directly overseen by the royal family. The church lands are officially royal land and therefore the church cannot exercise magic. Being under royal protection however gives them a great deal of power within the realm.

Government: Government consists of the Inner council, the assembly of commons and the assembly of nobles.
The Inner council is a small group consisting of important nobles, the archbishop and the king. This group ultimately decides the policies of the realm. They listen to the concerns of both assemblies and create legislation based on it. If the Inner council is wise they will seek feedback and propose their legislation to the assemblies, this is not mandatory however. Not doing so can lead and has led to national revolts.
The assembly of nobles is a large convention of minor and major nobles. Legally speaking their only task is to propose ideas to the council and tell the council of their concerns. In reality they are much more powerful however. If the assembly of nobles is not consulted or does not agree with new legislation, they often revolt.
The assembly of commons is a large convention of bourgeois. These bourgeois have the same tasks as the nobles, but will often parrot everything the nobles say due to the bourgeois lack of power.

Military structure: Nobles lead private armies. Rank is based on power. Nobles and their family are at the top. Bourgeois and their family in the middle. Accomplished common soldiers often become low-ranking officers and the rest of the common soldiers form the bulk of the army.

Magic: All magic is as strong as the source it comes from. Someone drawing energy from their hair can start a candle flame from their fingertips. Someone drawing magic from someone ese’s body can create a bonfire. Someone drawing magic from a forest can set an entire town on fire.
Magic comes in three forms: restoration, destruction and alteration. Restoration is the ability to heal and restore. Destruction is the ability to destroy through elemental power. Alteration is the ability to change something into something else.






This will hopefully help you out. If you want you can tell me a bit more of your world and I will make you a short history of it.
 

Russ

Istar
The rules of court room procedure should not be too hard. You just need to make decisions about a few of the key principles about how the system works and the rules should flow naturally from there.

For instance:

- common law or codified

- adversarial or inquisitorial (and not in the negative sense of the word_

- speed or precision

- high risk or low risk going to court

- civil or aggressive advocacy encouraged...

and so on.

Good luck with it all.

PS- worse comes to worse you can just "borrow" some obscure legal system to pattern it on...
 
Top