So you have this idea for a story. You have a plot, you have some characters, you have the general idea of when and where your story will be set. Now you need to flesh out your setting so that it becomes real and even familiar to the reader-and that’s true whether you’re writing general fiction or epic fantasy, whether your story is plot-driven or character-driven. If the reader can’t connect in some way with the setting, he won’t really be able to connect with your story.
Here are a few methods I’ve used to develop my fictional worlds.
- Create a tumblelog for your story-it’s a great worldbuilding tool. Use it as a kind of scrapbook or reference gallery to bring your fictional world to life; collect photos, quotes, artwork, and even music clips that inspire you or that represent elements of your story. It’s like having a window into the world you’re creating. I run a tumblelog for my historical-fantasy world here.
- Create character sketches-literally! And don’t just stop with drawing your characters. Draw up maps of your world and blueprints for your buildings; design clothing and architecture. Familiarizing yourself with the physical details of your world will add depth to your writing. (It’s not just true for fantasy writers! Even if you’re writing “real-world” fiction, pull out the maps and blueprints and clothing mags and get to know your setting inside and out.)
- Make lists. Lots of lists. Lists of names-place names, character names, ship names-even if you don’t have a use for them right yet. (Behind The Name and Think Baby Names are great places to start.) Lists of the flora and fauna and minerals that can be found in your world. Lists of the kinds of food your characters might eat at each meal, and of the beverages they might drink. As an added bonus, make some of those meals!
- Create a wiki for your world. I’ve used TiddlyWiki, but there are other options out there, too. A wiki is a great way to organize your material-it’s like having an electronic encyclopedia of your world. Using story-planning software (Storybook is a free, open-source option) can be helpful, too.
I hope you’ll find these helpful! What are some of your own worldbuilding methods?
Amanda McCrina is an author, artist, student, history buff, coffee connoisseur, cinephile, hockey fan, cat lady, and all-around nerd. She writes historical fiction and fantasy. She also writes about herself in third person. Her debut historical fantasy novel 
Holy cow, batman. Those two websites are ultra cool….! I’d been wondering what all those Tumblr photos you were posting were related to……now I know.
Not sure about the wikkithingy though…..how often do you use that?? I sure could use some kind of visual reference for MY manuscript…..a friend has tried to tell me that Pinterest is the way to organize ideas, but I dunno. What’s your take on that?
I have to admit I’ve not heard of Pinterest. *Goes to check it out.* Looks like it operates on the same basic principles as Tumblr (you just “repin” stuff rather than “reblog” it). If you end up using it, let me know what you think!
The cool thing about TiddlyWiki is that you can download the software and run it on your own computer-online hosting is optional (but very simple to set up). It’s very customizable too. I’ve used it for over three years now and found it’s a great way to categorize and keep track of things. It’s essentially like having Wikipedia tailored to your fictional world.
Oooooh. *drools* I REALLY like these websites you suggested….especially Tumblr and Storybook. Yay!! Gone are the days of saving pics in Word Docs for storybuilding! Thanks so much for sharing!!
My two fav naming sites are Nameberry and Nymbler (which is also just a fun way to waste time).
Glad you find the links useful! I’ll have to look up those other naming sites. I can never have enough naming sites bookmarked.