world building
Crafting fictional settings
World building is the process of constructing an imaginary world, especially for fiction, games, or role-playing.
It involves creating geography, history, cultures, languages, and rules that govern how the world operates: The novel's world building took years of research.
Good world building makes invented settings feel coherent and lived-in.
Also spelled as one word or hyphenated.
Record of past events
- backstoryCharacter's past narrative
- originsPoints where things start
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- pantheonsFull rosters of gods
deities · creation myths · chronicles · prophecy · legends · artifacts · relics · sagas
Storyline or land parcel
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- arcsCurved line segments
- conflictOpposition between parties
- themesMain ideas throughout
backstory · dialogue · foreshadowing · pacing · tone · subplots · protagonists · antagonists
Supernatural or illusory power
- dragonsMythical fire-breathing reptiles
- elvesMythical small beings
- wizardsPractitioners of sorcery
- kingdomsMonarch-ruled territories
castles · quests · dwarves · sorcery · alchemy · goblins · trolls · enchantment
Capacity for original thought
- conceptualizationMental creation of ideas
- designingPlanning how something appears
- architectingPlanning structure or framework
- visualizationForming mental or graphical images
envisioning · consistency · rules · systems · constraints · documentation · wikis · maps
history
Record of past events
- backstoryCharacter's past narrative
- originsPoints where things start
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
pantheons · deities · creation myths · chronicles · prophecy · legends · artifacts · relics · sagas · traditions
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- arcsCurved line segments
- conflictOpposition between parties
themes · backstory · dialogue · foreshadowing · pacing · tone · subplots · protagonists · antagonists · motivations
magic
Supernatural or illusory power
kingdoms · castles · quests · dwarves · sorcery · alchemy · goblins · trolls · enchantment · portals
creativity
Capacity for original thought
- conceptualizationMental creation of ideas
- designingPlanning how something appears
- architectingPlanning structure or framework
visualization · envisioning · consistency · rules · systems · constraints · documentation · wikis · maps · sketching
continents
Earth's largest landmasses
oceans · forests · deserts · valleys · tundra · volcanoes · archipelagos · canyons · glaciers · peninsulas
- pretend playmake believe, pretend, pretend play, dress-up, dollhouse
- speculative fictionsci-fi, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, futurism
- sandbox gamesMinecraft, No Man's Sky, Roblox, creative mode, Spore
- storytelling elementsplot twists, cliffhangers, suspense, tension, drama
- game writingdialogue, strategy guides, walkthroughs, lore, backstory
- historical fiction studiesperiod accuracy, character development, anachronisms, authenticity, historical romance
world buildingcharacter development
Protagonist's psychological growth
characterization · character study · psychological depth · relationship dynamics · interiority
world buildingworld destruction
Complete elimination of Earth
deconstruction · minimalism · unbuilding · stripping down · simplification
world, building, worlds, worldly, unworldly, otherworldly, worldliness, build, builds