Gilbo couldn't remember the last time he'd left his pod. The rest of his family, all five-hundred of them, had been on one adventure or another, returning with stories of their exploits. Some had flown to the rim of the chasm. Many had even jumped into the abyss and swam with the snorklepusses despite their sharp tails. All Gilbo wanted to do was float on his back and count the purple clouds that passed through the branches of his home in the shimshackle tree. Until the day fell. That's when everything changed.

Many fantasy authors choose the genre because they love to invent different realities from the one they live in. And their readers love the genre because they're looking for ways to escape reality for a while. Whether it be painting landscapes of supernatural realms, choreographing mythic battle scenes, or developing a language spoken by elves, the job of a fantasy author goes beyond the work needed to write realistic fiction.

What sets fantasy authors apart is often the scope of their record keeping. As the writer, you will need to create rules. You will want your world and its characters to make sense and stay consistent throughout the story. Organizing these details and keeping them updated is critical.

We hope these tips will help you think about your fantasy worlds in more realistic ways. Because every world, even imaginary ones, should feel real to your readers.

FIRST STEPS

> Read stories in the genre. For some, this may be a moot point, but it never hurts to remind starry-eyed new writers to re-read the stories that got them hooked on fantasy. Take note of the aspects you love about your favorite stories. Is it the unique characters? The unusual world? The point of view of the narrator who's navigating a strange land? If you keep in mind the parts that drew you in, you're more likely to add those aspects into your own work.

> Write a few short stories. Creating a fantasy world is a massive endeavor. What better way to get to know your world and its characters than by writing short stories about their lives? You don't have to publish these, but they can serve as an exercise to get you started on the larger story without pressure.

> Outline the world. Spend time imagining the landscape and the characters and how they interact with each other. What are the customs and the history? Is there more than one region/government involved? Sometimes it helps to find a theme to base the story around, such as a recurring ritual or the seasons (like George R.R. Martin did with The Song of Fire and Ice).

> Interview your characters. You can do this by asking each one about their motives, habits, fears, and history. What do they look like? Do they have physical adaptations to help them navigate their world, such as large ears to listen for predators? Make them vibrant, complex, and imperfect, just like people in the real world.

> Choose a point of view. This often depends on which character you choose to narrate the story. If your character lives in the world, they will be more familiar with it, so a third person or omniscient POV might work better to present a broader scope of the events as they unfold. However, if your narrator is just being introduced to the world, you might opt for a first person POV, giving your reader a more intimate connection to the character as they make new discoveries.

If you choose to tell the story through multiple narrators, third person POV will give the reader a better sense of who is narrating at any given time. When you have multiple narrators coming from a first person POV, telling them apart can get tricky. You will want to be deliberate about separating these narrators, either by giving each their own chapter, or by providing the name of the new narrator within the chapter.

> Create the rules. Even fantasy needs to be grounded in its own reality in order to feel believable. Does the society in your world rely on a water system or a shared river? Where does this come from? What is the source of magic, if any? Can it be cultivated or stripped away? There are many details to think about with a fantasy world. Our section on World Building below covers this in more depth.

> Outline your story parts. Whether you're a plotter or a panster, telling a fantasy story is especially challenging. You need to keep track of timelines, backstories, plot points, rules, and character traits. This outline can be as simple as a document with the details of each region of your world, the races who inhabit the world, and the types of conflicts they face. Or as broad as hand drawn maps of the landscape, a dictionary of specific languages spoken, and the inner workings of the economy. Our section on Tips for Organizing below covers this in more depth.

WORLD BUILDING

When building your fantasy world, it's always good to determine what the scope of your story is. You might start by identifying the key themes you want to explore. Are you writing about countries at odds with war looming? A hero's quest through a forbidden land to save their own world? A human lost in a magical realm trying to find their way home? How about the ultimate struggle between good and evil?

Once you have your theme, you can decide what tools you'll need to make the plot more interesting for your readers. Here is a list to get you started:

🌟 Places - How does your world look on a map? Is it earthbound? A planet? An alternate realm? Is it broken up by cities? Countries? Islands? Underground villages? Or is the world made up of one cohesive landscape, such as a single tree or an entire body of water? Whether you develop one or many regions, you will need to give these regions names. Before you do this, it's helpful to decide how the inhabitants engage with each other, with the environment, and what their beliefs are. For example, a village tucked behind the waterfall of a mountain might be called Edgewater. Or a temple that practices silent contemplation could sit on Whispering Hill.

🌟 Landscape / Topography - What is the terrain like in your world? What separates the regions? Mountains? Rivers? Vast deserts? Do constant weather events affect certain areas of the landscape? Are there volcanoes that explode, changing the landscape? Have the inhabitants adapted their homes and way of life to the terrain?

🌟 Environment - What are the physical properties of your world? Is it responsible for the magic or power of its inhabitants? Is everyone affected by this magic, or only those who are worthy? What type of weather does your world experience? Lethal heat waves? Ice storms? Toxic rain that causes flooding and illness? Does it vary by region? Can it be controlled?

🌟 Population / Inhabitants - Will your characters be humans interacting with fantastical beings? Or will your characters be those fantastical beings? How many types of beings are there? Consider the world when deciding what your characters look like. Have their bodies adapted to the topography and the creatures they share the world with? Do they possess special skills? Apart from your characters, what sorts of creatures live in this world? Which are sources of food? Which are dangerous? Are some taken as pets or used as modes of transport?

🌟 Language - If your characters are not human, the reader will assume they speak a unique language. If a number of races inhabit your world, they may speak different languages from one another. Your characters may need a translator when traveling to other regions. Perhaps being bilingual is a highly coveted skill. There may be tools used as translation devices. Or the communication barrier between races could serve as a point of difficulty or conflict, especially if one language is valued over another. If you choose to insert some of the 'foreign' language, limit it to slang or frequently used terms.

🌟 Origin - How did the world come about? Was it created by the ancestors of the inhabitants? Was it believed to come from a life force beyond the inhabitant's control? Perhaps a god they worship? Did the inhabitants migrate there to escape persecution or promote a more spiritual lifestyle? How long have they been there?

🌟 Mythology / Traditions - What are the belief systems of your characters? Is it a single system shared by all inhabitants of the world, or are there multiple belief systems? Are they a cause for communion or conflict? Do the inhabitants celebrate holidays? Do they engage in rituals? Is there a shared folklore? Perhaps temples have been built to worship gods or symbols.

🌟 Transportation - What forms of transport do the inhabitants use? Does it vary by class or region? Does the landscape affect the types of transport? Is your world made up of large bodies of water? Do inhabitants travel above ground? Are these vessels living, such as horses or winged beasts? Be sure to consider the materials available to your inhabitants when developing your modes of transport.

🌟 Time keeping - The passage of time can be managed in a number of ways depending on the technology of the species. A race that lives in nature might use sundials, planetary alignment, temperature changes, or animals returning to their dens. A bell could ring in the center of town to alert inhabitants of the passage of time. Time pieces might also be incorporated into clothing or helmets, perhaps recording an event and when it took place. What if time was kept based on the occurrence of certain events?

🌟 Technology - Is the civilization technologically advanced, or do they rely on nature? What do they use this technology for? How is it sourced? Is their economy dependent on this source of this energy? Is it traded with other regions? Have wars been fought over it? How does it impact the lives and environment of the inhabitants?

🌟 Politics / Classes - Who governs the region(s)? Royals who have ruled for generations? A democratic body voted into office by the inhabitants? Are there armed forces? Is there a hierarchy of citizens? How is the education system set-up, and is it offered only to citizens of a certain class, gender, or group affiliation? Are certain classes destined for certain roles in the community? Does this promote prejudice among the classes? Does the governing body control the religious beliefs of its citizens?

🌟 Economy - What is wealth and prosperity based on in your world? Is it a resource that is found in the landscape of a particular region? Does the manufacture of this resource adversely impact the environment or its inhabitants? Perhaps it's the value of the region's inhabitants that matters. For example: a community of gifted magicians, astrologers, or keepers of rare species. Do regions trade their unique resources to improve their economy? Is there a shared economy among neighboring regions? Does it provoke conflict between regions?

🌟 Magic / Supernatural System - There are a number of ways to introduce magic or supernatural elements into your world. Your characters could be born into their powers (gods, fae). They could stumble across a magical object that imbues them with special abilities. They might be required to pass tests of skill to tap into their powers. You will also want to decide where these powers come from. Do they use elemental magic (air, fire, water, etc)? Do objects or technology assist your characters (wands, time turners, a magical key)? Is there lore connected to the magic and objects and how does this lore play into the plot?

CHARACTERS

A key element to any successful novel is a cast of vivid, compelling characters. The characters in your fantasy novel are no different. We understand you will want to make your characters unique, and we suggest you do this as much as possible. But you should also consider character tropes that are inherent in the fantasy genre when developing your cast. Familiar types of characters will give your readers something to connect to. 

Here we have shared some familiar archetypes that are most commonly found in fantasy writing:

🙂 The Hero: The hero (aka the protagonist) is the most important character in any fantasy story—they must undertake the quest and defeat the villain. Sometimes a hero is a fighter, ready to take on zombies, witches, or warlords with skill and enthusiasm. Or your hero might be a human who finds themselves in a fantasy world helping the inhabitants fight a war. Heroes can also be antiheroes—a reluctant protagonist who needs to be convinced to inhabit their role as a hero, such as Bilbo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

Examples of heroes include: Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling and Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

🙂 The Villain: The villain typically functions as the primary antagonist to the hero. They often personify the forces of evil and can take on many forms, such as magical overlords who command armies, or an ancient entity that has eluded death to torture the less powerful. Oftentimes, the villain was not always pure evil, so it is important to give these characters a detailed backstory to 'humanize' them. 

Examples of villains include The White Witch from Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and Scar from Disney's The Lion King.

🙂 The Mentor: The mentor can be one of the most important and memorable characters in the fantasy genre. They are often a wise, elderly figure (such as an old witch, war-torn knight, or sage) who educates the protagonist and gives them the training necessary to triumph in the battle of good vs evil. 

Examples of mentors include Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings and Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars franchise.

🙂 The Sidekick: Sidekicks often feel like real people from the real world, even if they exist in a fantasy world of mages, sorcerers, and magical powers. These characters serve as the trusted confidant and steadfast supporter of the protagonist. Sometimes it's a best friend from their youth, or a faithful companion they met along their journey. The sidekick's undying loyalty plays an integral part in the completion of our hero's mission. When the protagonist falls on hard times, the sidekick is there to remind them of their humanity, goals, and the stakes of their mission. 

Examples of sidekicks include Doctor Watson from the Sherlock Holmes tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings.

🙂 The Henchman: These characters exist to do the dirty work of the villain or antagonist. They are functionally the sidekicks of the villain. They usually lack the villain's intellect, but they make up for it in brawn or depravity. 

Examples of henchmen include the character Jaws from the James Bond  films and Barty Crouch Jr. from the Harry Potter series.

🙂 The Alternate Hero: The alternate hero, if you choose to have one, occupies a space between sidekick and protagonist. Though they are not the primary focus of the story, they are also singularly focused on defeating the villain and resolving the conflict. In order to make them compelling characters in their own right, the alternate hero has their own backstory, subplots, and stakes in the central dramatic question. 

Examples of alternate heroes include the character Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings and Han Solo from the Star Wars franchise.

🙂 The Love Interest: Many stories include a love interest, and fantasy stories are no exception. It is a useful trope to illustrate the human side of the protagonist (whether or not they're human). Remember to give the love interest rich, three-dimensional backstories and compelling wants and desires. This will help develop your main character as well. 

Examples of love interests include Yennifer of Vengerberg from The Witcher  series by Andrzej Sapkowski and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

🙂 The Monster: This character is typically an otherworldly being whose primary mission is to spread evil and destroy goodness. These creatures cannot be reasoned with. There is no spark of humanity waiting to be coaxed out. Often they are the most intimidating obstacle in your protagonist's journey. 

Examples of monsters include Pennywise from Stephen King's book It  and the Dementors in The Harry Potter series.

TIPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR WORLD AND CHARACTERS

> Create a map. Fantasy writers often find it useful to refer to a physical map when they're building a new world. Maps define a sense of distance and terrain, and they can help you visualize your world as your characters travel through it.

> Google Docs can serve multiple purposes. Not only can Google Docs be accessed from anywhere on multiple devices, it can be easily shared with multiple users if you're collaborating. Insert tables to organize specific details, share relevant notes with yourself and others through the Keep feature. Keep can also be used as a cache for image aesthetics.

> Organize details in a spreadsheet. While Word or Google Docs can work for some, many writers use spreadsheets to separate out the details of their world into easy to visualize columns and rows. Both Excel and Google Sheets work well for this.

> Build a cache of aesthetics. Many writers like to search images online to get inspiration for characters, settings, symbols, etc. Try saving these images to a Pinterest board, Google Slides and Keep, or Powerpoint. These can serve as a single place of reference, making it easy to refer to as you write.

> Consider an online story planning resource. While the staff at Writer's Hub have not tried all of these online platforms, we did some research and found a few you might look at: Notebook.ai, Hiveword, StoryPlanner, and Twine. These have free and paid versions. (If you have used an online story planning platform, we would love to get your feedback on it. Please do that in the comments section.)

> Create a hierarchical tree. If your story has a strong family or government structure, you might consider using an organizational / family tree as a visual representation. There are a number of templates you can download online.

> Plan with caution. Building a detailed world can be fun, but it's easy to get lost in the small details. Focusing on too many aspects of your world and its characters will not only take time away from the actual writing but possibly limit your freedom as your story organically changes along the way. 

The End - Thanks for reading