What Is Worldbuilding? Steps, Tips, and Examples

• Oct 23, 2025
• 7 min read

• Tags: Book Writing, Fiction, Fiction Research, Fiction Writing, Novel Writing, Types of Characters, Writers

Have you ever lost yourself in fantasy fiction, plunging into an alternate realm full of magic, advanced technology, and possibility—one with a unique culture and geography of its own?

Did you dream of writing a fantasy novel or series of your own and building a mystical world full of mystique and adventure?

Well, you’re in the right place—here is a complete guide to worldbuilding, along with steps, tips, and practical examples!

What is Worldbuilding?

Worldbuilding is the art of creating a fantasy world of your own, complete with its own history, geography, economy, culture, and system of government. Whether it is a magical world or a technologically advanced one, it is ultimately a fictional world that is unique and distinct in its own way, and forms the basis and environment for your fantasy novel or series.

The following is a set of step-by-step guidelines that will help you focus on the various aspects of worldbuilding to create a believable fantasy world of your own.

How to Start Worldbuilding

Pick your setting type

• Decide on your world’s setting—do you want your story to be set in the real world (eg. the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon), do you want to create an entirely new world (eg. Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien), or would you prefer to create a blended world (eg. the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)? 
• If you find yourself getting stuck, consider using free online tools like Reedsy Plot Generator to help you combat writer’s block.
• Maintaining a list of points on the notes app on your phone or in a notebook will help you plot the elements you want in your fictional world.

Name your world/region 

Next, it is important to give your world/region a catchy name and define its premise in one sentence. Some memorable examples from contemporary fantasy literature include Prythian (a land of fairies that exists north of the human world, from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas), Westeros, Essos, Sothoryos, and Ulthos (continents created by George R.R. Martin for A Song of Ice and Fire and its allied series), and Panem (a dystopian version of North America in the future created by Suzanne Collins for her Hunger Games trilogy and its prequels).

Draft a one‑page ‘world pitch’

Once you have the basics of your fantasy world nailed down, it is time to write a ‘world pitch’. Some points to focus on are where the world is situated, the characters who occupy this world and their positions within it, in what way it is different from reality as well as other fictional worlds, and why it matters to your characters situated within it.

A step‑by‑step worldbuilding guide

Once you are clear about the basics of your fantasy world, here are some prompts you can use to build in-depth detail to add more dimension to it.

Map and geography

When it comes to plotting the geography of your fictional world, it is always a good idea to begin by drawing a map. Plot various landmasses, rivers, mountains, and plains, and decide the climate of each region. It is a good idea to begin sketching the coastal outline first, then add mountains, and finally add rivers and seas. As a bonus, this map could even feature at the beginning of your book, as is often the case with fantasy novels!

Climate and ecology

The climate of your fantasy world is important as it affects and influences the stories of your characters. You can plot out the climate and ecology by planning out climate zones, prevailing winds, ocean currents, and how climate shapes biomes and travel. It is a good idea to place mountains in areas of higher latitude and use the formula latitude + mountains = rain shadows to place deserts.

People and cultures

Just like in the real world, not everybody speaks the same language or follows the same culture. It is important to create a diverse population that speaks different languages, has different naming styles and customs, values and taboos, festivals, food, and fashion. Great examples of the same can be found in the cultures of different courts in Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and in the cultures of different regions in Westeros in the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. While it is perfectly fine to draw inspiration from real-life communities to build your fictional ones, it is important to avoid harmful stereotypes and prejudices.

History and timelines

Like the history of the real world, the history of your fantasy world must also consist of different eras, political rulers, and events, turning points that brought in major change, and so on. If you are confused as to where to start, it would be a good idea to build a 10-event timeline from past to present that directly impacts your plot. Make a list of defining historical incidents or famous personalities who directly affect your plot. It would also help to show how their actions have impacted your characters’ lives in the present day. 

Magic systems and/or technology

This is one of the most exciting parts of worldbuilding—showing how—through the existence of magic or advanced technology—your world is different from the real world. However, if magic or advanced tech were to exist and operate without any consequences or limits, there would be either a utopian world or complete anarchy. Hence, it is a good idea to show how magic/tech influences daily life, travel, war, medicine, etc., while also outlining five can/can’t rules and one meaningful cost. For example, in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration states that something cannot be created from nothing; for example, while the quantity of food or beverage can be magically increased, it cannot be conjured from thin air. 

Economy and resources

Like the real world, a fantasy world also has systems of trade, currency, and/or barter, and a variety of resources ranging from commonplace to valuable. It is important to outline a realistic economy and a list of resources with the relative value of each. It would also help to build a currency that can be used by your characters, for example, the ‘marks’ of Pern, a planet in Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. You can also outline methods by which the characters deal with scarcity caused by war/natural disasters/other conflicts to tie in with any potential conflict in your plot.

Power structures and religion

In most fantasy novels or series, a significant amount of conflict exists within structures of power—a despotic or corrupt government and an underground movement that seeks to topple it. Plot out a one-page ‘faction sheet’ listing goals, resources, allies, and conflicts, and outline government forms, factions, law or order, dominant religions, and their roles, as well as important ranks within the government or religious authorities.

Best worldbuilding tips

Here are some tips to keep in mind when you get started on your worldbuilding journey:

1. Think of unique and memorable names for people, places, languages, religions, etc. 

2. While your fantasy world has the right to follow its own rules, it helps to have some aspects mirror reality to serve as a sort of point of reference for your readers and to add relatability.

3. Keep a notebook to scribble down all your ideas related to your fantasy world and plot them out accordingly.

4. If you are not sure about how to arrange the geography of your world, draw a map and allow your imagination to guide you.

5. Consider incorporating magical beasts like dragons/chimeras to inhabit your world and play an important role in the protagonist’s story.

6. If you are not sure as to how to go about building your world’s history, consider taking cues from real history—for example, George R. R. Martin took inspiration from the War of the Roses between the houses of York and Lancaster to construct the conflict between the Starks and Lannisters in his Game of Thrones series.

Worldbuilding checklist

Examples and mini case studies

Now that you have understood how to build your own fantasy world, here are some examples you can study for greater understanding:

1. The wizarding world in the Harry Potter series and the Fantastic Beasts movies—both written by J.K. Rowling—which exists alongside the ‘muggle’ or ‘real’ world.

2. The fairy world of Prythian in Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series is independent of the human world and has its own government, power, and social structures etc.

3. The world of Narnia in the books of C. S. Lewis, which can be accessed through the back of an old wardrobe, is in many ways different from the ‘regular’ world.

4. Panem in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games books—a dystopian version of North America set in the future.

5. The planet Pern in Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series was originally colonized by humans from Earth who have since forgotten their roots.

Worldbuilding tools and resources

Templates & Bibles

If you’re not sure where to get started, consider using an existing fantasy world (or two, or three) as sites of inspiration. Study the way the author has constructed climates, regions, characters, cultures, languages, etc., and see if you can draw inspiration from the same. Of course, your own world must be unique and not copied from any author’s existing creation. The fantasy world of Westeros and Essos created in George R. R. Martin’s works is a good place to start, as it closely mirrors the medieval world while differing significantly in its own ways, weaving in magic, mystery, and mythical beasts to add to its grandeur.

Mapping and climate helpers

If you are planning to take inspiration from the earth’s own climate to create that of your fictional world, consider using websites like Techgeo, which can help you understand the different climate zones, their vulnerabilities, geography, topography, and nearby waterbodies.

Organization tips

It is a great idea to keep a notebook or a mindmap on software such as Spreadsheets or Google Sheets, where you can organize and plan your notes and story at large. Maintain information on people, places, things, and plotlines so you can connect them all together as you see fit.

Creating a fictional world is an exciting process, and we would love to help you get it right. The right kind of locale can inspire wonderful adventures for your characters, and perhaps provide the scope to enlarge a novel into a whole series.

PaperTrue offers expert, hassle-free self-publishing services that allow you to get your manuscript edited and published by professionals. Check them out!

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.