Tips for worldbuilding? 🤔

[Lilmonstart]

So I think is really great this stuff about worldbuilding I findit really interesting and I´m really interested on it
So I´d like to know tips for worldbuilding, like what steps should I follow for worldbuilding?

[sensibleshroom]

I mean, just about everyone handles it differently. There's no real how-to guide to worldbuilding that will be a perfect fit for you. The best way to start if you want to is to just write things down. Whatever idea pops into your head, get it on paper. Or in a doc, or whatever. Just have a written record. Keep track of your continuity. Always keep a small notebook on you. Brainstorming isn't always an intense session of planning. Sometimes it's just making sure you're always ready for a random thought to appear.

[VibrantFox]

I kind of agree with shroom int that there's no one way to build up your stories world especially since it will depend on what you already have in mind for your writing.

Sometimes it helps to look at the world building for other stories if you're looking to get ideas or try to see in your own work what you'd like to add or flesh out. Plus some folks means of fleshing out a world is very minimal while others have whole books of lore it's just a matter of what works

I havent got any references saved with tips but I do think it'd be cool to have more convos that kind of dive into ways to flesh out characters and do worldbuilding. Cause I mean i think the most common are always in terms of setting like time period and place and then population like age ranges, races or if there's fantasy creatures species and then like if theres machines what kind. some folks will go farther into things (if a story calls for it) by adding things like political systems and potential conflicts, magic systems for fantasy stories, and other more specific things so it really does boil down to what you think fits best.

[Darth_Biomech]

RESEARCH. Research the hell of topics relative to your worldbuilding. It might point you to stupid inaccuracies in your world (A villain lair in the active volcano with lava flowing everywhere in the rooms sounds neat until you read about heat convection and toxic gases), or prompt interesting ideas (for example, researching human evolutionary psychology helped me make psychological quirks in my own aliens created by applying same general principles to their biology).

[VibrantFox]

A villain lair in the active volcano with lava flowing everywhere in the rooms sounds neat until you read about heat convection and toxic gases

didn't stop this guy

being a little more on topic though i don't think natural laws on our world would completely eliminate the possibility of something existing in the world building. like yeah the heat could melt a characters flesh or boil their blood or the toxins do heaven knows what but maybe they people in a story could also have genetic or physical mutations (or magical powers) which make them immune to certain harsh conditions like extreme heat or cold. it's just a matter of what suits the story/genre

[Meehow]

It depends on how consistent and complex you want it to be, lets say you pick some random events, characters, creatures. They may be cool and all but with proper worldbuilding you could underline where those characters/events/creatures are and what are their relations to one another.

Then based on that you can invent some kind of conflict/event which will result in hostility/warm approach. Then you tell us why it is like that and sprinkle with anything that will be engaging for the readers and viola!

Of course if you have more time you can scale it as much as you want

[Darth_Biomech]

but maybe they people in a story could also have genetic or physical mutations (or magical powers) which make them immune to certain harsh conditions like extreme heat or cold.

...And that's why research matters. The way you're handwaving these problems might affect the other parts of the worldbuilding, or provide unforeseen opportunities. If your character can breathe volcanic gasses just fine - they might be immune to being poisoned too, for example.
I wanted my other project to have a justification to some of the highly unusual geography it has, to make it possible and habitable - it lead to the whole section of lore and mythology with interesting and long-reaching implications.

[darthmongoose]

My main tip for worldbuilding is to not just think about how it affects kings, soldiers and wizards, but how it affects an average person. How is the life of your average shopkeeper or carpenter or artist different in your world from ours? What sort of things do they eat? If there's social media, what do they post about?

Too often people fall back on their experience of our world on the small details. What do the characters say when surprised? "Oh my god!" exclaims the character who lives in a polytheistic society! Why would they say "oh my god!" if they worship multiple gods? Stop and think for a second.

Think about things like:

What crops and animals are farmed and how is food preserved? Food is such an important part of a culture, and it can really ruin suspension of disbelief when you see like...people eating stuff that couldn't have been eaten in that sort of location/climate in a pre-industrial setting, or definitely not at their level of social status.

What is your society's stance on gender and sex? Is pre-marital sex okay? Polygamy? What's considered an acceptable age for marriage and sex and is that a law or just social pressure? How do people feel about same-sex relations and gender identity? Is there gender equality in your world? Is that purely on a legal level where women are legally permitted to do any job, but still face sexism, or is it a genuinely enlightened culture where nobody even thinks to comment on a lady warrior or a stay at home dad? Are people in your setting cool with trans and nonbinary people?

What sort of materials do people make their clothes from, how are they dyed and what's the fashion? Here in England, we used to actually have what were called "sumptuary laws" where only people of certain social classes could wear certain fabrics, and in ancient Rome, similarly only super-important people were allowed to wear tyrion purple clothing because the dye came from a rare sea creature. What are people's feelings about showing skin in public? How do people fasten their clothes shut (If I see zips in your pre-industrial Fantasy world, I may scream...)?

If your setting has the characters walking around with weapons, what's the etiquette and law there? Who is allowed to carry a weapon in a non-war scenario? How about carrying one unsheathed? What do you do with your weapon if you visit somebody's home? Are there laws about what sort of weapons different people can carry?

The little details are what really helps make a setting feel rich and real, so don't skimp on them!

[Tired_Spider]

Get your worldbuilding to be like this and only this.

Make it deep and poetic to the point that you could create the entire history of the world for your story so that it can be turned into a meme.

Basically, try to make sure you can understand how things are the way that they are.

[sensibleshroom]

This ^^ Another thing is a lot of people want to do more when they should be doing less in the context of storytelling. It leads to a lot of unnecessary exposition. If you're doing worldbuilding for fun, then go wild. Make as much stuff as you want. Figure out your timelines, magic schools, factions, down to the nitty gritty every day details of a common person's life in your world. If you're doing it in the context of a story, sometimes it's better to wait until it's worldbuilding that is immediately relevant to the context of the story. We don't need to know the entire really cool history of x supporting wizard character who practices a really obscure but interesting magic. You can make that history! You totally can. But you need to be careful to not say too much. Things need to stay immediately relevant to the story you're telling.

[Hexigate]

Talk about people. Not kings or presidents, generals or knights, or anybody of "high status." Talk about the restaurant owner dealing with rude customers, the single mom/dad struggling to make ends meet, and the little kid who's having a hard time with school bullies.
Through the lives of everyday people we get to know how that fictional world works. Politics? Talk about how that policy affects taxpayers. War? Talk about how war affects regular civilians. Social strife? Talk about how people are struggling in the streets and blaming others.

[Lilmonstart]

yeah every crazy idea I get must write it down before I forget it xD
and well I guess that makes sense since other people´s worlds are way too different
thanks

[Lilmonstart]

It might point you to stupid inaccuracies in your world

true.....
sometimes I add stuff I realise doesn´t make sense but already added it and there´s no going back
¯_(ツ)_/¯
but yeah doing weird google research helps alot!

evolutionary psychology helped me make psychological quirks in my own aliens created by applying same general principles to their biology

and that seems really interesting

[rachurch95]

honestly it's just like how i make my first written drafts
I word dump and then go back and edit to make it make sense lol

[Lilmonstart]

Well sometimes I try to create the land or the world inspired into other cultures or such
so yeah to make my characters make sense also need a proper worldbuilding where they´re from thanks :).

[BOMB]

If it's not relevant to the story, keep it short. But if it is relevant to the story, expand. Elaborately thought out worlds are awesome, but in the context of a story, you don't want to write a text book.

[cherrystark]

Start small. As a reader, I get tired of books where the protagonist gives a huge spiel with worldbuilding in the first few paragraphs.

My "fix" as it were - let readers learn with your characters. For example, if your MC grew up in a small town with elderly, spinster aunts, have your MC's world be filled bingo tournaments and quilting bees. They might have the chance to go to school and socalize with people their own age, but chances are, they are going to be learning about their world through gossip and learn skills from the elders their aunts hang out with.

Another way is to simply "identify" who a character is and what they do when readers "meet" them. Instead of going on about the sociopolitical structure of your world - it could work just as well to say - she turned to Hank, the mayor of their small town, and said "When are you leaving for the Capital for the Forum?"

Their interaction tells more about the world than a dreaded info dump.

[BOMB]

Yes, a hundred times yes to this. I do this stuff all the time and wish other people did too. It's the perfect way to avoid info dumping.

[cherrystark]

Totally! And I think it helps make your characters feel more "relatatable". They might not know everything about the world as a whole but they'll sure as shootin' know things about their little slice of the world.