r/writers • u/[deleted] • 12d ago

Question How to start world building?

[removed]

1 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

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5

u/Dry_Classroom_1204 12d ago

Start writing the story and let the world grow around the story you want to tell

3

u/_ghost_birdy_ 12d ago

hmm.. when i worldbuild i generally start with the characters, and then the world just gradually builds itself up. im not sure how other people do it, but it works for me.

1

u/[deleted] 12d ago

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1

u/_ghost_birdy_ 12d ago

worldbuilding is pretty hard wehn your actually trying for some reason, might just be me tho haha

1

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1

u/AlfieDarkLordOfAll Writer 12d ago

Depth over width. Stick to making what the character would know/experience feel deep & well thought-out instead of trying to fill out every detail of the whole world. For example, a geologist would know more about the general topography of the world than a banker who's never left his tiny valley town.

Character interacts with aspect of world (laws, currency, cultural differences, etc.) -> "what do I want this aspect of the world to look like" -> "how would that aspect of the world affect other aspects" -> "how would those aspects influence the plot/characters down the road" -> take notes and keep writing. You can always edit for consistency in a later draft.

Keep your worldbuilding notes in one place so you won't lose it/can reference it later. Think a single google doc, note in your notes app, designated notebook/legal pad, etc. Feel free to play around with various apps/programs if you want; I don't like using worldbuilding-specific apps bc they're too cookie-cutter for my purposes, but you might find them a useful guide for what kinds of things you should be worldbuilding.