 Hello, hello, writers! I'm Kristin Kiefer, author of fantasy fiction and creative writing resources, and you are listening to the Well-Sturried podcast, where I share insights, encouragement, and actionable advice designed to help you craft sensational novels and build your best writing life. Always in 30 minutes or less, so you can get back to writing, of course. Ready for the show? Let's get talking! Hello again, writers! I'm your host, Kristin Kiefer, and today is April 9th, 2018. Today's episode is titled An Introduction to Worldbuilding, and if you'd like to read along as you listen in, simply head on over to well-sturried.com slash worldbuilding. Now let's dive in. Eager to immerse readers in your story's fantastical world, whether partially or fully fictional, developing an effective and engrossing story world is no easy task. After all, a story world is more than just a fictional setting or society. It's the cultures and capabilities that impact every aspect of your character's stories and your characters themselves. Like any part of the writing process, effective worldbuilding takes time, intention, and attention to detail. In today's episode, I'm going to break down each of the major elements you should consider when building your story's fictional world. But first, let's discuss how writers approach the worldbuilding process. Two ways to develop your story's fictional world. For some writers, worldbuilding is an exciting and engaging part of the writing process. For others, it's just a means to an end, a task that must be completed if they're to write the story they long to tell. This preference often determines the way a writer approaches worldbuilding, determining whether they'll develop a world to serve their story, or a world in which many stories can be set. Though there's no wrong way to go about worldbuilding, many writers adopt one of two methods. First, the inside-out method. Writers who wish to create a world for their story typically employ the inside-out method, developing only the details their world needs for their story to play out successfully. With this approach, writers typically craft the most integral part of their world first, then determine how that element will impact other aspects of their world. Say, for example, that you'd like to write a story about an organization that can control time. With the inside-out method, you'd first determine the extent of the organization's abilities and operations. You'd then consider how the organization's power impacts the physical and societal landscape of your world, and in turn, your character's lives. Approach number two, the outside-in method. With the inside-out method, a writer's story idea drives their approach to the worldbuilding process. The opposite is true of the outside-in method, in which writers develop an extensive fictional world before or alongside their development of their story. When working outside-in, writers typically begin with the most foundational aspect of their world, its geography. Hills and plains become countries, become societies, become cultures, become religions, and so on. Writers who use the outside-in method may or may not have a story idea in mind when they begin worldbuilding, but one thing's for certain. They're passionate about the worldbuilding process, and the level of detail in their fantasy or sci-fi epic is bound to prove it. No matter which method you choose to employ when worldbuilding, it's important to consider all aspects of your story world as parts of a moving whole, each influencing the next. But what are these aspects exactly? Let's discuss five elements to consider when worldbuilding. Every story world may be unique, but the general aspects that define a story world are not. No matter what type of story you're telling, here are five essential elements worth developing. First up, geography. Geography is, of course, your world's physical landscape. When developing this landscape, consider key geographical elements such as one, boundaries, where do your world's continents and countries or planets and solar systems begin and end? Bear in mind that both natural and man-made boundaries are rarely uniform. Your world's territory should vary in size and shape. Two, water. For most real and fictional creatures, water is life. Identifying your world's water sources, oceans, rivers, springs, lakes and bogs is therefore key. Consider how these water sources influence the land and the people who live there. Three, natural features. As you created your world's boundaries and water sources, you may have begun to develop other natural features such as mountain ranges and deserts. Now's the time to expand these landmarks, filling your world with planes, hills, forests, cave systems and other natural features. And four, climate. As you develop each of these geographical elements, bear climate in mind. Which regions remain hot or cold year round? Which get a taste of some or all seasons? Are some areas battered by wicked storms or tornadoes? How does a region's climate affect its natural resources and the creatures that live there? The second essential world building element is cultures and societies. Our world is populated with thousands of cultures and societies, both modern and ancient, each of which can inspire their fictional counterparts. When developing your world's cultures and societies, consider these five key aspects. First, power. Societies rarely exist outside of a hierarchy of power. Government plays a role in this, certainly, but don't forget about the role of privilege, prejudice and suppression. Power structures typically revolve around gender, religion, race, sexuality, health, physical and cognitive ability and beauty. Who will hold power and privilege in your world's cultures and societies? How do these elements determine social classes and whose outcast? Secondly, government. How are the people within your fictional societies governed? Do they live in a democracy, monarchy, anarchy or dictatorship? What laws govern the land and who creates and enforces these laws? What rights do citizens bear, especially in regards to their participation in society and government? Thirdly, religion. Religion often directly impacts a society's laws and social norms. If religions exist in your world, consider not only what the religion preaches and who and how it worships, but also how its tenets impact every other aspect of your fictional culture and society. Fourth, we have art and entertainment. Cultures are often defined by the ways they express and entertain themselves. What types of art are a fixture within your story as cultures? Who creates the art and how is it valued? Which sports, races and games are beloved? Are there professional artists and entertainers? How are art and entertainment practiced in everyday life? And finally, fifth, we have relations. Cultures and societies rarely exist in a bubble. After developing these aspects of your story world, consider how they might interact. How do different societies rely on one another for commerce and trade? Which laws and norms are practiced in one culture but reviled by another? Which cultures frequently come into conflict and why? The third essential element of world building is history. The present is nothing without the past. To lend your world a sense of depth and realism, consider developing historical events that continue to impact the world in which your characters live, such as, first, power shifts. Social, political and religious upheaval often have wide-ranging impacts on the world. Are there any particular past events whose consequences directly affect your characters everyday lives or the adventures they experience? And secondly, traumatic events. Traumatic events such as war, famine and plague can also leave a sizable mark on history and your characters. These events may lead to a power shift within your fictional world or they may impact laws and social norms, religion, social classes, technology, etc. Our fourth world building element is magic systems. Your world doesn't necessarily need to have magic but there's no denying that magic systems, extraordinary skills and superpowers are prevalent in fantasy and science fiction. If your characters wield any of these powers, here are 10 questions you'll want to ask to develop an effective magic system. 1. Who can wield magic in your story world? 2. How does magic manifest? What can and can't it do? 3. Can magic be controlled and developed? 4. Is there a cost to using magic? What impact does it have on the user? 5. Where does magic come from? What's the source of its power? 6. Are there items such as wands or staffs that are needed to use magic? 7. How is magic governed and how do religious leaders view magic? 8. How does society as a whole view magic? Is it feared, banned, or even revered? 9. Are there different types of magic? 10. How can those with magical powers be defeated or destroyed? Our fifth and final essential world building element is technology. Technology can be just as complex an aspect of world building as magic. Whether you're basing your world's technology on a specific era of human history or developing a futuristic world, here are 10 questions to ask yourself. 1. What technologies do people use to communicate? 2. What technologies do people use to travel? 3. How do people use technology in their everyday lives? 4. What technologies exist as a source of entertainment? 5. How much do common technologies cost? Who can afford them? 6. What types of technology are used in combat? 7. What resources power common types of technology? 8. Who creates and regulates the use of technology? 9. Does the government use technology to track or control citizens? 10. What positive and negative consequences does technology have on your character's lives? With all that established, let's move beyond world building basics. World building can be an incredibly complex and personal process. Depending upon your story and preferences, you may wish to develop some of these aspects in greater detail and or craft additional elements such as fictional languages or creatures. Here on the podcast, I have individual episodes about developing fictional cultures, magic systems, and those languages, so be sure to check them out. No matter which approach you choose to take, or how much detail you aim to pack into your world, try not to lose sight of your story amidst the chaos of creation. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the world building process, then take a step back. Remember, you only need to develop your world in as much detail as your story requires. Bigger isn't always better, and complexity doesn't always serve the narrative. Focus on developing the aspects of your world that directly impact your characters, and you can't go wrong. Thank you for listening to today's episode of The Podcast Writer. I hope you found it helpful to your writing journey. If so, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode, and to give the podcast a quick rating or review. Doing so goes a long way toward helping the podcast reach new writers, and lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm creating. You can also give me a shout out directly on Instagram at christen underscore keeper. For additional guidance as you work to craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, be sure to head on over to www.well-storied.com, where I share blog posts, workbooks, e-courses, and other helpful resources for writers. Again, that's w-e-l-l-s-t-o-r-i-e-d.com. Thank you again for tuning into today's episode, my friend. Until next time, happy writing!