Writing Fantasy: It’s a Whole New World

I recently turned in the fourth draft of my fifth (!) novel to my agent. While some of my previous stories included magical elements, this is my first fantasy. I’ve always secretly wanted to write in this genre, but I didn’t think I could. (Truthfully, I didn’t think I was creative enough, but that’s a discussion for another time.) For now, suffice it to say that it was quite a shock when my fifth manuscript turned out to be a fantasy.

I quickly learned that making up a world (even one similar to our own) is every bit as challenging as I’d expected. As I wait for feedback on my latest revision, I thought I’d share some of what I’ve picked up about world building along the way.

1. Done right, world building draws the reader into your story. Done wrong, it grinds your manuscript to a screeching halt. What do I mean by done right? I mean giving the readers enough unique details that they can visualize the world without slowing down the pace of the story. Save the detailed world building (and backstory) for slower scenes when the main character has the time to properly notice their surroundings. 

2. Show us the world through the main character’s eyes. Roshani Chokshi does an excellent job of this on the opening pages of Aru Shah and the End of Time; right away, we understand how the main character feels about the cursed lamp, about the museum, about herself.

Girl in fantasy world with blue and pink butterfly across her lips and blue fairy lights in the background
Photo credit: Pexels.com.

3. Develop consistent “rules” for your story. If you have fairies in the first half, but no dragons, a dragon can’t simply appear out of nowhere in the second half. To pull off a dragon, build the world such that the reader has reason to believe a dragon might exist. For example, in the first half of the book, a character might think about the time she saw a dragon or heard a story about one.

4. Create a master world-building document. List the characters, nicknames, physical traits, and anything that makes them unique (jobs, hobbies, habits, etc.). List important geographic locations in your world and any unique details related to the economy, language, social structure, etc. Also consider writing out your backstory in order to make sure that everything in your novel is logical and consistent. Decide what parts of this backstory the reader needs to know to make sense of the story. Leave out everything else.

5. It can be tempting to tell us all about this cool world you’ve created. Don’t! Instead, let us see the world as the events in your story unfold. In other words, only show us what we need to see in order to make sense of the current action. Leigh Bardugo does an excellent job of this in Shadow and Bone. She mentions the “Fold” on page 9 but gives us only enough information to know it’s something terribly frightening. It’s not until page 27+ that we learn more about the Fold––by experiencing it ourselves.

6. Opening with action is a lot of fun and a great way to hook readers, but remember that you also have to give the reader a reason to care about the main character. In addition, it’s important to show the main character in everyday scenes. Not only will this help the reader get to know the character and the world, but it will also help the reader understand how and why the changes you throw at the character are important.

7. If you are approaching the end of your manuscript and find that it requires a ton of explanation for your story to make sense, it may be a sign that your world building and backstory still need work. 

8. Beta readers and critique partners are a great way to help you figure out what is working and what isn’t. Ask them to point out scenes they are having trouble visualizing and places they are confused; often, this is because your world building needs work.

Writing fantasy requires a massive amount of creativity, but it also requires attention to detail, careful planning, and persistence. The draft I turned in may be my last revision before I go out on submission or I may have to roll up my sleeves and dig back in. Each step of the way, I learn more about my story world, my characters, and how to write fantasy. Hopefully, some of what I’ve learned will help you, too.

If you have any favorite world building tips, share them in the comments below!

Posted by: Jessica Vitalis

Jessica Vitalis writes upper middle grade fantasy and is an active participant in the literary community. In addition to coordinating Letters for Kids, she volunteers as a Pitch Wars mentor, with the We Need Diverse Books campaign*, and contributes to The Winged Pen. The rest of the time, Jessica can be found chasing her two precocious daughters around Ontario or changing the batteries in her heated socks. Represented by Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch.

*All opinions expressed on social media are her own.

2 thoughts on “Writing Fantasy: It’s a Whole New World

  1. Thank you for the post! I’ve always wanted to write fantasy, but never knew where to start. Your advice will help a lot!

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