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I'd like to thank Kelly for letting me join and get a chance to know you, and I'd like to thank YOU for checking out my post. I hope it will help you create a wonderful world for your characters. And now, here are...

Writing a book set in our world can have its challenges - you have to research different professions, for example - but when your story takes place in a fictional Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Paranormal setting, those challenges increase. Today, I'm going to give you seven things you should think about when creating the exciting new world your story takes place in. Some are more interesting than others, but they are all connected, so I suggest you read through the whole post. We are going to start off with a list of the things, and then I'm going to give you a few pointers on each:

1. Geography

2. Politics

3. Religion

4. Magic System

5. Education

6. Economics

7. Species/Races

So first...

GEOGRAPHY

This one might seem boring, but it's pretty important. After all, a general idea like the princess saving the kidnapped prince would be executed differently depending on the landscape in which the story is set. If it's an ice kingdom, then the princess would have to make sure she has clothing appropriate for the climate and one of the obstacles she'd have to overcome could be sneaking into the cave of a Yeti; on the other hand, if the Prince is held captive in the mountains, the Princess would have to pack up hiking gear and might have to fight off a grizzly bear.

The geography would also affect history. If a town is situated in a valley, it will be more difficult to defend it than if it's on top of a cliff and therefore it would be an easier target for enemy soldiers. Whether there was a battle nearby and whether the town had been overtaken by an enemy at some point would affect how the people in it live.

And let's not forget that it would determine simple things like your character's diet and occupation. For example, if they live near a forest, they would eat rabbits, birds and berries, and if they live by the sea, they would go for fish; in the first case, they could be a hunter, and in the second - a fisherman or sailor.

And here's a little tip for you: draw a map. It will help you immensely because you can reference it any time you need to while working on your story and it will help your readers envision your world if you include the map in your book.

POLITICS

I don't know about you, but I really don't like to get involved in politics. Perhaps your characters would be like me, but like it or not, politics are going to play at least a small role in their lives. Whether your society is a monarchy or a presidency, the leader of the kingdom/county is going to shape that kingdom/country in one way or another.

If they are weak and indecisive, then the country is more likely to be targeted by a neighboring country or that there would be a coup. Either way, there will be some fighting going on - one, your characters might be forced to take part in - and that would be followed by a period of adjusting to the new rule of whoever ends up replacing the previous King/President.

On the other hand, you might have a tyrannical leader who oppresses their people. Or maybe a very progressive leader, who encourages education, new discoveries and equality regardless of race, gender or religion.

RELIGION

Let's talk a little bit about religion next as it may be very tightly connected to politics. If the majority of the people in the world you've created are extremely religious and follow the same religion, then the church - or whatever you'd like to call your religious order - would definitely be involved in politics. People with good connections to the church are going to be more likely to be promoted to a high political post as they will have high-standing supporters. You could go as far as to have the head of church be able to overrule the head of state (at least on some matters) or even have the head of church be the head of state.

Another way in which religion could play a big role in your book is by having more than one religion and people fighting over which is the "true faith".

Now, whether religion would be a tangible, provable thing (that's to say, God occasionally pops up in the human world so his worshippers could see him) or more of a notion that can't be proven, is up to you. And while we are on the topic of Gods...

MAGIC SYSTEM

For a creature to achieve a deity status, it probably has a few tricks up its sleeve. Perhaps magical tricks. But are Gods the only ones who can perform magic?

Building a magic system might be the most complicated and time consuming part of building your world, and a whole book can be written just about creating that system. However, I only have this one post so I'll have to be brief.

1. Will your magic system have strictly defined rules or will it be more mystical?

With the latter, you'll have the freedom to include more things, but your readers might be less engaged or even feel cheated as they wouldn't know what to expect and your scenes might come off as having a Deus Ex Machina all the time. With the former, readers can think of ways to solve problems along with the characters which, obviously, makes the audience more engaged.

Either way, you have to stay consistent with your magic system.

2. When building your magic system, think about these things:

• What are the limitations of the magic system? What can your characters not do with it?

For example, they cannot bring back the dead. Or they cannot use any magic unless they have some sort of a medium such as a wand or a crystal.

• What are the costs for using magic?

For example, magicians have to use their own life force to perform a spell and thus shorten their natural life span. The more often they use magic and the more complicated the spells, the more their life shortens. A more simple cost can be ingredients such as herbs and minerals used in a magic rite.

• What are the flaws/weaknesses of the magic system?

For example, your character can transform into a powerful being, but the transformation takes time and they are more vulnerable than usual during the process.

➝ Adding stakes and limitations would present new challenges to your characters and would also create tension as your characters won't be all powerful and able to solve all their problems by snapping their fingers.

3. What kind of education do your characters need to use magic?

Is magical knowledge passed on within each family/clan or do characters need to go to a special school to learn magic?

Do all characters get basic education on magic for let's say a year and after that separate into groups to study a particular branch of magic (for example, divination or demon summoning)?

And speaking of education...

EDUCATION

Your characters are going to need to learn how to handle their magical powers; but what else do they need to learn?

And are they allowed to?

Is education mandatory in your world or optional?

Is it available to everyone or only the elite, or maybe only to one gender?

Perhaps everyone is taught basic things like the alphabet in school, but after that they are on their own and if they wish to excel at something, they must become an apprentice to a person who's already mastered the skills they need?

And now, let's move on to...

ECONOMICS

Your character has finished their education; what can they do with it? What professions are opened to them? And what if they hadn't gotten an education; what can they do then?

Here you have to consider their skills and knowledge, as well as the world around them. A technically advanced world could provide them with an opportunity to work on a space ship, while a Middle Ages-inspired one could mean they are a simple farmer. And don't forget the jobs that require magic, such as an exorcist.

Of course, so far you've only concentrated on what brings food to your character's table; you also have to consider what everyone else around them could do.

My tip here is to make a list of professions and the income each would bring. You don't have to be exact like "eighty-one gold and three silver pieces per month", but a relative sum will help you designate an occupation to a character, depending on what lifestyle you want them to have or to pick a profession for a character based on the lifestyle you've already given them.

Another thing to think about is what's the country's/kingdom's biggest resource and does taking advantage of that recourse internally or by exporting it is enough to stabilize the economy?

Is there a huge economical gap between the elite and the average person?

Is the country so rich that the average person is actually considered well-off?

Or is poverty commonplace? Does it lead to crime and riots?

Also, is poverty more prevalent in a certain race?

SPECIES/RACES

When I say "races" I mean both different human races and humans, elves, orcs, aliens... You get the idea. Here I'm going to use the words "race" and "species" as synonyms. And the main question about them is: do they live in peace?

If not, what do they fight over?

Territory and resources are probably going to be the first to come to your mind, but it could also be religion or even a simple misunderstanding of customs.

Let's say that the human Kind is hosting an event to honor an important orc warlord. Upon meeting, the orc opens his mouth and lets out a deafening roar. Thinking the orc is threatening their King, the royal guards unsheathe their swords and attack the orc party. Little do they know, the deafening roar is how one warrior orc greets another and the warlord was actually showing respect to the human King. Even if someone were to manage to explain this to each side involved, the damage would already be done as both sides would've suffered losses.

Another thing that different races could fight over would be food, and I don't mean just because both races appreciate a good pork chop. One of the races might be food for the other.

But let's say they do live in peace, at least for the moment; what could keep the alliance?

"Resources" is again a good answer. Perhaps humans are the only ones who live by the sea and can provide not only fish, but also salt to the elves and dwarfs. In return, the elves, who live in the forest and are good with herbs, provide the other two species with medicine, and the dwarfs, who are blacksmiths provide the others with weapons and tools.

Another resource could be knowledge. Let's say your main character lives in a rural, not technologically developed planet. One day, aliens show up. Their Sun has burst, destroying their planet, and they are looking for a new home. They don't have riches, but their offer the indigenous race to teach them how to create contraptions that would protect their crops from frost and hail.

Or maybe it is religion that is holding them together. Remember when I said religion could be important to politics? This is what I meant. If you have seven races - all extremely religious - and five of them are following the same religion, then it is very likely that those five would be allies and might band together against the other two.

Of course, when creating races, you also have to consider external characteristics (shape of the body, color of the skin/eyes/hair/fur, number of limbs, etc.) and why were they created in that way?

For example, humans who live in a country where it's constant summer will have darker skin than those who live in places with less sunlight.

A creature that lives in the forest could have skin that imitates tree bark and hair and eyes that are green. However, this will do nothing to camouflage it and hide it from predators if the creature is in the desert.

Other things to think about are:

• What are each species' strengths and weaknesses and how you can use them in your story?

• Do all races have the same level of sentience? Are some more primal than others?

• Are all races equally technologically advanced?

• The customs and habits of each race. As I've pointed out above, this would be very important for interspecies relations.

• Difference in art and architecture. Elves could live in wooden houses between the tree branches, dwarfs can prefer stone abodes, and orcs might reside in caves decorated with animal and human skins. Perhaps elves are partial to elegant pieces of art depicting nature and dwarfs make sculptures from precious gems.

• Differences in religion.

• Differences in magic systems. Perhaps elves are the only ones who can control elements such as earth and wind, and mermaids are the only race that can enchant and ensnare others.

• Myths and legends. These two are a part of every culture. How does each race believe it's been created? Do they think that being shaped after the image of their deity makes them superior to other races? Do they tell tales of legendary heroes to inspire the next generation of warriors or do the campfire stories include monsters meant to keep the children from sneaking off into the woods? How have those stories shaped your characters and the environment they live in?

This is it for my post. If you've enjoyed it, please give it a like; if you'd like to talk about worldbuilding or ask me a question, leave a comment!

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