World Building for Fiction Writers
The Power of Setting the Proper World Building Scenario
When you write a story, you need to give the reader a place to escape into, a place they desire to be. Rich world-building is how you set this up for your reader, to fill it with details that make it a complete and full world. Setting involves the time that something happens, the place it happens, and the surrounding environment. Try our scene starter prompt to place your story framework.
Time Defines Expectations
The time period a story is set in defines the fiction that can fit in it, the characteristics the reader expects to see, and the norms and expectations of the characters.
For example:
- A gritty space opera occurs in the far future.
- A dystopian novel might be set in the near future or a bit further out.
- A Wild West story happens at the turn of the century, and the men and women therein are expected to behave a certain way.
We see this in almost any historic time period. If we are building a science fiction or fantasy novel, the author will be expected to make up a good bit of the setting. However, it must be recognizably human. The folks who fill up Westworld or Game of Thrones fit into what we would expect people to create, setting-wise, and they act like we would expect people to act.
The Art of “Show, Don’t Tell”
Just like dialogue, the bulk of world-building is done in carefully revealed details. You don’t tell your reader everything about the setting because that would make the story long and ultimately boring.
You hint at a detail and allow them to fill in the rest with their imagination. You do have to have all the details at your fingertips to use as tools, but you don’t want to lecture the reader.
Imagination is key. By not giving the reader everything, you allow your story to establish a mood and an atmosphere. You let the reader conclude the character, and you drive your story along. This is the elusive grail all writers chase: Show, Don’t Tell.
Examples of Showing vs. Telling
Character Scent (Romance/Drama):
Show: The scent of jasmine lingered in the air long after she had left. The young man found it particularly delightful.
Tell: He heard that she picked jasmine as a personal scent. It was like she was an animal picking and spreading a pheromone to trap young men.
Setting the Scene (Historical/Mystery):
Show: The parlor was heavy in velvet and uncomfortable couches, it was off-limits, except for important visitors came to see father.
Atmosphere (Fantasy):
Show: As Alpine kingdoms went, the air of Ferndale wasn’t particularly clear or crisp, but what was lacking in that aspect was more than made up for with the friendliness of its inhabitants.
World Building (Sci-Fi):
Show: They docked at Zelton, the nearest Federal port. There was a chance they might find the part that the spaceship needed there, or at least be able to cobble together a fix for the broken light gear. In the meantime, the crew could take a rest and enjoy a good meal at The Swings. The Captain let them all go with a promise that they would not get arrested or cause any trouble.
Keeping Track of Your World
How do you keep track of all of this?
World-building only works if it stays consistent across a long manuscript. Whatever system you use, character sheets, spreadsheets, a dedicated notebook, or a D&D-style reference sheet, the goal is the same: a single place you can check when you can’t remember who did what where. The details you write in chapter one will be needed in chapter ten. Keep track of them before the story gets ahead of you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is world-building in fiction?
World-building is the process of constructing the setting, rules, history, and other details of the world your story takes place in. It includes everything the reader needs to believe in: geography, time period, social norms, technology, family, and the logic that governs how things work in that world. If you would have it in the world you live in, your character and story does as well.
Do you need to world build for contemporary fiction?
Yes, though less visibly. Even a story set in present-day Chicago requires decisions about neighbourhood, class, what era of a character’s life they’re in, and what the rules of that world feel like. The difference is that contemporary writers can borrow from reality and only need to invent the gaps, not to mention your reader probably understands without being implicitly informed.
How much world building is too much?
Enough to write from, more than you’ll ever use on the page. The reader should only see the surface, enough to feel the world is real. If your world-building is appearing in the prose as information overload rather than filled in detail, you’ve crossed the line from building to getting tied up in setting. For example, an alien world would be filled with alien creatures; you do not have to name them all, it is a given they exist, just highlight the animals that drive the story.
What is the difference between setting and world building?
The setting is where and when a scene takes place. World-building is the larger architecture that makes that setting believable and consistent, the history, the logic, the rules. Setting is what the reader sees; world-building is what makes it hold together.
Where do you start with world building?
Start with what your story needs, not with everything that could exist. If your story turns on a political conflict, build the political structure first. If it turns into a larger story, scaffolding. You can fill in the rest as the story demands it.