The Creating of a World/Realm :: How To Guide.

A rough plan on how to create your own World/Realm.
Written by Hawkear. Copywrited. Ask before taking anything out of this for anything at all.

To create a fantasy world, you need to be able to imagine yourself there. Close your eyes and picture what the world you are creating is like. What creatures are there? What is the general terrain? Is there large fortresses scattered about?

To successfully create a world, you must be able to colorfully describe what the world is like. If this means researching describing words for a day, so be it. You want to make the world as user friendly as possible. You may be able to imagine it, but can your audience?

Maps are always useful to make. Be it for a city, a realm, or for the world involved. Not necessarily necessary, well drawn maps are a fantastic start. If you can draw your realm, you can write it, and with an image of what the world is like with you all the time it makes writing in it fairly accurate. You do not have to go back and see what you wrote about where this is, and where that is.

Now that topography has been covered, what about climate? Is it a generally warm realm? Is it a miserable place, full of rain? Or perhaps a large drought has hit the realms. Your reader has to imagine what you imagine as you write about your world, so you must guide them as closely as possible.


Now that I have covered the world itself, we must touch base with the people. Are there different species? Are there different ???sides??? of the map for different alliances? Are there different species of animals? Give a brief overview of important creatures, groups, and cities as you describe your realm. This will give the audience a glimpse at what they are to deal with throughout the novel.

Next step is alliances. Is there good and evil groups? Are there dark forces scattered throughout the land? Are there certain places that are dreaded by mankind? What do the main characters have to deal with? Are there groups of trades??? people who travel on certain roads?


Now we get to the more complex details. The laws of the land. Is there a tyrant in power at the moment? Is there a curfew that the heroes must obey, are there corrupt law enforcement groups? Is there a certain set of rule that the hero must obey or face punishment, or even death? All of these areas must be taken into consideration.

Next is the all-time favorite subject: The laws of Magic. Does your world have magic in it? If so, how does it work? Are there certain risks, or a payment to make for using it? It is advised to limit the amount of magic used, and the types of magic used. If not, you may end up with all-powerful characters that can destroy anything they want at a drop of a hat. Or maybe the realm is already suffering under magic wielders, and have a hierarchical system of magicians who limit the amount of magic used. The sky is the limit in fantasy writing, and don???t you forget it.

Now you have to find a way to cleverly engraft your plot into this world you have created. Doing this successfully will ensure that you have a unique land where your characters can fit in, fight in, and die in.