World Creation For the Beginner

1. Physical - maps, climate, topography(Is your main town in the mountains? A port city? On the plains? Is it warm? Cool?  What are the borders?)

2. History-this means government, military background, currency, the biggest trade product, anything that would have an effect upon the characters (Democracy or dictatorship? Standing army? Navy?  Agricultural or industrial nation?  Gold-based currency or paper?)

3. Mythology-gods, worship practices, temples, magic( Is this a monotheistic society or is there a pantheon? What rituals are used in worship? Big white marble temples or humble outdoor shrines? How does magic work?)

4.Time - calendar, units of measurement (Solar year or lunar year?  How long?  How long is a month?  Clocks? Sundials?  Hours, minutes, or some other sort of measurement?)

5.The current situation. Every world has a here and now.  What makes this time so unique?  Is the change to come or is it already here?  Who affects it and how?

and the most important....

6.How this world affects the protagonist--and how the protagonist reacts to it.

A caveat about magic...

Magic is hard to write.  You have to make something that is inherently incredible into a believable action.  Wouldn't it be nice if your protagonist could just wave his hand and change the world?  Unfortunately, that makes for boring fantasy, even if your protagonist is a god. There have to be limits established from the beginning: who can work it, how they work it, when they work it, what they need to work it, and what the consequences of working it might be.  Be careful when you're writing about magic, folks--poorly defined magic can ruin the credibility of your ENTIRE story.

It's all about making the world seem real.  I tend to use real places, like this picture I took in the Smoky Mountains National Park. But, a created world has to have a history, a mythology, a culture---all those things we take for granted.

Sometimes there's nothing more difficult for a writer than creating the world of the story.  It is a long, drawn-out process.  When I was writing Darkshifters, I didn't name a single town or region until well into the second book.  However, I knew the history of each place. I knew the mythology.  I knew the cultural aspects of the different racial groups of the world.  It's that kind of detail that gives a world depth--even if only the writer knows those details.  In Asphodel, on the other hand, it was the direct opposite.

I am a firm believer in starting with a map.  The map not only tells you where you are, but where you're going...always important in epic fantasy.  Besides, look at all the places you get to explore as you write!  Each different city or country has its own customs and quirks--what fun!  For example, although Ansienne and Tartarus are neighbors, the two kingdoms have lived in uneasy truce for a long time.  When the monarchy trembles in Ansienne, it's only natural for the Tartaran King to eye the borders with speculation.  After all, Tartarus is mostly mountainous.  It relies upon the agricultural trade of Ansienne's rich fields to feed its people.  What self-respecting King wouldn't look to increase his kingdom--and the kingdom's natural resources-- by means of conquest?

See what I mean?  It's easier to develop the specific personalities of place when you start with a really good idea of what the place LOOKS like.

A word of advice.  Most rivers don't start in plains and they don't roll uphill.  Rivers go from high point to low point i.e.--mountains to oceans.  I'd hate for you to look silly and draw in a river that defies the law  of gravity.

When you're developing your countries, be sure you give a thought to the racial makeup of its people.  (I shouldn't have to tell you that the hotter the climate the darker the inhabitants, right?)  Think about their culture--are they democratic and capitalistic, or is this a monarchy with an extremely wealthy upper class?

And don't forget--there are other races as well.  In Asphodel, I use a lot of the classical races from Greco-Roman mythology: centaurs, Hippolytes (Amazons), harpies, minotaurs-anything that could be fun and interesting. It is a standby in fantasy writing to use the mythologies of our history as a jumping-off point for world development.  Just so you know, the world of Asphodel has elements from Celtic, Greco-Roman, Norse, Mesopotamian and Egyptain mythologies.  It makes for a complicated and diverse world.

And gives me lots of great critters to fight.