How to Start Worldbuilding?

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. World Anvil, a 2021 NaNoWriMo sponsor, helps you develop and organize your characters, plot, and world setting. Today, World Anvil is here to share some pro tips for worldbuilding basics!

How do I start worldbuilding? It’s one of the most commonly asked questions in our community, and one which even seasoned professionals ask! After all, creating epic settings like those of The Expanse, Game of Thrones, or Mistborn can seem like an overwhelming task—but they all start from the same place: the fragment of an idea, carefully grown into something extraordinary. The good news is that you can easily create your own rich, unique setting, and in this post I’ll tell you how to start!

Getting inspiration!

Let’s start at the beginning—that flash of inspiration. Brandon Sanderson describes a drive in foggy weather as his inspiration for Mistborn. Sometimes a setting idea can come from a dream, flash fiction, a TV show or game, a character, or from a magic system you’ve been toying with. The desire to dig into a new genre—sci fi, steampunk or epic fantasy—is also a great place to start. And occasionally, a plot walks into your brain with a setting—or a least a few fragments of one—attached.

Keep reading