Worldbuilding Development Questions

This article is a follow up to last week’s article on world building concepts, so, I’m assuming you understand what world building is, how it works, and why it’s important; so if you haven’t read it yet, check it out! Now, let’s get into it…

The older you get, and the more experience you have with writing, the easier certain ideas might come to you. What sorts of things you’re interested in will always impact your personal knowledge as well, so take a moment before we start the main article to think about your interests, and what you know a lot about. Maybe you know a lot about animals, plants, or fashion; or maybe you’re interested in economics, medicine, or architecture. Take what you’re interested in the most and apply a special lens to building your world with that interest. If you ask yourself questions and develop a bunch of answers based on your personal interests, you’ll easily have a good world to branch out from.

Now… let’s start with the questions. They’ll be grouped roughly in categories, so if you find a specific set of questions unhelpful for your particular world, please skip them!

The Greater World and Questions to Build On

Let’s start these questions about your world building with, well, the world! If your world is set on our Earth or a parallel world to it, feel free to skip these questions.

• How many continents are there? Where are they compared to the poles and equator, if your world has those? (This would mean it’s colder up north and to the south, and warmest in the middle of the planet.)
• What colour is the sun? How many suns are there? (Check out binary star systems for some unique stellar silliness!) 
• How many moons are there? You can do a lot of fun things with lunar eclipses and other celestial phenomena, so consider that too!
• Are there any landmarks on your world that are visible from space? Real life examples are the Great Barrier Reef or the Amazon River, but maybe your world has a giant tree, an eternal raging storm (like the red eye of Jupiter!) or maybe islands shaped like the sun and moon.

Regional Questions To Think About

These are the sort of questions I’d suggest drawing up a map for. Like I said in my last article, drawing a map while imagining what sort of things could exist in your world is really fun, and a great way to externalize your thoughts.

• What sort of climates and ecology are in the major areas your story takes place? Are they regular ecosystems found in our world (Savannah, rainforests, deserts) or are they more unique? (Imagine massive cacti forests, glowing crystal caves, and lightning-struck glass deserts!)
• If you’re making unique and fantastical locations, why do these mysterious places exist, and how? Is it magic or something more scientific? Are they natural or human-made?
• Are the places in your stories kingdoms, empires, democracies, or something else? How do the core governmental systems in your world work (or, not work)? How long have they been in place, and are regular people satisfied with how things are?
• Are there any places that people don’t know about yet, or can’t explore? A real life example would be the bottom of the sea, but maybe your world has underground cave systems, floating islands or mysterious otherworldly dungeons.

Daily Life Questions To Think About

We’re slowly getting more into the basics of what your characters will be experiencing every day. Consider these questions, and take a break to think; I know there’s a lot, but that’s because I know you guys are incredibly creative, and can handle this level of detail!

Magic

• Is there magic in your world, and if so, how does it work? 
• If it’s common, how has it affected the way technology has developed? 
• Have magic and technology combined into new tools and weapons?
• How do people without magic manage in the world if it’s highly dependent on magic?

Medical Knowledge

• How developed is medical technology in your setting? 
• Does healing magic replace most medical procedures, and if it does, is there anything it can’t solve, such as tumours or naturally occurring birth defects such as a cleft palate? 
• A good thing to consider is common but potentially highly deadly; childbirth. How does your world handle that with what it has?

Technology

• For those with highly advanced technology settings, how accessible is technology to the poor or those who live in isolated places? 
• How safe is the technology to use? 
• How expensive is it to make, both in terms of money, and in terms of physical labour and the effect on the environment?

Disability Assistance and Mobilities Aids 

• How ingrained is disability assistance in society? 
• Does your world have laws that require wheelchair ramps, elevators, or magical floating platforms in public spaces? 
• Or maybe, does it have braille or spells for reading written words aloud? 
• Inversely, are there spells to create written subtitles for people speaking or is sign language commonly used? 
• There’s always a fun chance to be creative with physical disability representation with high-technology prosthetics or maybe a magical service animal. Can you imagine anything that fits your world like that?

Okay, phew! That’s a lot of questions, so let’s take a break. Can you think of any unique or creative worlds that tackle questions like the above? Maybe these mostly don’t apply to your own world, but if you can integrate at least one of these questions into your story, you’ll find that people will be complimenting the depth of your world building. 

But never let yourself get bogged down by the details while you’re writing. You can always add more information later on, and sometimes a year after you wrote something, you might realize a great way to explain it or connect it to something else. But if you spend too much time planning out the details instead of writing, you might end up creating something amazing! … but you won’t have any written story to show it off. Though, maybe that’s what you want if you’re running a roleplay! 

Alrighty! Now, here are some fantastic worlds by some Unvale Superstars!

• Fragile Memory is a long-term project by Wasobs, an incredible artist and creative world designer. The setting is complex with deep worldbuilding in a unique original world. One of my favourite things I’ve seen them create is a city shaped like a fingerprint!
• The world of Norzelrin, the fantasy setting of The Crimson Champion by Lavak is inspired by JRPGS and anime. The story is still in progress, and Lavak himself is an author with a lot of passion!
• If you’re a dedicated Unvale user, you might recognize Beaniest’s The Quest To Save Everyone (Just Because); although Lord Rust is probably more iconic at this point. I know for sure that I can recognize the lil guy on sight. The world itself reminds me of an adventure game to defeat a big bad villain, complete with a battle system!