Building A Fantasy World

We all know that world-building is a detrimental part of a Fantasy writer's job.  But doing so goes beyond just sticking in three suns, and naming trees obscurely.  On the same vein, just like Rome -- a world can't be built in a day (or in this case, a single paragraph.)

So how to do it?

Think layers.  If you look at just the physical design of Earth, there's the molten core, the layers of rock all the way up to different layers of soil/clay, and then there's a dozen different types of ground-cover -- grass (and types therein), sand, water, etc.

For the very basics of your world you need to look at what makes it tick.  Create rules.  If it's sci/fi, are the planets affected by gravity?  And if not, be certain that the lack of gravity rules apply equally to all species/objects in the world.

But for writing and world building, it goes far beyond just the initial "This is my world, it's round, it has three suns, four moons, and is modeled after Earth."

You cannot dump your world building on your reader in the first page.  It must be layered in.  And layered throughout.  Establish the very basic principles early, but elaborate on them in bits and pieces sprinkled throughout the entire story. 

For instance:

Let's say those three suns are named Ergo, Nolo, and Rotenso.  Ergo gives power to the Livsucan Sect.  Nolo gives power to the underground Dwarves, and Rotenso gives power to creatures of the sea.  Gut instinct might tell you to explain all that when your character looks up at the sky and sees the three suns.  If you go that route, what will happen is a classic info-dump.  If your character is a Livsucan, the only moon that is going to interest him is Ergo, quite likely.  So, take a sentence or two and talk about Ergo, and Ergo only.

"Three suns staggered across the sky.  He squinted at the greenish light emanating from Ergo, the sun closest to the horizon.  Power thrummed in his veins, a subtle undercurrent of the centuries of magic the sun gave to the Livsucan.  He closed his eyes, basked in the fading warmth, and allowed the strength to seep into his bones."

Later you can explain that when the Livsucan helped a god escape another god's prison that the sun was their gift.  Later you can explain that when the sun fades, the race is weak until it rises again.  It doesn't need to be on the first sighting of the sun.

Note, he didn't observe the others at all beyond the initial statement there were three.  You can cover what Nolo and Rotenso do later.  It's not important and doing so in the beginning drags the forward action of the story down, unless the information is crucial to the driving plot.

The other key thing to remember is once you've stated it, don't completely drop it.  If you drop all your nifty creations, and never discuss them again, the world will become flat and there's little to prevent a reader from just using what he/she recognizes daily (Earth) as references.  Confusion will settle in, and the beauty of fantasy fades.

Don't harp on the same thing over and over, but bring that power surge the character experienced up in the fifth chapter, maybe again in the fifteenth chapter.  Don't let it completely fade away.  You must keep your layers intact.

Last but not least -- small details.  Pinpricks of information can create the most impact.  A well-chosen descriptor (one word) can make one type of tree stand out over the others.  A irredescent pink flower is completely different than a pink flower.  A hot river -- is unique.  You don't have to go into the details about the steam (although that might be useful) but simply the existence of a moving body of water that is hot, is unique.  Hot says it all.

Think little.  Think in small bits, not sweeping landscapes.  Your reader cares about the plot more than anything.  The world is observed as a background, and that backdrop won't be noticed at all if you don't take the time to dot in a few details throughout the course of the story.