The World Builder’s Mindset

This article serves as a primer as you take your first steps into the realm that is world building. Many have trod before on this endeavour, and it is important for the aspiring world builder to take note of the fact that there are inherently no right or wrong methods in navigating such an undertaking. What worked for Tolkien may possibly not work for you. Moreover, what works for us that is stated here in Overthinking Quill could perhaps be against your style as a bonafide world builder. It really is up to the individual to decide the best course of action that allows them the freedom to craft the worlds and stories that deserve to be shared. 

Before one begins world building, however, one should always consider the intent as to why they are world building in the first place and to whom they are world building for. Not every fictional universe is made for the purpose of the media, and one shouldn’t be surprised to realise that many world builders actually practice this as a hobby with only themselves and their closest confidantes as their audience and biggest fans. For us at the Overthinking Quill, this was how we first began – a shared universe worked on by two high-school classmates to pass the time. Once you figure out for yourself your intention and demographic, you can set straight to work and let your mind run wild on world building.

INSPIRATION

This is how all universes begin – the proverbial Big Bang that sets to motion the laws and dimensions of the world. For many, the inspiration comes before the decision to be a world builder. Perhaps you had read a detail in a book or watched a scene in a film that had stuck with you. It could very well be the spark needed to set you on the course to creating a character. Before you know it, you’ll be asking yourself “Where does my character live?”, “What do they do for a living?” “How do they interact with the world around them?” Once you start answering these questions, you will find yourself to have just become a world builder. 

Inspiration can make itself manifest in a myriad of sources and you do not have to pressure yourself by scouring through the most obscure of content for the sake of your creativity. Nor do you have to be a professor of philology to gather all the information you need to get to work. Remember: there are no judgments or reservations as to where you find your inspiration and even taking a little bit from here and there hurts no one in the process. As Wilson Mizner had said before: “If you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism. If you steal from many, it’s research.” Just keep in mind to paraphrase!

CONCEPTUALISATION

“Conceptualisation” is what I like to call the phase where thoughts and ideas are thrown against a wall just to see what sticks. With all the crazy details you’ve gathered from all your little inspirations, it’s time for you as the world builder to nitpick and decide for yourself what works and what does not. Some ideas can be foundational to your world and should be placed at the forefront while others can be deemed as being less important and should be shelved until later use when the need arises.

While it is indeed daunting to finally immerse yourself in the framework of your world, I can say from experience that you should find this phase easier if you do not let yourself get bogged down by the nitty-gritty. 

There are way too many ideas to be had before you dedicate all of your effort into the history of “Goblin shoemaking culture of Dunderville” for example. Just relax and let the thoughts come to you without prejudice. When you find something that really piques your interest, keep adding on to it with the material stored in the library you’ve built up in your head. In time, you’ll see for yourself that you’ve built a small world revolving around just one subject.

BUILDING

Really, this stage is just the natural evolution of the former. Imagine for yourself a vast and nebulous web of information. Some of those bubbles may be connected and some can remain solitary, free-floating in empty space and darkness. But don’t feel bad for them. It is your job to make the connections. As the world-builder, think of yourself as the architect of the universe; the rules of which are completely at your whim. 

Let us say for example, that you have already established your intention in world building. You wish to write a mini-novel and share it with your little fiction-writing club. You built for yourself the idea of your main character with their own personality, goals and ambitions, and adventure that awaits them. But then, you would realise on the other hand that you have this other idea – The reigning lord of your character’s world is a cruel individual. He demands an extortionate rate of taxes, burns supposed heretics at the stake, and worst of all, he absolutely hates puppies. 

You will come to find that you have two separate facets of your world, but, like I said earlier about making connections, it is up to you on just how that would come around. What if perhaps your protagonist had a puppy and found him missing one fateful morning? Now that’s the connection.  The fact and point that I wish to get across is that you can extrapolate this example into other crazier scenarios. How does X lead to Y? The answer is simple: it’s up to you.

If you exercise your brain enough and dedicate some time into your craft, I can say with certainty that you’ll find this phase to be almost instinctive, and once you get into the groove of things, you’ll have the most fun here as well. 

ORGANISATION 

By now you should have all the pieces of your imperfect puzzle haphazardly put together – and I say imperfect not to dishearten you, the world builder. Indeed, it is to be expected. At this stage, you should have stitched for yourself a tapestry that serves to reflect the idea of your universe and the settings, characters, and plots that it entails. The truth of the matter is that the idea serves as the foundation of world building. You may set in stone the facts necessary to facilitate the history of your world or put the story into motion, but you should take note that dealing with absolutes requires a level of care that could devolve into tedium. I personally recommend you to take a breather and let the ideas flow into one another. The dots virtually seem to connect themselves if you simply allow it. 

That said, however, it would be prudent to compartmentalize what you have gathered. Organization really pertains to you putting things in their right place. Have some thought bubbles floating around in your head labeled with all the necessary groupings needed to help you sort through your notes. Characters go into one bubble, history to another, plot points here, miscellany there, and so on and so forth. The final stage of the process has nothing to do with the actual craft of world building other than to serve as a means of convenience for you to make the best of your storage space. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

I have to reiterate the point that the above breakdown of the world building process is just a reflection of how I go about it. I also have to stress the usefulness of having other resources to further help you with this.

It is also important to underscore the fact that the world builder will inevitably rely on external resources for their craft. It can take the form of instructional YouTube videos by content creators who world build themselves, tool sites that aid and simplify the process such as World Anvil and Campfire, and perhaps the world around you itself. It always helps the inquisitive mind to find inspiration from the outdoors rather than having to wait for your brilliant ideas to come to you in the shower. 

Do take note that many of the tool sites online are locked behind a paywall so we do recommend new and prospective world builders to start with free-for-use alternatives such as Google Docs, Notion, or Obsidian as writing implements. 

Here are some of the assets that we at Overthinking Quill frequently refer to:

1. YouTube Channels

– Artifexian
– Runesmith
– Stoneworks

2. Subreddits

– r/worldbuilding
– r/conlangs
– r/fantasyworldbuilding

3. World Building Tool Sites

– World Anvil
– Inkarnate
– Campfire