Worldbuilding can be intimidating to a lot of writers. It can be hard to know where to start, what is necessary, and how to make a world realistic. With that in mind, here’s a comprehensive list of questions that can help get you started on creating your own world.
Quick note: this is a guide to hard worldbuilding, a style of writing where a writer knows a great deal about their world and wants to share information about it. Soft worldbuilding is also an option, where a writer doesn’t develop their world as much and doesn’t share much about it in their writing. Either style is great! It’s just a matter of preference. Anyway, onwards!
First, set up the natural world.
Think about how your planet compares to Earth. Is it Earth-like? How big is the planet? How many suns does it orbit? How many moons does it have? How many planets are there in the solar system? Can these other planets be seen from your world?
Consider what the surface of your planet looks like. What is the climate the planet? What are the prevalent biomes? What natural resources are available? Is water common? Are plants common? What kinds of plants grow in which biomes? Are the plants the same as the ones on Earth, or unique to this planet? If they’re different, how does that impact the ecosystems of this world? Is the world healthy? Is it too warm, too cold, or a good temperature? What does its greenhouse effect look like? Is there anything that could upset/is upsetting the natural balance of this world?
Animals are super important too! Consider: are the animals the same as the ones on Earth? If not, are you interested in creating new species for this world? Which biomes would each species live? What would be their role in the ecosystem?
Next, think about the people of your world.
In general, does magic exist? How technologically advanced are the people of your world? Are some civilizations more technologically advanced than others? Which civilizations are allies? Which are enemies? What causes conflict between different civilizations? Natural resources? Cultural differences? Language barriers? What is the history of these conflicts? Is there residual tension from the past? Are there any parts of the planet that the people of the world haven’t discovered? If so, do you want them to at some point?
Finally, individually develop the cultures of your civilizations
Several factors play a role in the development of a complex civilization. Think about: do they speak different languages? If so, are you interested in creating a new language that you can reference in your writing? (if so, I would recommend checking out Watership Down for inspiration since Richard Adams does this masterfully). What kind of food do they eat? What form of government do they have? What religions do they practice? What does their clothing look like? What are their customs? What is socially acceptable and socially unacceptable? How has the history of this civilization influenced its present? Are there any significant historical events?
These are just to get you started; I know all these questions can seem a bit overwhelming, so just answer the ones you find most useful! I hope this article gave you some inspiration; now get out there and do some worldbuilding!