World building has always been a tricky thing for me. As a Story Firster I tend to like writing my stories before I’ve done any world building, and then back fill the details later, when I know what’s important to understand about my story world. However, whether you plan every detail of your book’s universe before you ever start writing the story, or you like to jump right in and figure stuff out later, at some point you’re probably going to have to do at least a little world building. And, if you’re anything like me, maybe you get a little stuck sometimes and need some pointers, or good resources to help you know what parts of your world you need to be figuring out. Well, thanks to my own world building struggles, I’ve collected a few resources that I personally find very helpful, and today I thought I’d share five of them in the hopes that maybe they will help you too. Feel free to add your own resources in the comments!
Behind The Name
This is an awesome name generator that allows you to customise what names are generated, either by language/region, or by other criteria, such as mythological, biblical, or medieval names. it’ll give you both first and last names, so if you’re struggling for names, especially if you’re looking for good names from cultures other than your own, this might be a good place to get some inspiration.
Seventh Sanctum
This site has a lot of random generators, from naming spaceships, to fantasy characters, and lands, to generating random descriptions of objects. I don’t usually use the exact names I get from these generators, but sometimes a derivative of a name works for me, or looking at the lists of options sparks an idea.
Fantasy World Building Questions
This is a great list of questions from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website, specifically designed for helping you build a fantasy world for your book. The questions are detailed and cover everything from geography to magic systems, to your fantasy culture. I’ve personally used a lot of these questions in my own worldbuilding. It’s a great place to get some inspiration for the sorts of things you should be building out to create a vivid world. A lot of these questions would work for sci-fi, or other kinds of world building too.
So Your Character Is From…
This is a hugely helpful resource for people writing stories set in the real world. This series of blog posts presents information helpful for writing characters from different countries and cultures, anywhere from different areas of America, to Indonesia and Denmark. (I even make an appearance in the post on Australia. If you’re looking for more information on how to write a story set in, or a character from another country, you might find this series helpful.
Questions To Ask When Creating A Fantasy Religion: Part 1 and Part 2
Creating your own religion for your fantasy world? You might find this two part series helpful. Melissa@Quill Pen Writer covers both the basics you should know about your fantasy religion (part 1) and deeper questions that will help you figure out the deeper points of your religion. Definitely check this out if you’re struggling to know where to go with planning your newly formed religion.
These are some of my favourite places to get help when I’m feeling a bit stuck in my world building. But there are plenty more great resources out there. What are some of your favourites? Leave some links in the comments below! Have you ever used any of these resources before? Do you ever struggle knowing where to go with your world building? Let’s chat!
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