Building Better and Believable Worlds

These past couple of months have been wrought with this nagging disillusionment concerning the world I have been building in my novel. Or… I should say, the world I have been TRYING to build.

I just could not for the life of me figure out how to create an interesting, engaging world for both my characters and my readers. Which, considering that I’m writing a fantasy novel, is quite devastating.

What was the key to Tolkien’s creation of the Shire? How did Hogwarts and Diagon Alley become such vivid locations that, though unrealistic, were entirely real?

And then I finally realized that I had been spending too much time worrying about the big picture. My idea of world-building was vast and non-specific. I thought it meant I had to create some type of new way of existing - like new laws of physics… maybe a purple sky or a new species of animal (not that there’s anything wrong with creating a new species of animal).

I didn’t realize that simply including the mundane aspects of life was the key to building a believable world. And so I’ve begun research with the help of some history books that delve into medieval societies that are similar to mine in many aspects of life.

The number one book that has aided me in this regard is THE TIME TRAVELER'S GUIDE TO MEDIEVAL ENGLAND: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer. 

I have seen other similar books of his relating to other periods of time so do not be discouraged if you are not writing in a Medieval setting. There's still a helpful book out there for you!


I now know the traditional dress for a butcher and a fishmonger. I know that signs in front of shops often were simple symbols because so many people were illiterate. I know that the different materials used for houses symbolized different social statuses and that a town was called a town not based on population but on whether it held a regular market.

All of these types of details make a world come to life. Suddenly I feel as though my characters are real persons. Their problems are relatable and understandable. The tragedy in my novel becomes more tragic and the humor becomes more humorous. Details make the plot come alive. They are what create that literary sense of diving into another world.

I have said before that I am a firm proponent of fiction novelists doing their research but it seems I was preaching to the choir. If anyone is struggling to create a world – stop looking at it as though you were looking at a world, and start looking at it as though you were examining a scene. What are your senses telling you as you walk through the streets of your story? Even if you don’t use all the details you come up with, like where your character might use the restroom, it’s good to know.

It reminds me of the character building I do when I act. When I get a side to learn, I sit down and ask myself why the character might be in a certain place, feeling a certain way. I create a history for them all of my own.

It’s the same with a novel. As an author, I want to know all I can about my character. In the end, it will only lead to better writing and more believable stories.

Cheers to the small things!