LTUE Presentation: 7 Steps to World Building
World Building Worksheet
Step 1: What are the shadows of reality?
Is it based on a historical/current civilization?
How does it differ from that one, if so?
What role does language play?
Step 2: What are their values?
What the most important things to the people in your world?
What are the scarcities?
What makes life worth living?
What conflicts can arise from these values/scarcities?
Step 3: What is the physical geography?
What are the major geographical features? (rivers, mountains, lakes, oceans, canyons, caves, etc.)
What are the major climates/biomes in your world?
How do natural boundaries/barriers affect the people who live there?
Step 4: What is the political geography?
What nations/kingdoms/tribes inhabit your world?
What are their general relationships with each other? How has this changed over time?
What are the potential conflicts caused by opposing interests between these groups?
What do these conflicts mean for your characters?
Step 5: What would daily life be like for the protagonist(s)?
What aspects of their life should you focus on?
What conflicts will your characters have with society/each other? What don’t your characters have that they want and what is opposing them?
What does the protagonist want to change?
Step 6: What are the most interesting/vibrant details of the world?
What would a person from our society dropped into this world notice right away?
What things could you mention that will cause a positive emotional response in your readers?
Step 7: What is the secret sauce?
What is the magic/technology/other system that defines power in your society?
Do you want this to be well-defined or mysterious?
If it is well-defined, what rules does it have?
How will this factor affect the plot and the lives of your characters?
