It’s one thing to create a new world when you’re world building for a story, but did you know there are a few ways to go about it?
Sure, you can find a checklist online and create everything one by one – races, religion, towns and cities, weather, etc. But do you know what kind of world you’re creating?
Alternate Reality
Alternate reality is re-imagining the world we already live in. You can take your hometown and twist it around so it would fit your story’s needs. For example, if you’re writing science fiction you can turn your world into a futuristic one.
You can change history that actually happened, alter it, or pretend it never happened at all. Maybe the world is dirtier than it already is, or cleaner? Maybe humans never inhabited the earth in the first place and they’re going to now. So who lives here now?
Imaginative Worlds
Imaginary worlds are worlds that you completely make up yourself. They’re brand new from your mind and are totally fictional. This is typically used for fantasy. Entire maps are created with brand new, made up places. There may be new races of people along with religion, food, currency, and more.
I feel like this is the most difficult world to create because you’re starting everything completely from scratch. I also believe it’s the most fun, though.
Real Locations
Just what it sounds like, real locations are based off real-life locations. There’s no alternate reality from the first point above, everything is just as it is. This is typically used in basic fiction with no fantastical elements.
This requires a lot of research on the place you’re characters are living. If it’s not where you grew up, it helps to travel there and explore. Why not get a vacation out of it, huh? Or you can buy tour guys, Google is a great resource, the possibilities are endless.
What’s your favorite kind of world to create? Do you mix and match the types? Is there a type I missed? Let me know in the comments below!
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