Um, would I be writing this guide if it wasn't?
Most people say that world-building is a waste of time. If you already know what you want to write; then why waste all this time building a world that you may not even explore entirely?
It's just the same as writing any other fiction book/story. The majority of the time, a writer will get their inspiration for their story setting and characters from their everyday life; or from someone else's everyday life. Although this is still possible to do in Fantasy, you wouldn't want to write an epic fantasy book about mermaids, fairies and trolls and then set it in your hometown.
We already established what Urban Fantasy is in the previous chapter.
Perhaps, if you were writing an Urban Fantasy book, then putting so much effort into World Building is not needed; an urban setting can very well be your hometown. However, if you're starting from scratch, world-building is necessary and can be the cause of difference between a good fantasy book to an epic fantasy book.
Literally.
Having a clear view in your mind of what your world looks like will improve your fantasy writing greatly. A well-communicated setting allows readers to visualize your characters and the events of your story better. Plus, without a setting, it is difficult to take a story forward. I doubt you want to keep your characters in one building for the entire book. The environment where your story takes place is just as, if not more, important as the characters in your book. If you have a clear understanding of what the world looks like and how it works; you will have a clear understanding of your characters' role in this world.
Do you think J.K Rowling came up with the entire Wizarding World of Harry Potter in a matter of minutes? How do you think they were able to portray the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the films? If J.K Rowling didn't understand the world she had created; then would you expect us to?
The point I'm trying to make is that; you should never rush a book. There is no such thing as a deadline for writing a book and no such thing as 'taking too long'. Writing a good book requires patience. You may have an idea. But an idea doesn't develop into a potential book/story until you start asking yourself some questions about said idea.
What if?
That's the key question. What if this happened? What if this existed? What if this plan failed?
Such questions can only be answered if you know your fantasy world like the back of your hand.
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A/N: at the end of all the chapters, I am going to put a little exercise/question for you guys to do in the comments as a way for you to interact and really take something away from reading this guide. I will leave an answer regarding my own fantasy book for you to use as an example. Don't forget to vote and share this guide with whoever may need it!
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Exercise 2:
Have a think about the fantasy world you're creating for a moment...
Even if you're building the world from scratch; do you think there is any kind of fantasy book/series/film that you could read/watch to inspire/help you?
My answer:
Definitely Game of Thrones. Although, I lowkey took a lot of my inspiration from watching How to Train Your Dragon
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How to: Build Your Fantasy World
Non-Fiction#1 IN WORLDBUILDING - 03/11/2019 //✿\\ Do you want to give fantasy writing a go; but you're not quite sure where to start? Or Are you a fantasy writer with so many world ideas, you're not quite sure how to pin them down and really get those fantasy...
