How to Build a Fictional World Without OVERWHELMING Your Readers

Are you struggling to create a world so vivid and detailed that it feels like a place that’s always existed? Do you find it challenging to incorporate world-building elements without overwhelming your readers with too much information? In today’s video, I’m doing something I’ve never done before… I’m sharing an exclusive lesson from my live training "Worldbuilding 101," which dives deep into the art of crafting immersive fictional worlds.

This training is every valuable lesson I’ve ever learned about world-building, encapsulated in a power-packed teaching that is guaranteed to turn your story into a riveting and unputdownable page-turner. Get ready to take some notes!

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✨C H A P T E R S✨
00:00 How to build a unique fictional world?
01:51 The do's and don'ts of worldbuilding
02:43 Using your storyworld to deepen your character's inner conflict
06:50 The ultimate worldbuilding mind map
10:45 Story example: build a sci-fi world with me!
18:22 Worldbuilding for contemporary
20:52 Mastering the art of exposition through action
24:38 Bad example: info-dumping
28:37 Good example: exposition through action
32:42 Worldbuilding prompts
33:52 Watch the full training – link in description!
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✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨

MORE VIDEOS YOU WOULD LIKE:

→ WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE BORED

→ THE ULTIMATE CHARACTER PROFILE

→ WRITERS REACT TO WRITERS IN MOVIES

→ MY CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER OUTLINING METHOD

✨F O L L O W ✨

✨ A B O U T ✨
My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.

Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!

[thevisibleconfusionist]

Me: *struggles outlining my historical fantasy book*
Abby: *posts a video on worldbuilding*
Me: wait, how did you know—

[KGBeast.]

Someone once told me that good worldbuilding is like baking the perfect batch of cookies—mix in just the right details, and your readers will gobble up every single crumb!

[mwesirilani]

I struggled hours trying to figure out a way to write my new story and I just gave up, you're videos are the only thing that encouraged me to write it again

[OlettaLiano]

World building has never been a problem for me. I only build the world as my character passes through it.

[sunamaruna]

This is exactly what I need!!!!

I have this terrible tendency to love making the worldbuilding before I start weiting and then lose sight of what I actually need. I have pages upon pages of worldbuilding that just aren't enough, because I don't know where to use them. And thats not a bad thing, I work best when I have the information I'm going off of, but it's terrible when I don't have what is needed to make the story make sense.

I'm so glad for this, because it gives perspective on what is actually important for the story.
Thank you so much for sharing 🥰

[VideoGameRoom]

The world building chart is so helpful. Your videos makes us better writers. I like the Big World, Inner World, and Small World. Great breakdown. Thank you, Abbie.

[immortaljanus]

From personal experience: don't develop a worldbuilding system that is so complex that you spend more time maintaining it than you do writing the story.

[Cloneufc]

Over the past year, I completed my first manuscript as an info dump. The second draft is where my story is told. It seems simpler for me to express myself using this writing style. Thanks for the great tips.

[Dayshine_WUCE]

The queen has posted!!! I love world building videos and I really struggle with it!Thanks for making this video Abbie can’t wait to watch it ❤

[CatTubeVideosOfficial]

I’m not a sci-fi person but Abbie really hooked me with that story. I WANT TO READ MORE OF Anyone else with me?
👇

[pacoes]

As an RPG world builder mixing the larger maps with your limited character map is basically what it means to be a DM. The players build their map which is a character-focused view of their part of the story. The DM builds the larger world as it is the canvas to put the characters in. Answering all those questions leads to new areas of conflict and story. It also leads to things like a thieves guild bar with a stuffed bear named Bobo that if you speak ill of you're likely to not leave the bar.

Making a story that hyper-focuses on the character and their immediate conflict is fine but it's a bit shallow. Even in your examples, you took from other writers world-building to slide your own paint over. I totally agree the story should be about the protagonist and their struggles with the antagonist but those large questions are even there in what you have here. At the minimum, you need to make this same map for the antagonist unless you want a mustache-twisting villain.

Having a group of players showing up on day one with new characters that answer all your questions leads to having a very limited story as it is. For example, (and a total stereotype) a ranger, a rouge, and a wizard walk into a bar. The characters would naturally want to know the names of the people in the bar and what they see. They might want to know what is on the menu to grab a bite to eat. Sure you could go with generic medieval fantasy with John the bartender and Mary the barmaid serving lamb chops and potatoes. Personally, that gets old.

Bar two: The Ogre Den
A large figure dressed in a white silk shirt and trousers of the finest cloth sits behind the bar. If it was not for two large tusks jetting out of his mouth and his massive size you would swear he could fit into any hall surrounded by other nobils. He looks up from his work with a harsh voice, "What can I get ya? One second" … looking at a group of half-orcs, "Put down the table, I just cleaned that up".

Bar three: The Goblin Den

As you step into the bar those of you taller than a dwarf find yourself cramped and having to watch your head from the random items hung from the ceiling. a half dozen goblins dressed in aprons, darting from table to table, bring food and drink to the crowd of patrons primarily made up of other goblins and sailors from the nearby docs.

How our trio of heroes will respond to these places as well as their personal motivation is where the story comes from. Setting matters.

Food for thought...

[adelaidelim]

Thank you for this video, Abbie! I always struggle writing fantasy worlds because whenever I explain it in books, the description is SO BORING, but this is really helpful!

[chalonhutson]

Was traveling this week, so just getting to this, but looking forward to it. BUT I wanted to make sure to compliment the thumbnail!!! Definitely got my attention!

[pippaschroeder]

with building a fantasy country I always try to include the five main parts
- history- how has their past formed their country today
- religion- what kind of religion- what do they worship and how do they view death and the afterlife
- art- this can be clothing, music, visual art, architecture, language and education
- warfare- what is their view of war/how do they fight wars
- politics- what kind of government do they have and why, as well as their relationship with neighboring countries

[thenicoleodom]

This is one of the best lessons I’ve watched concerning world building. And your example is really good!

[SoaDsanny]

Wow. I really had to pause the video just to mention how incredibly thought out this whole video is because it wouldn't let me focus on what you're saying.
The absolutely most effectively helpful content on youtube for me, since forever.
Amazing.
THANK YOU <3

[exithamlet.]

this is too good to be out there on youtube for free… it’s concentrated usefulness and with great examples! thank you so much for sharing this, Abbie🙏❤️‍🔥

[itsmilesy_]

I love that you give examples, and opportunities for you to show us the process in action. It really helps a lot. 🤗

[BKPrice]

My current project has a protagonist in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world who has traveled a great distance to end up where the story starts, so he is automatically out of his element and lacking knowledge of the pre-apocalyptic world. This is another good way to filter the world building information: a "fish out of water" protagonist who wouldn't naturally know all of that information from the start.

[Miss.Denise]

You did it. You hooked me onto that story, and I want more!