HOW TO BUILD A FANTASY WORLD

A avid fans opinion on how to build a fantasy world. This can be one of the hardest aspects of creating a series. Your world is the spine the story sites on. So what does it take?

Twitter: @DanielBGreene
Instagram: dgreene101

Intro Music Supplied by Starless. Do yourself a favor and check them out!

WoT Artists to check out!:
Edsel Arnold
Paul Bielaczyc
Ariel Burgess
Seamas Gallagher
Joe O’Hara
Amy Romanczuk
Jeremy Saliba

[MorbidGuardian]

The best way to distinguish your world is by unabashedly including what you're passionate about, not so much worrying about what has or has not been done. Fretting over cliches puts way too much pressure on your mind and you end up with either creative constipation or creating something that might be original, but isn't particularly engaging.

If you're driven by your own interests and tastes, you'll naturally end up using things that have been done before, but you'll be mixing it all together in a way that's unique to you--and it's likely that you'll end up including things that aren't usually seen in fantasy, too 'cause, y'know, no one's JUST a fantasy geek.

[johnfitzgerald]

If you subscribe to the Tolkien method, you have to create an entire Elven Language from scratch. EVERY. TIME.

[thewingedserpent]

My tip: get yourself some history books of the epoch and loction your world is based on. Get yourself books on locations that interacted with the One you based it on and get books on those locations in earlier epochs

[edenmckinley]

I feel a bit called out on the magic systems thing, since I struggled with making my magic system original, but I came to a conclusion that I like. The magic system is elemental, but so far the only magic users are earth mages. The world is extremely young, barely four thousand years old, and the inhabitants live to eight hundred, so there has been little time for the semi-genetic magic to take root. It is the cultural place of these mages to be warriors and champions of a particular ruler (giving the ruler political power). But the price one has to pay for using magic is either to call upon the forces of darkness (effectively selling your soul to the devil and becoming a zombie) or drain your own soul, which results in madness. Earth mages aren't despised or revered, per se, people treat them as more of a precious commodity for war. Later on in the series, more mages of different elements start appearing, and no one is quite sure what to do with them. Society is actually more welcoming to mages than to dragon riders, who are considered heretics because dragons are worshiped as gods.

[wesleymons]

A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, Malazan Book of the Fallen, and Lord of the Rings..best fantasy world building !!!

[edenmckinley]

The number one thing that has helped me in my world building is knowing my history. I don't try to even mimic historical events like Martin does, but getting a feel for how something would have realistically gone down is helpful. Like, wars don't just start and end cleanly with either no hard feelings or complete hatred. A war may go on for five years, end in an unsteady treaty, then two years later a second war starts up again, a regime falls and an emperor is exiled, only to return to power four years later. History is messy.

[davepangburn]

I adore Robert Jordan's world building in the Wheel of Time. Probably my favorite series to read too. But for my two cents worth, the greatest example of building a history in your fantasy world is the original Master himself; J.R.R Tolkien. The word epic doesn't even do justice to the work Tolkien put into crafting a history of Middle-Earth. And though not technically "history", I never cease to wonder and admire how he crafted complete language systems as well. Who does that!? Answer: Tolkien.

[lanalytch]

I've never seen a video that talks about world building from this perspective - thank you, so helpfu!l 😁😁😁

[Tenuto]

Wish discovered your channel earlier very interesting.

For making cities/cultures feel different, I think CS Lewis’s Horse and His Boy is a great example. It explains the sound, tone, architecture, and people on a busy street to give the different feel between the three major human cultures in Narnia. Also, it uses the characters’ own apprehension or excitement in engaging with the culture to also set the tone for the reader.

Great stuff!

[DanielGreeneReviews]

What's your favorite fantasy world? 🤔

[condonsutherland]

This video helped me flesh out an idea that I've been thinking about for a few years. This helped me put my ideas and characters down on paper, and these last few days I've had so much fun. Thank you.

[dylanslivinski]

I f***ing love your channel.
That simple.

[Chriskillzbeatz]

im writing a fantasy book and i have to say you have helped me more than any stephin king geroge m videos ive seen! great content!

[muhammadhashir]

Ooooh, disagreed that geography isn't important. It what sets worlds out. Stormlight Archive has this rocky geography with little shurbbery and giant stone like creatures. Shad brooks had floating continents and a flat planet with edges. Discworld also had the whole turtle elephent deal. It isn't the most important part but if u get creative with it, it can really set your book apart. Weather and everything, which I noticed and liked is common in stormligh archive and mistborn, also becomes a part of it. The races and all have to be conveyed realistically to the character so you have to explain their surroundings and make it look like they have been living their for very long

[seabird]

Thankyouuuu for understanding fantasy, my god, it's so difficult to find people on yt who get fantasy

And I loved the cake/dessert metaphors(:

[Gyga]

I like your preferences and you clearly have read a lot of fantasy books, but what makes this video so enjoyable it's your passion.
Thank you :)

[stepheneveris]

History is my favorite part too, so don't worry you're not alone.

[truehalixon]

Love this vid! I've watched a lot of stuff on worldbuilding, and honestly, this is better than the majority of them!

[Sara]

I love the fact that your channel is not just book reviews, tbrs and wrap-ups like many other booktube channels but you have these discussion videos on interesting topics in between your regular reviews! Keep it up ^^

[patrickdudgeon]

Thanks for this Daniel, been working on my own fantasy project for a few years now. As always keep on keeping, and best of luck concerning your fantasy novel.