Master World Building in Any Genre: The 5 Core Rules Every Story Needs

If you think world-building only matters in sci-fi or fantasy, think again. Whether your story is set in space or suburbia, today we’re breaking down the five world-building rules that can take your writing to the next level.


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Transcript

[00:00:00] Zena: What do Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Dune all have in common? They follow five world building rules that every sci fi and fantasy writer must understand. That's what we're going to talk about today.In this episode, I'm going to break down the five core rules of world building to be able to kill it in this genre. Stay tuned.

[00:00:20] Hello and welcome to the Storytellers Mission with Zena Del Lowe, a podcast for artists and storytellers about changing the world for the better through story.

[00:00:31] Today we're diving into genre specific writing tips. Whether you're crafting a sci fi epic, a heartwarming romance, or a spine tingling thriller, each genre demands certain elements to truly shine.

[00:00:45] Now, understanding these nuances is crucial, because it allows you to meet and exceed your readers expectations It will make your story not just good, but unforgettable.M Today, however, we'll be discussing the most important aspects for those writing in the sci fi and fantasy genres.

[00:01:04] However, it's important to note that while world building is often seen as the domain of sci fi and fantasy writers, the truth is, every story has its own world. Has its own rules and structures that shape it. So whether you're writing a contemporary drama, a thriller, or a romance, your story's setting, the social norms, the character dynamics, create a unique mythology that grounds your world and sucks your audience into your story.

[00:01:35] So, while we're going to dive into the five key principles of world building and sci fi and fantasy, These actually apply in varying ways to any type of story that you're writing. And what are those five key principles? Well, you've got physical laws, magic systems or equivalent plot mechanics, social structures, economic structures, and religious beliefs.

[00:01:59] So these five things aren't limited to far off galaxies or magical realms. They exist in every genre, subtly influencing the way that your character is going to move through their world and interact with it.

[00:02:13] For example, in a detective novel, the physical laws might involve the realities of police work or forensic science, might have social structures shaped by cultural norms around love, or gender roles, or marriage. The economic system could be how a character's financial struggles impact their choices.

[00:02:34] And religious beliefs might manifest as personal ethics or spiritual journeys or things that come up as the character is trying to deal and navigate with their real life struggles. Now, by understanding each of these rules and how they function in the sci fi and fantasy realm,

[00:02:51] writers of all genres can better define their own worlds. You can make them feel richer and more immersive. So I'll be breaking down these five key rules of world building in today's episode. But before we dive into this vital topic, I just want to take a moment to ask you to please like, share, comment, and subscribe to this podcast.

[00:03:15] Okay, now let's get started. In sci fi and fantasy, world building is paramount. You need to create immersive worlds. You need to create worlds with their own rules, their own cultures, and their own histories.

[00:03:31] But remember, it's not just about the setting. The characters must be relatable and the plot must be engaging. You must have high stakes that feel real within your fantastical world. World building involves creating a detailed and immersive setting that feels real and lived in to your readers. So this includes the physical environment, but it also includes things like social structures and rituals, the history of the characters that inhabit that world,and the rules that govern that world. Essentially, it's about establishing a cohesive mythology that all makes sense and is connected in some way. Let me give you some examples of great world building. J. R. R. Tolkien, arguably one of the best world builders who has ever existed that we know of. Lord of the Rings has detailed maps.

[00:04:30] It has its own language system. You can learn to speak Elfen. It has histories for Middle Earth. All of the characters are accounted for. All of the different groups of characters are accounted for going way, way, way, way back. He planned it all out so everything is a cohesive whole. It's incredible what he managed to accomplish.

[00:04:53] George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones. He too has complex political systems and varied cultures and rumors and religious beliefs and histories and mythology that spans even their world.

[00:05:09] It is incredible and all of that then has to culminate. It all comes together at the end of the day. It's integral and important to the entire plot, which is over multiple books. Obviously, one of the best is Frank Herbert's Dune. he too has intricate ecological and social systems on Arrakis.

[00:05:32] The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowlings, the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. All of these authors have created complex worlds with languages, with histories, with religious beliefs, with customs, with currency. With traditions,with really advanced social protocols, They are excellent examples of universes that have absolutely utilized these five types of world building rules. Okay, so now let's dive deeper into these five types of rules in worldbuilding. Number one, 

[00:06:15] physical laws. Now these include things like gravity, physics, technology, the physical laws of that universe.

[00:06:24] Also, number two, 

[00:06:25] magic systems. How does magic work? Does it work? Is it superstition in that particular world? What are its limitations? What are its costs? 

[00:06:36] Okay, number three, 

[00:06:38] social structures. This is culture building, essentially. This is where you dive into things like class systems, political hierarchies, cultural norms, traditions, values of a people, or varying people who inhabit that world and how they might clash.

[00:07:00] Number four, 

[00:07:01] economic systems. This is trade, currency, resources, what's available, how do people get what they need. there's always going to be some sort of economic system in any type of story that you're telling. Okay, number five. 

[00:07:17] Religious beliefs. Their gods, their rituals, their moral codes, what they believe in. these types of things play hugely in terms of the types of decisions that the characters that inhabit that world would make. So you need to know what the religious beliefs of those characters in that world are.

[00:07:40] Okay, now I'm going to break down these five types of rules in world building for sci fi and fantasy in more detail. I'm going to expand on each one of these items with examples, and then we'll also look at the common pitfalls that writers face when they're writing in these genres. Okay, so number one, 

[00:07:59] physical laws.

[00:08:00] Again, gravity, physics, and technology. Okay. In any world, whether real or imagined, physical laws dictate how the universe operates. Sci fi and fantasy often play with these laws to enhance storytelling. So for example, gravity. In the movie Interstellar, gravity is key to the plot. Different planets have varying gravitational pulls, which influence time and physical abilities.

[00:08:30] In contrast, low gravity environments in sci fi space operas, like The Expanse, can cause long term changes to human physiology. So you need to think about gravity. How does it actually impact,in concrete form, your characters? Okay, physics. Hard sci fi tends to follow real world physics pretty closely.

[00:08:56] For example, space travel in The Martian adheres to current scientific understanding of thrust and fuel and travel time. On the other hand, in fantasy, the rules can be bent or altered a little bit. A planet might have two moons, or it might be made entirely of floating islands like an avatar. 

[00:09:16] Pandora's gravity is different and floating mountains are possibledue to the planet's unique magnetic field. you can bend the rules when it comes to fantasy, but you have to justify the rules using Science that makes it believable. Otherwise, we don't buy it.

[00:09:34] If you don't justify why something is happening, even if it's making up the scientific rules, then we're still not going to buy it. And credibility is super important when it comes to these things. Technology. Sci fi. often deals with advanced technology. Star Trek portrays a world where replicators create food out of thin air, but it has a logical foundation in the universe of science.

[00:10:02] So as a writer, you have to establish the limits to the tech. For example, replicators in Star Trek cannot create certain substances, which ensures that there is a scarcity of certain elements. We need that scarcity or else there's no stakes.

[00:10:19] So, how do you do it? How do you do this? Well, in essence, you establish what's normal in your world, and then you stick to it.

[00:10:29] If your world has a weaker gravitational pull, for instance, You have to stick to that and then you have to realistically describe how that affects the physical abilities of your characters or the animals or the technology or whatever the case may be. Or if the technology is highly advanced, what can it do?

[00:10:52] And just as importantly, what can't it do? You have to establish the rules associated with that particular aspect of the rule of world building. Okay, now let's go on to magic systems.

[00:11:07] How does magic work? Its limitations. What are its costs? A well structured magic system can make or break a fantasy world.

[00:11:18] Now there are two main types of magic systems. One is hard magic. Now these have clearly defined rules. But then there's also soft magic, where the rules are a little bit more nebulous. For example, in hard nmagic, in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, magic is based on metals. Certain metals, when ingested, give users specific abilities.

[00:11:44] There are strict rules about which metal does what, and not everyone can use every type of metal. Soft magic, an example, is actually Lord of the Rings. This is where the magic is more mystical and undefined. Gandalf's abilities seem broad, but he rarely uses them outright. The limitations are not actually clear, and the mystery adds to the narrative.

[00:12:10] Nevertheless, when you establish a limitation, you have to stick to it or somehow justify it, even on a mystical level, which I think is what we find when Gandalf the gray becomes Gandalf the white, because he dies and is resurrected.unclear how that happened.

[00:12:28] It's very mysterious. And yet we still buy it because of the association with his death and resurrection. So that's soft magic. Okay, costs of magic. if you're familiar with full metal alchemist, the law of equivalent exchange is vital. The idea This is actually true in The Witcher 2.

[00:12:52] You can't create something from nothing. Whatever you gain must be of equal value to what you give up. So this type of cost adds tension. Because the characters have to weigh the consequences of using magic. And there are certain types of magic that are going to require death. So in The Witcher, When they tap into dark magic, the witches that are using it actually shrivel up and die because there's no way to take that from nature.

[00:13:25] It has to be from their own essence. I might not be saying that correctly, but that's what happens. So how do you do it? 

[00:13:31] How do you do the magical part of world building? Well, you define the limits of your magic early on. Does using the magic cause physical exhaustion? Or does it require rare resources? Are there spells associated with it? Like in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, anytime Willow does a spell she's actually using various objects to be able to make the spell happen.

[00:13:57] Sometimes there are blood sacrifices. What elements are required to be able to pull off that spell? Think about what is required.when they're done. What happens when willow was tapping into a certain type of magic she was getting high it was black magic she was getting high on that and it was causing her it was like she was a drug addict so it was very dangerous to tamper with that particular kind of magic so you need to think about what prevents characters from simply using magic to solve all their problems see if they could do it without any sort of cost they would in harry potter What are the limits?

[00:14:42] Why don't they use it to solve everything? What are some of the rules associated with that? Some of it is their abilities. They have to get better and better at tapping into it. Some people have more ability to tap into certain types of magic. So is that the limitation? What are the limitations and why?

[00:15:01] It's your job to define all that and you do it by showing us rather than hopefully just telling us. Okay, number three, 

[00:15:10] social structures. Again, this comes back to culture building. This is class systems, political hierarchies, cultural norms within that society. Worlds feel more immersive when the societies that are developed are rich.

[00:15:27] This is why it's so important for you to understand the histories of your characters and the rituals and customs and values and beliefs. All those things play into this. You can't actually develop a rich class system, political hierarchy, or unique cultural norms if you don't understand the people that inhabit your world.

[00:15:50] Let me give you some examples of excellent class systems. In Game of Thrones, you've got the feudal system. It's front and center. You've got the noble houses and knights versus the peasants. The social hierarchy drives much of the conflict, just like it did in medieval times. You also have political hierarchies.

[00:16:15] Another great example of that is in Dune. The Galactic Empire is divided into noble houses under the Emperor, and the politics of power between the houses shape the entire narrative. the Bene Gesserit on the other hand, is a secretive sisterhood.

[00:16:31] Who also wields a lot of power and influence behind the scenes And that adds another layer of complexity. In terms of cultural norms I'll pull from Skyward, the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson and Buffy the Vampire Slayer also is a great example that showcase the cultural norms and how they're unique societal structures in these various types of stories.

[00:16:56] So in Skyward The world of Detritus is shaped by a strict social structure that is rooted in an ongoing war with the Krell, an alien species that's basically out there in outer space circling the planet. That the humans are on. So pilots who engage in daily battles with the Krell, they hold immense prestige.

[00:17:22] While those branded as cowards, like Spence's father, are treated with disdain. The DDF, or the Detritus Defense Force, has cultural expectations about bravery, and heroism, and sacrifice, which influences not only how Spenza is treated, but her own values and struggles. She's constantly at war with her stigma of being her father's offspring and his supposed cowardice and her need to prove herself that she's brave and all these things but then also with her desire to see her friends live and not fulfill this crazy requirement by the DDF to sacrifice their own lives to save a ship for example.

[00:18:15] So there's all of this inner turmoil going on within the character. And the cultural emphasis on reputation and valor affects Spenza's journey as she seeks to become a pilot. This is a great example of how deeply ingrained cultural norms Shape character motivations and relationships in the story.

[00:18:35] Okay, let's look at Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the culture of the Watcher's Council plays a pivotal role in the entire universe. The council is an ancient, patriarchal organization. It trains slayers. It expects complete obedience. Their strict, rigid structure and expectations conflict with Buffy's independent personality, which fuels much of the series tension.

[00:19:05] The council's belief that slayers should operate under their control clashes with Buffy's desire to take a more autonomous approach to fighting vampires. So this creates fiction that's culturally driven by the traditional norms and hierarchy within the Watcher's world. Both of these examples show how unique cultural norms within a story's world can influence It can generate conflict.

[00:19:31] It shapes the narrative. So how do you do it? How do you do it? Well, when you're building social structures, think about power. How is power arrived at? How is power achieved? How is it distributed? And how does the power hierarchy affect your characters? Who has the power? Consider how different societies in your world interact with each other.

[00:20:01] For instance, in a world with rigid class systems, how would a peasant uprising be dealt with? How do different cultures view outsiders or marriage? All of these things will help you to build a better social structure for your story. Okay, number four, 

[00:20:20] economic systems. So again, this includes things like trade, currency, and resources.

[00:20:28] The economy in your world dictates how people live and what resources they value. And this can influence everything from character motivations to the structure of the world itself. So for example, trading currency. Let's look at the Expanse.

[00:20:46] In the Expanse, Earth, Mars, and the Belt all have distinct economies. The scarcity of water in the Belt leads to political tension and rebellion. Trade routes between these systems are critical, and the control of resources ends up driving the entire plot. In Mad Max, Fury Road, Water and gasoline are the most valuable resources.

[00:21:12] Their scarcity shapes the entire post apocalyptic society. the ruling class controls these resources, which gives them the power. And it's about the fighting over those resources that much of the conflict in the series arises. Including, by the way, the ability to give birth to non deformed children.

[00:21:34] That becomes part of the currency in that world. Okay, barter systems. In a more fantasy driven example, a world without currency might rely on barter. 

[00:21:47] In the Kingkiller Chronicles, different regions use different forms of currency or barter for goods. And that influences where characters can travel or what they can obtain. 

[00:22:01] okay, so that begs the question, how do you do it? 

[00:22:04] Well, you want to consider what the main resources are in your world. in your universe. How is wealth distributed? How do people acquire goods or services? How do they pay for those things?

[00:22:19] Is there a banking system? Or do people barter for what they need? You want to ensure that the economy reflects the society and geography that you've created.

[00:22:29] Okay, there is one more major rule for us to tackle today, which is arguably the most important one, religious beliefs. This is the gods, rituals, and moral codes. But before we get there, it's time to hear a short word from our sponsor, me. 

[00:22:46] Hey storytellers, I hope you're finding these five world building rules helpful so far.

[00:22:51] Now, as we've seen, building a rich, immersive world isn't just about sci fi and fantasy, it's about creating a universe that your audience can feel. But here's the thing.

[00:23:01] Whether you're writing a galaxy spanning space opera or a small town mystery, there are seven crucial plot points that your story needs to hit in order to satisfy your audience. points are the backbone of any great story across every genre and medium.Which means if you miss one, you risk losing your audience's attention, or worse, leaving them unsatisfied with the payoff.

[00:23:27] That is why I've created a free training video for you, where I break down exactly what these seven deadly plot points are.these are the es Essential story moments that you need to deliver in a powerful and compelling way.

[00:23:42] So if you want to dive deeper into mastering story structure and make sure that you're hitting all the right notes, be sure to check out my free training video on the seven deadly plot points that will transform your writing. Click on the link provided in the notes or head over to the storytellersmission.

[00:23:58] com and you can start watching right away. Okay, now let's dive into the final rule for today. 

[00:24:07] Number five, religious beliefs. Gods, rituals, and moral codes. Religious beliefs can add depth to your world, influencing the laws, the politics, and the character motivations. So for example, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you've got gods.

[00:24:26] It touches on various gods and demonic entities. For example, Glory is a god who was exiled from a hell dimension. She brings with her a different set of rules and beliefs that influence her behavior and create a serious threat to Buffy and the normal world.

[00:24:46] glories, divine status and need to return to her dimension fuel much of the plot in season five,And her quest to regain power is tied to her godhood and the destruction it would cause to Buffy's world. So she must be stopped. Okay, let's look at rituals. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson,well, it's not overtly religious in the traditional sense.

[00:25:10] The pilots and their society have rituals and traditions closely tied to their survival, including the reverence for pilots who sacrificed themselves in the war against the Krell. This respect for those who give their lives can almost be seen as a secular religious belief. It's a deeply significant ritualistic belief system.

[00:25:36] and it greatly impacts Spenza. Spenza's struggle with being labeled as the daughter of a coward shows how much these rituals and the honor they bestow affect society and individuals. That becomes part of her inner turmoil throughout her entire journey. Okay, Moral Codes. In the Dresden Files, the White Council of Wizards operates with a strict moral code known as the Laws of Magic.

[00:26:08] These laws prohibit certain types of magic from being practiced, like necromancy or mind control. Violating them can lead to execution. It brands you as a dark wizard who needs to be executed. Harry Dresden himself often faces moral dilemmas when he's forced to push the limits of these rules in order to protect others.

[00:26:34] This moral framework then shapes not only Dresden's choices, but also the conflicts between characters. Especially when his actions toe the line of what's acceptable under wizard law. 

[00:26:47] so this gives you an idea of the types of examples that demonstrate how religious or belief systems in a story can influence the world building. It can influence your character's decisions and the narrative tension, even in settings that aren't explicitly about religion or religious institutions.

[00:27:06] So now it begs the question, how do you do it? 

[00:27:09] How do you do it? Well, you want to develop a religion that fits the world you've created. What rituals do the people practice? What moral codes do they live by? What are the values that they have? How do they enforce those codes? Consider how the belief systems in your universe impact law and governance.

[00:27:31] But also, how it plays with character motivations in their actions. Do they choose to do something because of the religious belief that they've adhered to? That matters. So you want to build those things into your story. Okay, I hope that this has been helpful to you.

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