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World-Building for Writers: The Complete Handbook: From Constructed Languages to Mythical Realms
You Can Build A World
For many authors, nothing slows down their writing process more than world-building. Whether it's deciding on what types of fantastic beasts to include in their stories or how to name characters and locations convincingly, H.C. Harrington, Amazon Best-Selling Author of the Daughter of Havenglade Series, explains step-by-step how to create deep and engaging worlds while saving time.
World-Building For Writers breaks down hundreds of examples of effective world-building from novels, films, and television to demystify the process, make it enjoyable, and help readers unleash the inner voice they never knew they had for creating worlds.
Prepare to enter the realm of your own imagination.
"In your hand is a map of creative imagination, good habits, and practical examples to ensure that you build a world that's fun and functional, that births heroes, cultivates epic tales, and inspires awe in readers."-Dustin Porta, author of The Dragon's Hide
For many authors, nothing slows down their writing process more than world-building. Whether it's deciding on what types of fantastic beasts to include in their stories or how to name characters and locations convincingly, H.C. Harrington, Amazon Best-Selling Author of the Daughter of Havenglade Series, explains step-by-step how to create deep and engaging worlds while saving time.
World-Building For Writers breaks down hundreds of examples of effective world-building from novels, films, and television to demystify the process, make it enjoyable, and help readers unleash the inner voice they never knew they had for creating worlds.
Prepare to enter the realm of your own imagination.
"In your hand is a map of creative imagination, good habits, and practical examples to ensure that you build a world that's fun and functional, that births heroes, cultivates epic tales, and inspires awe in readers."-Dustin Porta, author of The Dragon's Hide
- GenresWritingNonfiction
172 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 1, 2021
There are not really a whole lot of world building books out there; it is perhaps too expansive a topic, and too niche, for the average author, and it takes a certain amount of chutzpah to tackle it. Harrington’s offering is definitely worthy: it’s a short but pithy read, both broad in coverage and deep in the details. Focusing on the aspects of world building that increase reader engagement, Harrington’s personable voice draws you through the material like a delightful dinner party host showing off his prize wine collection.
There are a few areas which really set this book apart:
* Writing tips. Every few pages, Harrington summarizes his points into succinct silver bullets. “If you make the mundane aspects of your story believable, the readers will willingly accept the magical aspects.” “Use drawbacks and weaknesses more than strengths and powers when designing and describing your magic system.” “It’s fine to have many aesthetic technologies in your story, but make sure you have a central technology that the plot depends on.”
* Pointers to other resources. The book is as up-to-date as it gets when it comes to lists of web sites and books for additional reading and ideas — mapmaking sites, thesauri, world building lectures, articles on military tactics, indie author forums, and many others.
* The section on engaging the reader’s senses. Harrington takes the time to go through each of the senses and discuss how world building can engage the reader in each of them, creating an immersive experience.
* The section on invented names and languages (conlangs). There are some excellent in-depth books on conlanging, but most authors don’t need a linguistics degree to create the illusion of a rich, real world of words. Even Tolkien admitted that secondary worlds do not need full languages; they just need to evoke the “inner consistency of reality”. Harrington offers a step-by-step approach to building the names and words that have the inner consistency that you need for your story. Harrington’s method is straightforward and methodical, and gives you results without going too far into the linguistic woods.
Harrington argues that world building is essential. The sense of reality it creates is indispensable, because it allows the reader to *believe* enough in your story to *care* deeply about it. I really enjoyed this book, and if you're looking for a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to world building, one which will generate the suspension of disbelief necessary for readers to care deeply, urgently, about their stories, definitely check it out.
There are a few areas which really set this book apart:
* Writing tips. Every few pages, Harrington summarizes his points into succinct silver bullets. “If you make the mundane aspects of your story believable, the readers will willingly accept the magical aspects.” “Use drawbacks and weaknesses more than strengths and powers when designing and describing your magic system.” “It’s fine to have many aesthetic technologies in your story, but make sure you have a central technology that the plot depends on.”
* Pointers to other resources. The book is as up-to-date as it gets when it comes to lists of web sites and books for additional reading and ideas — mapmaking sites, thesauri, world building lectures, articles on military tactics, indie author forums, and many others.
* The section on engaging the reader’s senses. Harrington takes the time to go through each of the senses and discuss how world building can engage the reader in each of them, creating an immersive experience.
* The section on invented names and languages (conlangs). There are some excellent in-depth books on conlanging, but most authors don’t need a linguistics degree to create the illusion of a rich, real world of words. Even Tolkien admitted that secondary worlds do not need full languages; they just need to evoke the “inner consistency of reality”. Harrington offers a step-by-step approach to building the names and words that have the inner consistency that you need for your story. Harrington’s method is straightforward and methodical, and gives you results without going too far into the linguistic woods.
Harrington argues that world building is essential. The sense of reality it creates is indispensable, because it allows the reader to *believe* enough in your story to *care* deeply about it. I really enjoyed this book, and if you're looking for a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to world building, one which will generate the suspension of disbelief necessary for readers to care deeply, urgently, about their stories, definitely check it out.
August 28, 2024
4.5 stars
Let me get the negatives out of the way first, most of which are fairly minor or specific to me and my audience (as evidenced by the fact that I only docked half a star).
First, this book is split into two sections... except not really. The author talks about how he's covering things in brief in the first half and will go deeper in the second half, to serve both writers who want to do bare bones worldbuilding and those who want to build deeper worlds. That's all well and good, except there is no dividing line, so it's a little confusing when he starts revisiting the same topics he already covered, and I would have liked for the chapters in the second half to have not only covered different and deeper details than their first half counterparts, but also to have been longer and more in-depth overall, which they were not.
This brings me to my second gripe, which is just that I don't understand how or why all authors who write about worldbuilding seem to keep all of their chapters to 3-10 pages. The topic is worldbuilding, which is vast and varied and deep, and such brief chapters can only scratch the tiniest bit of the surface. When chapters are that short, it's no wonder that the authors only explore very limited options and perspectives on a given sub-topic! If you're looking for a book that will start to hint at some of the variety of options for founding and developing an element of your world, my advice is to look for a worldbuilding book with longer chapters.
For Christian readers, I would warn that the author is not Christian, so some of his examples reflect a secular worldview and his assessments of some Christian-authored stories--such as Lord of the Rings--often lack depth. There is also one use of "s***" used in a literal context in one of the excerpts he includes. His segment on potential foundations for magic systems is also very narrow in its scope and mostly covers options that many Christian authors may be uncomfortable with.
With all of that said, this is possibly the best worldbuilding book I've read so far in terms of covering foundational elements accurately, drawing in relevant examples, and discussing worldbuilding from a clear love for and understanding of the craft. It is also excellent at highlighting the connection between worldbuilding and other aspects of storytelling such as character and theme and touching on how one might tie these aspects together well; the author clearly understands the integral connection that should exist between a world and its story, and it was great to see that emphasized and encouraged in this book.
There are elements left out that I might include (notably, cultural worldview), and I do wish that the whole thing were less snappy because of the topic, but this is a solid worldbuilding resource to have on the shelf as a speculative fiction author.
Let me get the negatives out of the way first, most of which are fairly minor or specific to me and my audience (as evidenced by the fact that I only docked half a star).
First, this book is split into two sections... except not really. The author talks about how he's covering things in brief in the first half and will go deeper in the second half, to serve both writers who want to do bare bones worldbuilding and those who want to build deeper worlds. That's all well and good, except there is no dividing line, so it's a little confusing when he starts revisiting the same topics he already covered, and I would have liked for the chapters in the second half to have not only covered different and deeper details than their first half counterparts, but also to have been longer and more in-depth overall, which they were not.
This brings me to my second gripe, which is just that I don't understand how or why all authors who write about worldbuilding seem to keep all of their chapters to 3-10 pages. The topic is worldbuilding, which is vast and varied and deep, and such brief chapters can only scratch the tiniest bit of the surface. When chapters are that short, it's no wonder that the authors only explore very limited options and perspectives on a given sub-topic! If you're looking for a book that will start to hint at some of the variety of options for founding and developing an element of your world, my advice is to look for a worldbuilding book with longer chapters.
For Christian readers, I would warn that the author is not Christian, so some of his examples reflect a secular worldview and his assessments of some Christian-authored stories--such as Lord of the Rings--often lack depth. There is also one use of "s***" used in a literal context in one of the excerpts he includes. His segment on potential foundations for magic systems is also very narrow in its scope and mostly covers options that many Christian authors may be uncomfortable with.
With all of that said, this is possibly the best worldbuilding book I've read so far in terms of covering foundational elements accurately, drawing in relevant examples, and discussing worldbuilding from a clear love for and understanding of the craft. It is also excellent at highlighting the connection between worldbuilding and other aspects of storytelling such as character and theme and touching on how one might tie these aspects together well; the author clearly understands the integral connection that should exist between a world and its story, and it was great to see that emphasized and encouraged in this book.
There are elements left out that I might include (notably, cultural worldview), and I do wish that the whole thing were less snappy because of the topic, but this is a solid worldbuilding resource to have on the shelf as a speculative fiction author.
February 28, 2023
A beginner-intermediate worldbuilding book for writers who want to put characters, plot and theme first, and how to give them a livable, breathable sense of place.
Reads a lot like a very literary, solo Reddit thread at times; this is an observation, not a detractor, although some readers may wish to skip the short autobiography inserted at the start (I see people do this on Reddit a lot, hence my comment) and get to the advice.
As far as worldbuilding books go, this is neither the best nor the worst, but it has things to impart (especially to beginner writers) of great value. If you are more interested in worldbuilding first, characters second, this book may not benefit you so much, but if you're doing it that way it's less likely you're doing it with successful publication in mind.
There was a lot of advice in this that I read very quickly because I've internalized it from other books on the subject, although of course I wanted to hear as many voices giving different takes on the same core themes of worldbuild and storytelling.
Likewise, the author cites resource websites they use and recommend, like TVTropes and Inkarnate -- again, getting those Reddit vibes -- but the thing is those are actually quite invaluable resources to people interested in this topic and not everyone's aware they exist (even if I do).
Overall the author is confident and has a conversational tone, and makes it clear that they are aiming this book at story-writers who want to enhance their stories through the act of worldbuilding, and what and what not to do. And that, in my opinion, is perfectly fine.
If you are a hardcore worldbuilder hobbyist then this may not be the book for you as anything other than a refresher (although it does have a rather condensed but interesting chapter on conlangs and fantasy linguistics which might spark something). But for novelists and story writers looking to enhance their skills by learning how to worldbuild and moreover do so in a way that doesn't detract from their themes and stories, but elevates them instead, I would definitely recommend this as a fairly solid place to start if you're looking for some primers.
Reads a lot like a very literary, solo Reddit thread at times; this is an observation, not a detractor, although some readers may wish to skip the short autobiography inserted at the start (I see people do this on Reddit a lot, hence my comment) and get to the advice.
As far as worldbuilding books go, this is neither the best nor the worst, but it has things to impart (especially to beginner writers) of great value. If you are more interested in worldbuilding first, characters second, this book may not benefit you so much, but if you're doing it that way it's less likely you're doing it with successful publication in mind.
There was a lot of advice in this that I read very quickly because I've internalized it from other books on the subject, although of course I wanted to hear as many voices giving different takes on the same core themes of worldbuild and storytelling.
Likewise, the author cites resource websites they use and recommend, like TVTropes and Inkarnate -- again, getting those Reddit vibes -- but the thing is those are actually quite invaluable resources to people interested in this topic and not everyone's aware they exist (even if I do).
Overall the author is confident and has a conversational tone, and makes it clear that they are aiming this book at story-writers who want to enhance their stories through the act of worldbuilding, and what and what not to do. And that, in my opinion, is perfectly fine.
If you are a hardcore worldbuilder hobbyist then this may not be the book for you as anything other than a refresher (although it does have a rather condensed but interesting chapter on conlangs and fantasy linguistics which might spark something). But for novelists and story writers looking to enhance their skills by learning how to worldbuild and moreover do so in a way that doesn't detract from their themes and stories, but elevates them instead, I would definitely recommend this as a fairly solid place to start if you're looking for some primers.
July 22, 2021
This is an informative read. I would certainly recommend that it be read by anyone who aspires to write sci-fi or fantasy. It addresses many things that one might not initially consider when it comes to world building. Although it did reaffirm that I had done a great many things right in writing my story, there is at least one thing I’m strongly considering changing because I’ve read this.
Not only did Harrington take his time and explain in great detail each aspect of world building, he gave several examples to illustrate the points he made and the concepts he described, and masterfully so. I strongly recommend this book, especially for beginners. That having been said, I will refer to it from time to time—if not often—while writing my books in the future. Good job, H.C.
Not only did Harrington take his time and explain in great detail each aspect of world building, he gave several examples to illustrate the points he made and the concepts he described, and masterfully so. I strongly recommend this book, especially for beginners. That having been said, I will refer to it from time to time—if not often—while writing my books in the future. Good job, H.C.
July 2, 2021
MC Harrington weaves his own experience as a writer through the helpful tips that are explained clearly, in an in-depth yet concise way. The personal approach transforms the handbook into both an informative and entertaining read. Especially useful for science fiction and fantasy writers looking to avoid world building pitfalls, but truthfully the well-explained points will help any author hoping to create a final manuscript set in a vibrant reality.
July 30, 2024
This guide has a different take on the way it assists authors in their world building journey, namely that it is told from a personal perspective. It wasn’t what I expected when I started reading, which would have been along the lines of textbook guidance, but I got into the flow of the narrative soon enough.
The book begins with a personal introduction, detailing how the author first became interested in world building, which I quite enjoyed. From here on, there are lots of relevant questions that authors can ask themselves, almost in a checkbox kind of fashion. For example, ‘Are the properties of my magical forest from Chapter 1 consistent with what I’ve written by Chapter 30?’ It’s easy for authors to lose track of such details, so it’s good to be reminded. I also liked the reminder that authors should be giving readers a feeling that there is something hiding around every corner, and that the world continues off the page just as much as it does on the page. With this in mind, the book made a strong habit of touching on believability for readers.
However, I did feel there was some lack of structure to the book and that reading it felt too ‘linear’ for me, perhaps because I was subconsciously expecting that spread-out textbook experience again. It didn’t seem like the kind of guide I could flick to for a certain page if I were using it whilst writing (I read the eBook; those with the paperback may disagree with me). There was also a lot of text that could have been cut which I felt wasn’t entirely relevant to the reader, such as the author’s personal theories and opinions. I would expect a handbook to be more impartial with its information.
All in all, I would say this is a handy read that can certainly point fantasy and sci-fi authors in the right direction, especially if they’re new to writing. The level of research the author has put into certain areas such as language construction is impressive and there are also useful resources shared like TV Tropes and Inkarnate.
The book begins with a personal introduction, detailing how the author first became interested in world building, which I quite enjoyed. From here on, there are lots of relevant questions that authors can ask themselves, almost in a checkbox kind of fashion. For example, ‘Are the properties of my magical forest from Chapter 1 consistent with what I’ve written by Chapter 30?’ It’s easy for authors to lose track of such details, so it’s good to be reminded. I also liked the reminder that authors should be giving readers a feeling that there is something hiding around every corner, and that the world continues off the page just as much as it does on the page. With this in mind, the book made a strong habit of touching on believability for readers.
However, I did feel there was some lack of structure to the book and that reading it felt too ‘linear’ for me, perhaps because I was subconsciously expecting that spread-out textbook experience again. It didn’t seem like the kind of guide I could flick to for a certain page if I were using it whilst writing (I read the eBook; those with the paperback may disagree with me). There was also a lot of text that could have been cut which I felt wasn’t entirely relevant to the reader, such as the author’s personal theories and opinions. I would expect a handbook to be more impartial with its information.
All in all, I would say this is a handy read that can certainly point fantasy and sci-fi authors in the right direction, especially if they’re new to writing. The level of research the author has put into certain areas such as language construction is impressive and there are also useful resources shared like TV Tropes and Inkarnate.
December 9, 2024
I'll start with that I was provided a review copy of this book and I am not quite sure how to rate it as the content is common known for me as I've studied writing fantasy and sci fi for years. Because of that I can only understand the points being made, but only in theory.
So who is this book for? I think that this book would serve any new author to the fantasy and sci fi genre. I think that if you don't understand world building or have little experience then this book might help you.
World building can be very overwhelming - this book lays out all of the different aspects you should be thinking about when creating a new world. It doesn't dive into the nitty gritty, and that's a good thing, as again world building can be overwhelming. Here, Harrington lays out what different parts of your world you should think about and why, using examples from popular media to make the point. This should get those creative cogs turning, and spark ideas of what area of your world building you need to tackle.
So if you are looking for a book to help you understand the big picture world building and why it is important, then this book might be for you. Especially if you want to understand the "why" behind good world building and the different areas of world building you should consider.
So who is this book for? I think that this book would serve any new author to the fantasy and sci fi genre. I think that if you don't understand world building or have little experience then this book might help you.
World building can be very overwhelming - this book lays out all of the different aspects you should be thinking about when creating a new world. It doesn't dive into the nitty gritty, and that's a good thing, as again world building can be overwhelming. Here, Harrington lays out what different parts of your world you should think about and why, using examples from popular media to make the point. This should get those creative cogs turning, and spark ideas of what area of your world building you need to tackle.
So if you are looking for a book to help you understand the big picture world building and why it is important, then this book might be for you. Especially if you want to understand the "why" behind good world building and the different areas of world building you should consider.
November 10, 2024
Dive into your story!
I was so pleasantly surprised at how much this inspired me in little but big ideas for the story I want to write. This book helped me go from a little idea to taking notes on various key elements my story will have that will add depth to the world building. The examples shared from others' work and his own, really drive the idea home. From culture to weapons, the guidance on how to make your world a vivid, well... uh world, is all here. I will be referring back to this book as I progress in my writing journey.
I was so pleasantly surprised at how much this inspired me in little but big ideas for the story I want to write. This book helped me go from a little idea to taking notes on various key elements my story will have that will add depth to the world building. The examples shared from others' work and his own, really drive the idea home. From culture to weapons, the guidance on how to make your world a vivid, well... uh world, is all here. I will be referring back to this book as I progress in my writing journey.
November 30, 2024
I was very intrigued by this book as an aspiring writer who loves how other authors are able to create such fantastic worlds with various lore systems etc that this book seemed too good to be true.
I really enjoyed reading it and the ideas that it gave me, every now and then the author gives writing tips and highlights resources to be used. It is an easy read that doesnt feel too preachy with various examples that relate to the authors own work so that the reader can see how it can be used.
I would recommend to anyone struggling to create and/or expand their world in their fantasy book.
I really enjoyed reading it and the ideas that it gave me, every now and then the author gives writing tips and highlights resources to be used. It is an easy read that doesnt feel too preachy with various examples that relate to the authors own work so that the reader can see how it can be used.
I would recommend to anyone struggling to create and/or expand their world in their fantasy book.
June 23, 2024
It's hard to find a good 'how to' book that doesn't read like a textbook. This is an easy to read guide on worldbuilding with plenty of examples from popular literature and movies to really hone the points. It covers all of the basics and spurs ideas for even the more advanced writers. This is an invaluable writing resource and I highly recommend adding this to your collection.
October 27, 2023
This books was so very insightful! I’m very glad I made the purchase and look forward to applying what I’ve learned to my writing. Also really appreciate the list in the back of the book siting all the works referenced. Highly recommend to any writer wanting to improve their world building.
October 11, 2023
A straightforward look at world-building that reminds one to ask themselves the questions needed to look deeper into the details of their created worlds.
February 10, 2022
I enjoyed the read, plenty of good advice and questions to think about while planning a world building project. Prose was a bit clunky and the examples given were pretty shallow. Interestingly, the author often uses their own work as example only to highlight what seem to be pretty stock Tolkien-inspired fantasy world building choices.
January 14, 2023
This book was a joy to write.
Email me at [email protected] with any questions you have about World-Building for Writers.
= )
Email me at [email protected] with any questions you have about World-Building for Writers.
= )
July 20, 2024
Harrington's World Building for Writers is a comprehensive reference book on a very important craft for writers of speculative fiction. The content leans more to fantasy worlds than science fiction but there is enough of the latter to provide some useful ideas. Unlike other comments, I don't object to his use of 'deconstructing' other fiction works to make his points. This is benchmarking and it's always valuable to understand how more successful and well-known authors, including the masters like Tolkien, did it. His references to world building in Dune brought out some very important ideas I hadn't thought of since it was a long time ago that I read it. His breadth of knowledge of speculative fiction allows him to provide examples that you may not have discovered in your own reading and he includes a bibliography of the novels he cites. Anything that saves time in pointing to an idea is a great benefit for time-starved new authors. Several ideas that he highlights have already made reading this 'how-to' guide worthwhile.
November 27, 2023
I think that anyone interested in writing fantasy has found themselves overwhelmed by the amount of work that goes into creating a living fictional world. It can be overwhelming to sit down and try to figure out how you're going to draft up character sheets, magic systems, languages, politics, geography, and culture, all before you've even written a word of your would-be opus. H.C. Harrington's book does an excellent job of breaking down the complexities, and arranging the world-building process in a way that's easy to understand but flexible enough to be adapted to a wide variety of stories.
June 27, 2024
Aimed primarily at the beginning writers, this guide would be of interest for the more advanced crowd, too.
It summarizes, using a broad array of examples, the various aspects of worldbuilding, some of which you might have addressed intuitively, but seeing them formulated may serve as a useful thought trigger.
I was especially impressed with the chapter covering the practical steps to conlang creation - a subject rarely addressed in the writing craft literature.
It summarizes, using a broad array of examples, the various aspects of worldbuilding, some of which you might have addressed intuitively, but seeing them formulated may serve as a useful thought trigger.
I was especially impressed with the chapter covering the practical steps to conlang creation - a subject rarely addressed in the writing craft literature.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews