Gets worse if they ask "what are you doing?" and you actually answer "I'm figuring out the mapping the ocean of a fictional world" or "figuring out the mathmatical mass of a mountain with x density" " trying to figure out the sociological impact of people having wings..." etc... No idea how many times I accidentally silenced such attempts on complete accident when I was younger. They like if you draw stuff or tell a story in it but actual world development is a bit too... "0.0 ?????????" for them.
AuroraLalune Friends: “Hey, why are you ignoring us?” Me: “I’m trying to figure out a realistic level of diversity between species for a fantasy medieval-era Germany.” Friends: “...” Me: “Thanks for understanding.”
Bookhead714 Not always. Not if you play with d&d veteran dms every week switching who plays and who runs based on who's world/campaign your playing in. This is also a really great way to flesh out world building ideas and I admit to absusing it for such- which is also fun and oddly social. Roleplay is the best way Ive found for others to understand what you've done to an extent and have fun. It also helps to make characters behaviors more human and helps to make the world a little more detailed in a way readers may actually see or care about. Also reminds me of aspects I might've missed while figuring out that mountain etc.
It suddenly occured to me that one of the best parts of worldbuilding might be coming up with what kind of swearwords the people would use. Like, if there's a civilisation that doesn't believe in any form of God, they wouldn't say "oh my God", would they? And if they're an alien race, what would they say instead of "fuck"? would they use whatever their sex equivilent is? Or would they think saucepans are the most vulgar thing in existance?
OR what if they have a whole damn army of gods, goddesses, demons, demi-... er... something or others... devils, fiends, and so forth...??? I'd have to guess with an abundance... There'd have to be some sentimental "assignments" of the "swear-word" duties, or something like that... maybe. It's too much fun creating new "profoundly offensive" phrases, or "utterances of dismayed intent"... lolz. But (personally) I've always had a kind of fondness for "drek"... and "frak" of course. You just can't have enough of either. :o)
**Spends lifetime worldbuilding** Me: Finally I've built a completed an entire binary universe set down to the placement of all the atoms! Everyone else: Cool, is there a story in there? Me: **weeps**
@@Faebiebot Sometimes all you have to do is make a world and share it. People will make the stories for you. Your world, their stories... it's gonna be beautiful.
@@JennaMoreci But Jenna!!! :-D I love your videos! I've been a fan for ages. Quick opinion question: I know you've said that multiple access points into a series or world is a good thing but I'd love your opinion on whether you think we could make those spin-off series all converge into an epic conclusion novel? That way you can take advantage of one world building effort. Like - the series' MCs are all fighting their own baddies but ultimately all the characters need to get together at one point (in one novel) to defeat the Super-Baddy that leads them all (said in a LOTR voice). What say you?
Jenna: *talks about technology science and magic* I would make an entire video on these topics but I’m not going to...cause I go shit to do Me:But Jenna I need you to make a video on these topics. Please Cyborg Queen?
AquaSaige14 if you want read the book Guns, Germs, and Steel, it'll give you a pretty good look at how societies in the real world have advanced. But for a quick example, if the Ignis kingdom uses lots of fire magic then there wouldn't be much point in developing fire based technologies like electric foundries for melting steel for weapons and because of this they might not have top quality steel so they don't engage in conquests and just defend their city with powerful defense spells. You could even explain their infatuation with fire magic by creating a religion that worships a fire god.
Thank you for this video! I felt like my first draft was just lacking so much color and detail for a fantasy world. All my characters did in their free time when not plotting their government's downfall is eat spicy food and booze. Not enough cultural detail XD I typed out the advice in this video, for anyone who wants to copy and paste for convenience (if that's alright with you, Jenna): Setting: - What is it called? Planet? - Continents, country, kingdoms relevant ones - Choose setting Flora, Fauna, Climate: - Weather - Seasons - Surface features - Deserts? - Areas of Human development - Plant life, jungles, animals Architecture: - Where do people live? - What do houses look like (needs to correspond to setting) History: - How is the kingdom born? - How did the leader come into power? Politics/government: - Type? - Who is most powerful? - How is law enforced? Legal/illegal punishments? Society: - Class system? - Racial groups? - Gender norms/ expectations? - Discriminations? - Sexual orientations? - How children are raised and treated? - Education? - Jobs? Coveted, available, respected? - Other societal expectations? Culture: - Religion? - Holidays? - Romance? How are relationships treated? Sex? Dating? PDA? Marriage? - Arts? - Athletics? - Entertainment? - Tattoos? Body mod? Clothing? - Ethics and morals? Technology, science and magic: - Medicine? - Advancements? How did they come about? - Magic?
I wrote a more filled out version, I thought I'd comment it here too in case people prefer that, but if not, that's also cool: Setting: -What is the planet called? -Continents, country, kingdoms (only include relevant ones)? -Choose setting? Flora, Fauna, Climate: -Weather? -Seasons? -Surface features (what does the ground look like?)? -Are there deserts/mountains/oceans/jungles? -Areas of Human development? -Plantlife, animals? Architecture: -Where do people live? -What do buildings look like? -What are they made of? (needs to correspond to setting) History: -How was the kingdom made? -How did the leader come into power? Politics/government: -Type? (monarchy, democracy, etc.) -Who is most powerful? -How is law enforced? Legal/illegal punishments? Society: -Class system? -Racial groups? -Gender norms/ expectations? -Discriminations? -Sexual orientations? -How are children raised and treated? How are they expected to behave? -Education? -How much freedom do people have in choosing their own career? -What jobs are there? Which ones are coveted/available/respected? -Other societal expectations? Culture: -Religion? -Holidays/celebrations/customs? Are they connected to religion? -Romance? -How are relationships treated? Sex? Dating? PDA? Marriage? -What expectations come with relationships? -Arts? Do they exist (if not, why not?)? What are they like? -Athletics? What are they like? How dangerous are they? -Other entertainment? -What are the standards of beauty? -What clothes/accessories do people wear? -Are body mods popular? Are they frowned upon? -Ethics and morals? Are they related to religion? Technology, science and magic: -Advancements? How did they come about? -Capabilities? -Limitations? -How much access do people have to it? Remember to only include relevant information so you don't waste time or bore your readers. Consider your protagonists' relationships with all of these- Do they have an opinion about it? Do they follow the societal norm? Are there any other key considerations?
There goes my dreams of creating a monolithic world where everyone speaks only Pig Latin and has the name Stu. Damn you Jenna and your helpful advice. Great video by the way.
Geography should come before weather and ecosystems, because it will directly affect things. Mountains and oceans are the biggest game changers. Rivers are largely created from those. Biomes are then based on latitude and location. For example, warm wet hair hitting a tall Mt. Range will create monsoons and storms, with dessert, savanna, or tundra on the other side.
ok, here's my situation: my alarm clock says it's 1:39 AM, I've been writing pretty much all day now, finished this last sequence ( a very bloody and gorey battle, my dear, you would love it) and I was like "ok, my man, time for bed now".. Then the notification. Jenna posted a video?? All of a sudden the bed is all but forgotten :P
Isabelle silva i'm not entirely sure if this is meant as a compliment or irony, but thank you anyway :p english is not my first language so there might be mistakes :)
Y'know what's weird? The way we assume people from other planets would give their worlds really cool names. Our only reference data for this assumption is _us_ and we called our home planet 'Earth'. Cue the _Transformers_ quote.
Well, we call it Earth. But some people call it "World", others call it "Zemlya", and then there's "Terra" as well... Yeah they all are uncool and mundane in their _meaning,_ but some of them ARE cool-sounding.
welcome to the *Earth World Zemlya Terra* So it would be a good idea for the meaning of the names to be basic and logical even if they sound "cool" person 1: "where are you from?" Person 2: "Campanile From Ordure" Person 1: "sounds like an interesting place." Person 2: "It Translates to "Tower of Dung" in your language" person 1: "..."
In my fictional world people from different regions call it differently. If I translate the names they gave it, these would be it: Common Place, Home, Land, Zomu Shaped (Zomu's a plant from that world, it basically means pear shaped) and many other uncool names
You posted two videos about world-building _just_ as I start to write a new story in a futuristic setting? What kind of cyborg magic is this!? You're the best, Jenna! Thanks for all your help! :)
Homestuck Obsessor no matter where i go, homestuck is always there. Lurking in the profile pictures, in the names. There's no way to escape. Homestuck is an omnipresence. Homestuck is God.
I just sat down to correcting my old manuscript. So it happens that figuring and fleshing out the world is one of the things the story needs the most. This video is like a gift sent from Heaven.
Wow that's very different from how I do world building. Usually I start of with a concept. Say I want to do something with wings. Angels? Bat people? Bird people? Devils? Sirens? Say we go with bird people, where do they live? A jungle? Snowy mountains of hard winters and peaceful spring? Great, what do they look like and where specifically do they live? They have the body of a human with wings on their backs and the head of a bird with charactaristics of humans? Generic but sure. Oh, they live in caves in snowy shaded mountains? They're probably pretty pale with overall fair complexion then. Bird people with good vision in the dark given their location and lifestyle. Half owl half human, hunting in the dark using their razor sharp beaks and make shift knives of some super sharp fantasy glass that shimmers in the pale green light of the moons. Forests of silver fir surround the caves of the bird owl people, isolated from the outside world. Hunted by other bird eagle people and other human whatever people for their beautiful white feathers. They have quiet voices and great hearing, communicating with physical contact and looks rather than their voices. Only through trading for luxury goods did they learn the common languages. They have very sensitive mouths so hot food is a no no and they get hot very easy away for home. That's usually how I do things. Just let your mind wander and use the world around you and the thoughts in your head to your advantage.
I'm a veteran world-builder, and it was nice to see a lot of the questions I already ask myself reflected here (yay, I'm on the right track!). It was also great to get a few new tidbits to mull over for the world I'm currently building. Great video. Thank you!
I listen to your Writing Tips playlist while I write and it actually really helps me, no matter what I'm writing. It doesn't matter which video I'm watching, it helps. I think you're magical. Either that or your voice is like... the only thing that helps me write.
Hmm now hold on here, would that pink jungle be in entirely one shade of pink or multiple tones of pink? and what about the animals who eat said pink things would they develop any visual differences overtime?
"Jenna's not a good person" Yeah, I have never heard anyone say that either. And this video is only proof. Thank you for sponsoring this charity, Jenna. The world needs more readers.
I got Eve the Awakening for Christmas and I’m already almost halfway through it. It’s the best book I’ve read this year and I’m so glad I found your channel, otherwise I wouldn’t have ever found out about it! Thank you, Jenna!
Every single point you made is relevant in every aspect of my writing. I like your videos very much. Thank you for taking time to really help in people's writing.
I feel like I've been dying without new videos from you!! Thankyou for uploading, your videos give me such inspiration and honestly help me zone out when I'm really overwhelmed and stressed
I've have been writing a lot lately, and a lot of it is because of you. You inspire me and make me want to work in my novel. Your advice is so helpful and educational.
Thank you Cyborg Queen. this came out at a perfect time for me as I am in the middle of character/world building phase. this video has given me a lot to figure out. again, Thanks
This helped me nail down some of my world building. So far I have three countries to play around with. Helped so much I made an obscenely long post detailing my world.
Jenna Moreci Hi thanks for replying to my comment great video :) (I always forget to do these things lol. I just start the plot and then run into an issue and I’m like... uh... what would they do in this world? Oops).
Thank you. I spent years thinking I was highly detailed in my world building and in just the first 5 minutes of your video I realized I'm lacking a lot of stuff.
I am writing a script and doing the artwork for an indie video game called "Golden Dawn". It is basically Lord of the Rings or Legend of Zelda, but it takes place during the 1890's.
I was just thinking about what to do about world building, and lo and behold, the Cyborg Queen reigns down to help and give me answers, many thanks to you!
Okay, since I didn't hear or see it in the video, and nobody else in the comments is apparently about to point it out. Folks, you might SERIOUSLY consider going after a Tabletop RPG system for some of this. I would highly recommend GURPS (as a matter of fact) if you want a published sourcebook to reference. Since the 1970's and the invention of D&D (everybody's heard of it)... There have been literally hundreds of Role Play systems (games) and these are entirely built to facilitate group-projects of STORYBUILDING... So practically speaking, any question about the creation of worlds, settings, cities, politics, magic, weapons, technology, space-faring, colonizations, spirits and rituals, psychic/psyonic abilities, architecture, animals, vehicles, monsters, races, special traits, and much much more is not only mentioned... BUT comes with questions to ask, and suggestions for refining and "fleshing out" your answers. Online, you can scour YT for TTRPG material and suggestions, through sites like Nerdarchy, Bacon Battalion and Great Game Master dot com, Pear of Geeks, Geek & Sundry, Taking20, and a multitude more (channels)... As well as a variety of Game Mastering and Role Playing sites with a wide variety of FREE reference type materials and build-lists or suggestions to help you on your way. I know GURPS sourcebook isn't exactly a cheap commodity (mine cost $20, back in the 90's) but once you bought a book, you own it. It doesn't eat or require electricity, and it can be a very useful reference, even if you don't exactly intend to "run a game"... The game-mechanic segments might be no more for you than a rough exposition of proportions and scale to use (if you wish) for description and narrative in your story... OR it might be only enough to get at the heart of what you're trying to explain, and you're certainly free to disregard it all together. BUT since these systems were developed (and are still being refined) for the purposes of STORYTELLING and improv' theater style narration, they can serve as a marvelous resource for an enthusiastic writer... SO you're a novelist. Maybe the "game-system" can give you some degree of "consistency" in your otherwise structurally lacking mental imagery... WHY GURPS, specifically? Well, for one, it's a one-stop source for the game. For seconds, the entire game runs on plain, 6-sided dice (should you decide to try it out)... So you can find cheap dice literally ANYWHERE. They're the same dice as in a Yahtzee game, or Monopoly game, or most other board games that require dice. They come from dollar stores or Wally World, and there isn't even much of a call for a lot of them (unless you wish to get into much more advanced stuff)... And there's a fair amount of suggestions in the book for just about any occasion or setting. If you run into "difficulty" and worry about dealing with the setting, for instance, GURPS also lends itself relatively painlessly to the D&D or Roll20 mechanics, since the basis 3 Die roll is a 3-18 scale, and the D20 is a 1-20 scale of chance... Not so terrible a difference, so ANY of the D&D channels will still be chock-full of advice for your storytelling and "Mastering" needs where ever you might find some situation puts you in a bind. :o)
One of my habits with world building is determining what I what the setting to look like and then making practical sense out of it. Like Jenna said, a desert isn’t likely to have crazy architecture made of wood without trade. If it doesn’t make sense at face value, it gives me an opportunity to get creative.
Excellent vid Jen. I also think it’s important to sprinkle these aspects of the world you’ve created throughout your story in cunning ways so as that the reader learns about this world’s customs, environments, religions etc without even realising but do so only if and when your story calls for it. For example, if you’re writing a small little intimate scene between mother and son we might not need to know the history, geography and political structure of the region at that particular moment in time. Don’t info dump a great big pile of reference material that the reader will have to wade through and refer back to during the course of their read as this will pull them out of the story you’ve spent so much time and effort crafting.
Before I even started the outline of my book I came up with very specific history of the world such as: eras, wars, important events, and technological development. I didn’t even mention a lot of the stuff in the actual book, but it still helped me a ton.
This channel has quickly become one of my top 3 favorites to peruse. Love the tips. Love the humor. Love the "Helloooooooo, everybody" opening. Such good shit. 🤙🏾
You're definitely the most entertaining booktuber I've ever seen, even if I'm looking at videos for help in my writing I always end up amused by something xD Nice to have charismatic and helpful people ^-^
Wow, very useful, Jena. I took all the notes (translating and writing fast af). Thank you!!! Off to typing all the topics and their respective data in a *NOT SO* little document. Bye
This video was really helpful! I was wondering if you could possibly make a video on the steampunk genre or something? No pressure, though, I'm just curious! All of your videos are wonderful and you always brighten my horrible days with your witty sarcasm. Keep up the amazing work, you wonderful Cyborg Queen!
The world building in my story is taking so long and is a bit difficult. I had to pause writing my story to get all of that straighten out because I ended up confusing myself. Thanks for this video❤. It's very helpful :D
Awesome tips!! I haven't done this to this extent, I write contemporary fiction, but this sounds so neat! I think I'll have to try it for my next project
Thanks, this is really helpful, i've been wondering what important things i've missed. I realized that i might not get to writing my book, but i could use this world of mine in D&D, so this video is very helpful.
Or you could just start writing, and figure it out as you go. Your character gets himself arrested? Okay, so now you need to figure out who's in charge in his town, and what kind of incarceration they have. Right, now he has to go on trial. Okay, what's the judicial system like? What laws are in place? (Well, presumably, the one your character broke to get himself arrested, but are there any related ones that might come into play?) Are there prescribed minimum sentences? Is there a jury system, or does one person decide? How does that person decide? Are there precedents to follow, or does he just go with whatever he feels like? Oh no! Your character is found guilty and sentenced to... prison? Exile? Death? Prison. Right. Prison. That sounds like a good direction for the story to go. What are the prisons like? Maybe there's a prisoner exchange program with the neighbouring kingdom. What's THAT kingdom's name? What kind of political relationship does it have with your character's? This is an awesome video, and Jenna really thinks of EVERYTHING. It's super impressive... but she's right. Worldbuilding can be a huge time-suck, and probably 90% of everything you come up with will be things your readers will never really come into contact with. Often best to just figure things out as you go. But of course, I'm a pantser, and Jenna really REALLY likes to plan.... ;)
Awesome vid, and awesome charity plug. I loved it when you said, "and readers are sick of this shit!" Especially as a writer, it's one of those moments where one goes... WHY??? And yes, yes we are. I always look forward to your vlogs! Hope you had an awesome Christmas, and have a Happy New Year! I hope Cliff is doing well, and is having a nice holiday also.
*Naming stuff is so difficult* 😲 Seriously though, these videos are so helpful! They've really helped me realise how much I was actually winging my story, and what I need to do next :) Now, back to naming these forsaken planets 😐
I was so proud of myself. I listened closely to every point you had and I think I have done it just right. Of course, this is my seventh novel. I should be getting it right pretty soon. :)
I'm working on several stories that are set within the same universe, and while they don't directly tie into each other, there are some characters, themes, and events which carry over. The advantage to this is that I can worldbuild all of these stories at once. The disadvantage to this is that I have to worldbuild all of these stories at once.
Thank you so much for this. Just like the "World building dont's" video, this helped me on an intense scale. I was wondering if you might consider doing the do's and dont's on building a species if you haven't already done so? That would be intensely helpful. Thank you again!
The last one is very true, because I'd been worldbuilding and character-profiling nonstop for about six months only to realize that, once I started writing, I didn't know if there were light switches in my fantasy school.
Thanks for this helpful video. I seem to be on a good way, because even before watching I had covered most of the points you mentioned. But I got some additional ideas through this video. Which is great, because my sister, who is my most critical test reader, would have definitely picked on those parts.
Now, if only my friends could understand that world building is a long, in depth process and I'm not just ignoring them at lunch.
Awkwardly Surviving Relatable
Awkwardly Surviving this is the most accurate comment I've seen in a LONG time
Gets worse if they ask "what are you doing?" and you actually answer "I'm figuring out the mapping the ocean of a fictional world" or "figuring out the mathmatical mass of a mountain with x density" " trying to figure out the sociological impact of people having wings..." etc... No idea how many times I accidentally silenced such attempts on complete accident when I was younger. They like if you draw stuff or tell a story in it but actual world development is a bit too... "0.0 ?????????" for them.
AuroraLalune
Friends: “Hey, why are you ignoring us?”
Me: “I’m trying to figure out a realistic level of diversity between species for a fantasy medieval-era Germany.”
Friends: “...”
Me: “Thanks for understanding.”
Bookhead714
Not always. Not if you play with d&d veteran dms every week switching who plays and who runs based on who's world/campaign your playing in.
This is also a really great way to flesh out world building ideas and I admit to absusing it for such- which is also fun and oddly social. Roleplay is the best way Ive found for others to understand what you've done to an extent and have fun. It also helps to make characters behaviors more human and helps to make the world a little more detailed in a way readers may actually see or care about. Also reminds me of aspects I might've missed while figuring out that mountain etc.
SETTING
Name:
Continents:
Countries:
Kingdoms:
Villages:
Cities:
Towns:
Setting:
FLORA, FAUNA & CLIMATE
Weather:
Seasons:
Topography:
Plants:
Animals:
ARCHITECTURE
Location:
Physical Description:
Materials:
HISTORY
Origin:
Current Government:
POLITICS / GOVERNMENT
Type:
Leader:
Laws:
Enforcement:
SOCIETY
Class System:
Racial Groups:
Gender Norms / Expectations
Prejudice Descrimination:
Sexual Orientation :
Children:
Schooling:
Careers:
Social Norms:
CULTURE
Belief system:
Holidays:
Celebration:
Customs:
Romance
Arts:
Sports:
Entertainment :
Clothing :
Accessories :
Body Modification :
Ethics:
TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE & MAGIC
Technology Capabilities:
Technology Limitations:
Technology Access:
Science Capabilities:
Science Limitations:
Science Access:
Magic Capabilities:
Magic Limitations:
Magic Access:
Thank you!!
Thank you for this! 🧡
*sighs and cracks my knuckles* time to get to work
Saving you for later :)
Thank you! You’re a lifesaver
It suddenly occured to me that one of the best parts of worldbuilding might be coming up with what kind of swearwords the people would use. Like, if there's a civilisation that doesn't believe in any form of God, they wouldn't say "oh my God", would they?
And if they're an alien race, what would they say instead of "fuck"? would they use whatever their sex equivilent is? Or would they think saucepans are the most vulgar thing in existance?
OR what if they have a whole damn army of gods, goddesses, demons, demi-... er... something or others... devils, fiends, and so forth...???
I'd have to guess with an abundance... There'd have to be some sentimental "assignments" of the "swear-word" duties, or something like that... maybe.
It's too much fun creating new "profoundly offensive" phrases, or "utterances of dismayed intent"... lolz.
But (personally) I've always had a kind of fondness for "drek"... and "frak" of course. You just can't have enough of either. :o)
Excuse you, saucepans are proof that there is a God
*Stubs toe*
SAUCEPAN!
“Watch your language!”
SAUCEPAN LOL XD
Very good point tho never thought of that. *wanders off to create new swear words*
Belgium.
*Open UA-cam.*
I'm just gonna watch Jenna's new video. Then, I'll go to bed.
*Video ends.*
Who need sleep ? Not me. I have a world to build.
Lol, so relatable
**Spends lifetime worldbuilding**
Me: Finally I've built a completed an entire binary universe set down to the placement of all the atoms!
Everyone else: Cool, is there a story in there?
Me: **weeps**
Rosa Lovecraft
lot's. You have a whole world to set stories in.
Navirina nice profile pic, drapple 👌👌
@@Faebiebot Sometimes all you have to do is make a world and share it. People will make the stories for you. Your world, their stories... it's gonna be beautiful.
Why is it that when I watch Jenna, I think that she can face anything with her wit and humor. You go, Jenna!
you are so sweet, thank you!
Wanna see something funny? Pause at 2:31
@@claudiahart4455 eh?
@@JennaMoreci
But Jenna!!! :-D I love your videos! I've been a fan for ages.
Quick opinion question:
I know you've said that multiple access points into a series or world is a good thing but I'd love your opinion on whether you think we could make those spin-off series all converge into an epic conclusion novel? That way you can take advantage of one world building effort. Like - the series' MCs are all fighting their own baddies but ultimately all the characters need to get together at one point (in one novel) to defeat the Super-Baddy that leads them all (said in a LOTR voice). What say you?
Jenna: *talks about technology science and magic* I would make an entire video on these topics but I’m not going to...cause I go shit to do
Me:But Jenna I need you to make a video on these topics. Please Cyborg Queen?
AquaSaige14 if you want read the book Guns, Germs, and Steel, it'll give you a pretty good look at how societies in the real world have advanced. But for a quick example, if the Ignis kingdom uses lots of fire magic then there wouldn't be much point in developing fire based technologies like electric foundries for melting steel for weapons and because of this they might not have top quality steel so they don't engage in conquests and just defend their city with powerful defense spells. You could even explain their infatuation with fire magic by creating a religion that worships a fire god.
Cody Johnson welp thank you for the advice 😇
AquaSaige14 no problem. World building is my favorite part of writing.
I could cure cancer if I wanted to - but I'm not going to...cause I got shit to do.
AllHopeAbandon 😂😂😂
Thank you for this video! I felt like my first draft was just lacking so much color and detail for a fantasy world. All my characters did in their free time when not plotting their government's downfall is eat spicy food and booze. Not enough cultural detail XD
I typed out the advice in this video, for anyone who wants to copy and paste for convenience (if that's alright with you, Jenna):
Setting:
- What is it called? Planet?
- Continents, country, kingdoms relevant ones
- Choose setting
Flora, Fauna, Climate:
- Weather
- Seasons
- Surface features
- Deserts?
- Areas of Human development
- Plant life, jungles, animals
Architecture:
- Where do people live?
- What do houses look like (needs to correspond to setting)
History:
- How is the kingdom born?
- How did the leader come into power?
Politics/government:
- Type?
- Who is most powerful?
- How is law enforced? Legal/illegal punishments?
Society:
- Class system?
- Racial groups?
- Gender norms/ expectations?
- Discriminations?
- Sexual orientations?
- How children are raised and treated?
- Education?
- Jobs? Coveted, available, respected?
- Other societal expectations?
Culture:
- Religion?
- Holidays?
- Romance? How are relationships treated? Sex? Dating? PDA? Marriage?
- Arts?
- Athletics?
- Entertainment?
- Tattoos? Body mod? Clothing?
- Ethics and morals?
Technology, science and magic:
- Medicine?
- Advancements? How did they come about?
- Magic?
Thanks mate!
Well transcribed! Thanks! Makes it a lot easier to copy down. ^^
Thanks for copying :D Oh and I have that problem with my first draft too
I wrote a more filled out version, I thought I'd comment it here too in case people prefer that, but if not, that's also cool:
Setting:
-What is the planet called?
-Continents, country, kingdoms (only include relevant ones)?
-Choose setting?
Flora, Fauna, Climate:
-Weather?
-Seasons?
-Surface features (what does the ground look like?)?
-Are there deserts/mountains/oceans/jungles?
-Areas of Human development?
-Plantlife, animals?
Architecture:
-Where do people live?
-What do buildings look like?
-What are they made of? (needs to correspond to setting)
History:
-How was the kingdom made?
-How did the leader come into power?
Politics/government:
-Type? (monarchy, democracy, etc.)
-Who is most powerful?
-How is law enforced? Legal/illegal punishments?
Society:
-Class system?
-Racial groups?
-Gender norms/ expectations?
-Discriminations?
-Sexual orientations?
-How are children raised and treated? How are they expected to behave?
-Education?
-How much freedom do people have in choosing their own career?
-What jobs are there? Which ones are coveted/available/respected?
-Other societal expectations?
Culture:
-Religion?
-Holidays/celebrations/customs? Are they connected to religion?
-Romance?
-How are relationships treated? Sex? Dating? PDA? Marriage?
-What expectations come with relationships?
-Arts? Do they exist (if not, why not?)? What are they like?
-Athletics? What are they like? How dangerous are they?
-Other entertainment?
-What are the standards of beauty?
-What clothes/accessories do people wear?
-Are body mods popular? Are they frowned upon?
-Ethics and morals? Are they related to religion?
Technology, science and magic:
-Advancements? How did they come about?
-Capabilities?
-Limitations?
-How much access do people have to it?
Remember to only include relevant information so you don't waste time or bore your readers.
Consider your protagonists' relationships with all of these- Do they have an opinion about it? Do they follow the societal norm? Are there any other key considerations?
Secretgirl97 thanks
There goes my dreams of creating a monolithic world where everyone speaks only Pig Latin and has the name Stu. Damn you Jenna and your helpful advice.
Great video by the way.
Try it anyway. It might be fun:)
on the flip side of course, that sounds like it could be very entertaining. for the lolz!
That could be a mystery in and of itself.
But they'd call it "Ustay."
Gary Stu would fit perfectly in your world
Geography should come before weather and ecosystems, because it will directly affect things. Mountains and oceans are the biggest game changers. Rivers are largely created from those. Biomes are then based on latitude and location. For example, warm wet hair hitting a tall Mt. Range will create monsoons and storms, with dessert, savanna, or tundra on the other side.
@@StormgemThunder Can relate tbh.
Stormgem Thunder I too imagined someone with long hair shaking it out of a towel and slapping a mountain with it
Artefexian’s video series on climates are super helpful for this.
ok, here's my situation: my alarm clock says it's 1:39 AM, I've been writing pretty much all day now, finished this last sequence ( a very bloody and gorey battle, my dear, you would love it) and I was like "ok, my man, time for bed now".. Then the notification.
Jenna posted a video??
All of a sudden the bed is all but forgotten :P
undead9999 such beautiful writing even on a youtube comment
Isabelle silva i'm not entirely sure if this is meant as a compliment or irony, but thank you anyway :p english is not my first language so there might be mistakes :)
undead9999 No irony intended, I'm a writer too so I get the struggle and maybe my name gives away, but English is not my first language ;D
Isabelle silva United in the struggle, aren't we? xD
Are you South American, maybe? Silva sounds like a brazilian/portuguese last name.
undead9999 you got just right ;D Brazilian exactly
I was trying to build a world and was stuck, then I got this notification. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
you're so welcome!
One of my idols and inspirations replied? YES! She used the proper "you're"? BEST DAY EVER!
But Jenna, I have a great irrigation system...
Unusual things to be read in a sexy voice.
May I show you... my luxurious plumbing? Ooh la la
"Do people wear underwear?" XD wonderful example
They don't in Thessen! XD
Y'know what's weird? The way we assume people from other planets would give their worlds really cool names. Our only reference data for this assumption is _us_ and we called our home planet 'Earth'. Cue the _Transformers_ quote.
Hecate Mist
"Earth? might aswel call it dirt, planet dirt"
Did you mean that one?
Well, we call it Earth. But some people call it "World", others call it "Zemlya", and then there's "Terra" as well... Yeah they all are uncool and mundane in their _meaning,_ but some of them ARE cool-sounding.
welcome to the *Earth World Zemlya Terra*
So it would be a good idea for the meaning of the names to be basic and logical even if they sound "cool"
person 1: "where are you from?"
Person 2: "Campanile From Ordure"
Person 1: "sounds like an interesting place."
Person 2: "It Translates to "Tower of Dung" in your language"
person 1: "..."
In my fictional world people from different regions call it differently. If I translate the names they gave it, these would be it: Common Place, Home, Land, Zomu Shaped (Zomu's a plant from that world, it basically means pear shaped) and many other uncool names
Darth Biomech lol we call it Terra in Portuguese, but I never thought it would sound cool to someone. Thanks o/
You posted two videos about world-building _just_ as I start to write a new story in a futuristic setting? What kind of cyborg magic is this!? You're the best, Jenna! Thanks for all your help! :)
Imitation Infinity the answer should be obvious: Jenna IS magic (And a cyborg). Love your screen name also btw.
Brilliant helpful video as always, Jenna
awwww I'm so glad :)
Homestuck Obsessor no matter where i go, homestuck is always there. Lurking in the profile pictures, in the names. There's no way to escape. Homestuck is an omnipresence. Homestuck is God.
Homestuck Obsessor wow that got dramatic anyway hi fellow fan nice to see you
Rix always nice to see someone in the same fandom on an unrelated site :)
greetings fellow homestuck
Me before video: Ugh I have millions of t-shirts
Me after video: I need a 10% t-shirt.
It's for charity!!!! :D
I just sat down to correcting my old manuscript. So it happens that figuring and fleshing out the world is one of the things the story needs the most. This video is like a gift sent from Heaven.
Maera Fey so is Jenna :)
It always brightens my day when I see you've posted a new video!! ❤
awwww thank you!
Same!
World building is either a hit or miss for me. Thanks for the video Jenna now I know how to fix my issues.
you're welcome! :D
i gUESs thEY NeVeR mIss
Your consistent uploading is honestly so refreshing. Thank you.
Thank you so much!
You are the best Booktuber I know for book advice, thank you for all the advice you have given all of us readers/writers!!!
thank you so much!
Jenna Moreci
Great video, like always, by the way
Aww I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
Booktuber
Wow that's very different from how I do world building. Usually I start of with a concept. Say I want to do something with wings. Angels? Bat people? Bird people? Devils? Sirens? Say we go with bird people, where do they live? A jungle? Snowy mountains of hard winters and peaceful spring? Great, what do they look like and where specifically do they live? They have the body of a human with wings on their backs and the head of a bird with charactaristics of humans? Generic but sure. Oh, they live in caves in snowy shaded mountains? They're probably pretty pale with overall fair complexion then. Bird people with good vision in the dark given their location and lifestyle. Half owl half human, hunting in the dark using their razor sharp beaks and make shift knives of some super sharp fantasy glass that shimmers in the pale green light of the moons. Forests of silver fir surround the caves of the bird owl people, isolated from the outside world. Hunted by other bird eagle people and other human whatever people for their beautiful white feathers. They have quiet voices and great hearing, communicating with physical contact and looks rather than their voices. Only through trading for luxury goods did they learn the common languages. They have very sensitive mouths so hot food is a no no and they get hot very easy away for home.
That's usually how I do things. Just let your mind wander and use the world around you and the thoughts in your head to your advantage.
I'm a veteran world-builder, and it was nice to see a lot of the questions I already ask myself reflected here (yay, I'm on the right track!). It was also great to get a few new tidbits to mull over for the world I'm currently building. Great video. Thank you!
I listen to your Writing Tips playlist while I write and it actually really helps me, no matter what I'm writing. It doesn't matter which video I'm watching, it helps. I think you're magical. Either that or your voice is like... the only thing that helps me write.
Never even thought about this... it's the difference between fanfic and novel-writing! This is fascinating, though, especially if I write an AU :)
Wow... I was literally just wondering how to improve world building when my phone notified me of this video. Thanks for being psychic! :D
That pink jungle sounds great
Hmm now hold on here, would that pink jungle be in entirely one shade of pink or multiple tones of pink? and what about the animals who eat said pink things would they develop any visual differences overtime?
YAY WORLD BUILDING! *sarcasm radiating from me*
But there's cyborgs behind most trees
As a dungeon master I have to say your videos are really helpful for writing campaigns.
you’re making me realize how much work i have cut out for me for my current project.... i’m excited, but also terrified
"Jenna's not a good person"
Yeah, I have never heard anyone say that either. And this video is only proof. Thank you for sponsoring this charity, Jenna. The world needs more readers.
Jenna you need to make more videos a week. Your advice is the BEST!
For real though, that shirt is kind of awesome!
The best shirt I've ever seen is the one I'm wearing. Proud member of the Cyborg Army.
LOLOL you're the best
I never say no to worldbuilding tips! It's only my favorite part of writing. :P Thanks for the tips, Jenna!
I got Eve the Awakening for Christmas and I’m already almost halfway through it. It’s the best book I’ve read this year and I’m so glad I found your channel, otherwise I wouldn’t have ever found out about it! Thank you, Jenna!
Every single point you made is relevant in every aspect of my writing. I like your videos very much. Thank you for taking time to really help in people's writing.
I feel like I've been dying without new videos from you!! Thankyou for uploading, your videos give me such inspiration and honestly help me zone out when I'm really overwhelmed and stressed
You have no idea how much this has helped me. Got a fantasy epic idea and had no idea where to start. Thanks so much x
I've have been writing a lot lately, and a lot of it is because of you. You inspire me and make me want to work in my novel. Your advice is so helpful and educational.
Thank you Cyborg Queen. this came out at a perfect time for me as I am in the middle of character/world building phase. this video has given me a lot to figure out. again, Thanks
Super helpful just like all your videos! I’ll make sure to buy one of those tee-shirts. Totally worth supporting a good cause
Thank you Jenna for this great video! I'm going to be rewatching this over and over again!
This helped me nail down some of my world building. So far I have three countries to play around with. Helped so much I made an obscenely long post detailing my world.
This is also sort of helpful for me because I'm going to be a Dungeon Master soon and I need to think about all of this!! great video thank you
Omg I’ve never been this early to a video I actually get the hype now hi (now to watch the video)
ME NEITHER!
Hello!
Jenna Moreci Hi thanks for replying to my comment great video :)
(I always forget to do these things lol. I just start the plot and then run into an issue and I’m like... uh... what would they do in this world? Oops).
Thank you. I spent years thinking I was highly detailed in my world building and in just the first 5 minutes of your video I realized I'm lacking a lot of stuff.
I am writing a script and doing the artwork for an indie video game called "Golden Dawn". It is basically Lord of the Rings or Legend of Zelda, but it takes place during the 1890's.
Jenna, you have no idea how thankful I am for this video. This is going to be so helpful and useful for me. Thank you!
This is the best ressource on worldbuilding ive ever seen
I was just thinking about what to do about world building, and lo and behold, the Cyborg Queen reigns down to help and give me answers, many thanks to you!
i'm thinking about writing and illustrating a guidebook/introduction/series "bible" about my universe. :) great vid btw lady jenna. :D
yaaaay!!!! thank you! I'm so glad that you uploaded
Ive been around since just around 1k and it makes me so happy to see so many people adoring what you do!
Definitely helps. My latest WIP is gonna need a ton of world building for what’s in my head. Thanks for the tips.
Jenna, your timing is once again PERFECT!
Okay, since I didn't hear or see it in the video, and nobody else in the comments is apparently about to point it out. Folks, you might SERIOUSLY consider going after a Tabletop RPG system for some of this. I would highly recommend GURPS (as a matter of fact) if you want a published sourcebook to reference.
Since the 1970's and the invention of D&D (everybody's heard of it)... There have been literally hundreds of Role Play systems (games) and these are entirely built to facilitate group-projects of STORYBUILDING... So practically speaking, any question about the creation of worlds, settings, cities, politics, magic, weapons, technology, space-faring, colonizations, spirits and rituals, psychic/psyonic abilities, architecture, animals, vehicles, monsters, races, special traits, and much much more is not only mentioned... BUT comes with questions to ask, and suggestions for refining and "fleshing out" your answers.
Online, you can scour YT for TTRPG material and suggestions, through sites like Nerdarchy, Bacon Battalion and Great Game Master dot com, Pear of Geeks, Geek & Sundry, Taking20, and a multitude more (channels)... As well as a variety of Game Mastering and Role Playing sites with a wide variety of FREE reference type materials and build-lists or suggestions to help you on your way.
I know GURPS sourcebook isn't exactly a cheap commodity (mine cost $20, back in the 90's) but once you bought a book, you own it. It doesn't eat or require electricity, and it can be a very useful reference, even if you don't exactly intend to "run a game"... The game-mechanic segments might be no more for you than a rough exposition of proportions and scale to use (if you wish) for description and narrative in your story... OR it might be only enough to get at the heart of what you're trying to explain, and you're certainly free to disregard it all together.
BUT since these systems were developed (and are still being refined) for the purposes of STORYTELLING and improv' theater style narration, they can serve as a marvelous resource for an enthusiastic writer... SO you're a novelist. Maybe the "game-system" can give you some degree of "consistency" in your otherwise structurally lacking mental imagery...
WHY GURPS, specifically? Well, for one, it's a one-stop source for the game. For seconds, the entire game runs on plain, 6-sided dice (should you decide to try it out)... So you can find cheap dice literally ANYWHERE. They're the same dice as in a Yahtzee game, or Monopoly game, or most other board games that require dice. They come from dollar stores or Wally World, and there isn't even much of a call for a lot of them (unless you wish to get into much more advanced stuff)... And there's a fair amount of suggestions in the book for just about any occasion or setting. If you run into "difficulty" and worry about dealing with the setting, for instance, GURPS also lends itself relatively painlessly to the D&D or Roll20 mechanics, since the basis 3 Die roll is a 3-18 scale, and the D20 is a 1-20 scale of chance... Not so terrible a difference, so ANY of the D&D channels will still be chock-full of advice for your storytelling and "Mastering" needs where ever you might find some situation puts you in a bind. :o)
And if you really cant pay for it there are always the recourses online and on pdf pages
Fantastic video this week, Jenna! ^_^
I had a world that I really wanted to elaborate on, and I didn't really know how until this video. Thanks so much, Jenna!!
prefect timing, gives me some ideas where to go with my own world building.
One of my habits with world building is determining what I what the setting to look like and then making practical sense out of it. Like Jenna said, a desert isn’t likely to have crazy architecture made of wood without trade. If it doesn’t make sense at face value, it gives me an opportunity to get creative.
Excellent vid Jen.
I also think it’s important to sprinkle these aspects of the world you’ve created throughout your story in cunning ways so as that the reader learns about this world’s customs, environments, religions etc without even realising but do so only if and when your story calls for it. For example, if you’re writing a small little intimate scene between mother and son we might not need to know the history, geography and political structure of the region at that particular moment in time.
Don’t info dump a great big pile of reference material that the reader will have to wade through and refer back to during the course of their read as this will pull them out of the story you’ve spent so much time and effort crafting.
Before I even started the outline of my book I came up with very specific history of the world such as: eras, wars, important events, and technological development.
I didn’t even mention a lot of the stuff in the actual book, but it still helped me a ton.
This channel has quickly become one of my top 3 favorites to peruse. Love the tips. Love the humor. Love the "Helloooooooo, everybody" opening. Such good shit. 🤙🏾
Super helpful! I can practically use this as a checklist for world-building.
You're definitely the most entertaining booktuber I've ever seen, even if I'm looking at videos for help in my writing I always end up amused by something xD
Nice to have charismatic and helpful people ^-^
I always enjoy watching your videos. It really manages to put things in perspective.
My world building skills are now improved thanks to you! 😊
Thank God for your worldbuilding videos- I always have trouble narrowing mine down and these are extremely helpful.
Wow, very useful, Jena. I took all the notes (translating and writing fast af). Thank you!!! Off to typing all the topics and their respective data in a *NOT SO* little document. Bye
I NEEDED THIS THANK YOU
you're so welcome!
I've been waiting for this video! This was so so so helpful, I needed this! Also, you should make a video for technology, science, and magic.
I've been building a world and am glad that I've already considered all of the great points you've made!! Loved the video :)
Thanks Jenna for these videos! I was really struggling with wordbuilding and this helped a bunch!
This video was really helpful! I was wondering if you could possibly make a video on the steampunk genre or something? No pressure, though, I'm just curious! All of your videos are wonderful and you always brighten my horrible days with your witty sarcasm. Keep up the amazing work, you wonderful Cyborg Queen!
Thank you so much Jenna, this was so helpful I've been so lost with my world building, this was very very helpful. Thanks!
Thank you! Your advice is just what I needed. I'm definitely rewatching this and taking notes.
I just found your channel and find you hilarious. I love your ideas and tips and especially sense of humor! Thank you! You made my day!
The world building in my story is taking so long and is a bit difficult. I had to pause writing my story to get all of that straighten out because I ended up confusing myself. Thanks for this video❤. It's very helpful :D
Excellent tips! Thanks, Jenna! (And please feel free to do a whole video on technology, science, and magic!! Yesss!)
Awesome tips!! I haven't done this to this extent, I write contemporary fiction, but this sounds so neat! I think I'll have to try it for my next project
Thanks, this is really helpful, i've been wondering what important things i've missed. I realized that i might not get to writing my book, but i could use this world of mine in D&D, so this video is very helpful.
Or you could just start writing, and figure it out as you go. Your character gets himself arrested? Okay, so now you need to figure out who's in charge in his town, and what kind of incarceration they have.
Right, now he has to go on trial. Okay, what's the judicial system like? What laws are in place? (Well, presumably, the one your character broke to get himself arrested, but are there any related ones that might come into play?) Are there prescribed minimum sentences? Is there a jury system, or does one person decide? How does that person decide? Are there precedents to follow, or does he just go with whatever he feels like?
Oh no! Your character is found guilty and sentenced to... prison? Exile? Death? Prison. Right. Prison. That sounds like a good direction for the story to go. What are the prisons like?
Maybe there's a prisoner exchange program with the neighbouring kingdom. What's THAT kingdom's name? What kind of political relationship does it have with your character's?
This is an awesome video, and Jenna really thinks of EVERYTHING. It's super impressive... but she's right. Worldbuilding can be a huge time-suck, and probably 90% of everything you come up with will be things your readers will never really come into contact with. Often best to just figure things out as you go.
But of course, I'm a pantser, and Jenna really REALLY likes to plan.... ;)
Awesome vid, and awesome charity plug. I loved it when you said, "and readers are sick of this shit!" Especially as a writer, it's one of those moments where one goes... WHY??? And yes, yes we are. I always look forward to your vlogs! Hope you had an awesome Christmas, and have a Happy New Year! I hope Cliff is doing well, and is having a nice holiday also.
I absolutely adore worldbuilding. I'll definitely take some of these ideas into account.
*Naming stuff is so difficult* 😲
Seriously though, these videos are so helpful! They've really helped me realise how much I was actually winging my story, and what I need to do next :)
Now, back to naming these forsaken planets 😐
Happy to say I've got most of that covered.
I was so proud of myself. I listened closely to every point you had and I think I have done it just right. Of course, this is my seventh novel. I should be getting it right pretty soon. :)
Thanks for giving me a great idea that I have in my mind right now, Jenna!!!! I love your video!!! Thank you so much!!!😘😘😘
Thank you much! I needed some ideas for world building and totally forgot about many culture enriching things
That is a great shirt. Thank you so much for your videos. I always find them to be really helpful.
Hi, new subscriber here. Love your videos, they help me loads when I'm writing
I'm working on several stories that are set within the same universe, and while they don't directly tie into each other, there are some characters, themes, and events which carry over. The advantage to this is that I can worldbuild all of these stories at once. The disadvantage to this is that I have to worldbuild all of these stories at once.
Thank you so much for this. Just like the "World building dont's" video, this helped me on an intense scale. I was wondering if you might consider doing the do's and dont's on building a species if you haven't already done so? That would be intensely helpful. Thank you again!
I love how direct this tutorial is. 😂😂😂 I learned a lot, Jenna. Thank you! 😁
The last one is very true, because I'd been worldbuilding and character-profiling nonstop for about six months only to realize that, once I started writing, I didn't know if there were light switches in my fantasy school.
Thanks for this helpful video. I seem to be on a good way, because even before watching I had covered most of the points you mentioned. But I got some additional ideas through this video. Which is great, because my sister, who is my most critical test reader, would have definitely picked on those parts.
Your videos have really helped me with a story I really wanna make
oh my God this was exactly the video i needed. thank you for organizing my mind
Thank you really much, these tips are so helpful.