🌎 fantasy worldbuilding 101 - pt. 2: geography, ecology, and history

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✨  watch the rest of the fantasy worldbuilding series:
PART ONE: the absolute basics - ☀️ fantasy worldbuilding 101 - pt. 1:...
PART TWO: you are here!
PART THREE: culture, identity, and language - 🌙 fantasy worldbuilding pt. 3: cultur...
PART FOUR: politics, economics, and daily life - 🏹 fantasy worldbuilding pt. 4: politi...
PART FIVE: magic systems, myths, and faith - 🔮 fantasy worldbuilding pt. 5: magic ...

welcome back to pt. 2 of my fantasy worldbuilding series! this one is a doozy, so strap in.

today, i wanted to dive into the basics of building a fantasy world's geography, ecology, and history. to me, these are the very first building blocks of any fantasy world—but of course, your starting point may look totally different!

my usual disclaimer applies. prescriptivist writing advice is for the birds, and my only aim here is to share a bit of my process and some of my thoughts in the hope that this advice resonates or helps you find your footing with your own fantasy and science fiction writing projects!

thank you for watching :)

✨  timestamps
0:00 - opening
0:06 - intro (+ some channel changes)
1:31 - today’s topics
1:48 - GEOGRAPHY
3:52 - geography step #1 (draw a map)
4:54 - tip: reference real maps
5:31 - tip: standardize place names
6:20 - geography step #2 (make landmarks)
7:16 - geography step #3 (build cities and borders)
7:23 - tip: consider how people live in the world, especially travel logistics
8:58 - geography step #4 (vary biomes)
10:05 - tip: consider physical limitations of geography
10:26 - ECOLOGY
12:36 - ecology step #1 (map it out)
13:34 - ecology step #2 (imagine the world before humans)
14:01 - ecology step #3 (natural obstacles)
14:09 - tip (climate)
15:13 - tip: can humans and nature have a positive relationship?
16:00 - tip: what resources are scarce?
16:29 - ecology step #4 (seasons)
17:38 - ecology step #5 (flora & fauna)
20:38 - ecology step #6 (magical creature ecology)
21:13 - HISTORY
22:53 - history step #1 (draw from real human history)
25:30 - history step #2 (make a timeline)
26:23 - history step #3 (flesh out details)
28:25 - history step #4 (questions to ask yourself about your world)

✨  music
Music by Lofi Breno - Wishful Thinker - https://thmatc.co/?l=53AEFE34

✨  further reading:
Ecology in Worldbuilding - http://dankoboldt.com/world-building-...
Creating a Historical Timeline - https://themudworldblog.com/writing-f...
Tips for Better Physical Worldbuilding - https://writersedit.com/fiction-writi...
Scientific Laws for Fantasy Maps - https://hobbylark.com/writing/Creatin...

✨  more of my writing craft videos:
💕 10 tips for writing swoon-worthy ro...

✨  links:
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blog: https://lynndjung.wordpress.com/​​​​​​
travel writings: https://wherethehellami.blog
kofi: https://ko-fi.com/lynndjung​​​​​

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