How to World-Build A World Map

Are you currently working on a fantasy story? If so, you probably realized at some point that you want, or even need, to create a world map. A world map allows you to outline the principal cities and kingdoms of your story, and it also brings your world to life for your readers. But how do you create one? To keep yourself from getting overwhelmed, check out the tips below!

Start with A Language

Tolkien was right: you really do need to start with a language. I’m not saying that you need to create a full, working language just to start worldbuilding. Instead, you need to know what you want the names of people and places to sound like and where you want your words to come from.

If you have the basics of a language, not only will the names you come up with for your world map sound authentic, but you will also add depth to your worldbuilding. The key is creating a language that sounds real. you don’t need to have a complete language, but you can do the following to make it sound real:

1. Decide which languages you want to use. For example, Tolkien’s Elvish is based on Finnish, and it follows a lot of the same grammar rules as Finnish. If you want your world to be based on a certain culture, then the language should do the same.

2. Come up with basic words. The most important words you need are the most basic, such as “to,” “and,” “go,” and words like that. Start coming up with words in your new language so that you can get a feel for what the language sounds like. You don’t have to create a lot, just enough to get you started.

3. Start thinking of names of people and places! Once you have a feel for your new language, you can start making your world map a reality. The names of cities, rivers, forests, and more are vital, so start with those. You can always go back and change them later anyway!

Create the Most Important Places First

This tip might seem obvious, but you would be surprised how often writers get in their own way when it comes to worldbuilding. Even when building a map in which their story takes place, they focus too much on details that don’t matter. That not only takes them away from writing their story, but it also means that important parts of their world get neglected.

I talked a little bit about worldbuilding in the past. It’s important to focus on the most important things first and then add details later. For your world map, I suggest doing the following:

1. Outline the parts of your map from most to least important. This might seem confusing since you don’t have names, but noting which parts are most important means you know what to do first. Even if you write “forest where first scene happens,” you now have a placeholder for creating a name.

2. Look back on your language. Reexamine the little bit of language you created for your story to get a feel for what the places on your map will sound like. You likely already have an idea for the most important parts of your map, but now you can make everything cohesive.

Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass world map

Outline the Details for Each Place

Lastly, I’ve seen writers do this where they take every part of the map they created and write down some details about each place. This could be any note about what happens in the plot, details about what the place looks like, or information about how the place got its name or other fun details like that.

Some writers write the details down in physical notebooks or on their phones. Others might use software to organize everything such as Scribner or Notion. Use whatever works for you! Just be sure to prioritize when outlining all of the details.

Having that information all written down means you don’t lose track of things and your map comes together with depth. Now you have every label on your world map written down as well as details that flesh out your world. So get creative and start building your map! That’ll be another thing off your worldbuilding to-do list.

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