Before diving into your narrative, before creating characters or outlining plot events, experienced writers pause to answer foundational questions about their fictional world. This deliberate world-building foundation prevents plot holes, ensures consistency, and creates settings that feel lived-in and authentic. Unlike sprawling world-building guides that can overwhelm with hundreds of questions, this checklist focuses on the ten essential questions that unlock every other decision about your setting.
Why These Ten Questions Matter
The most common world-building mistake is treating your setting as a static backdrop rather than an active environment that shapes character behavior, influences plot events, and drives conflict. Your world isn’t window dressing—it’s a character itself. These ten questions force you to understand your world at a fundamental level before you write a single scene.
Additionally, this approach prevents the “over-planning trap”—spending months perfecting every detail before writing any actual story. These ten questions provide a solid foundation while remaining efficient enough to complete before drafting.
Question 1: What Is Your World’s Core Premise—The One Big Idea?
Why This Question Matters: Every successful fictional world rests on a foundational concept that makes it unique. This isn’t a vague “it’s a fantasy world”—it’s the specific “what if” that generates everything else.
What to Answer:
Define your world’s central concept in a single sentence or two. What makes this world fundamentally different from Earth or other fictional worlds?
- “What if sunlight is poisonous and underground cities are the norm?”
- “What if magic corrupts the environment?”
- “What if humanity discovered faster-than-light travel, enabling interstellar empires?”
- “What if two moons created constant gravitational tension, resulting in perpetual storms?”
This core premise cascades into every other decision. A world where sunlight is poisonous automatically generates cultures that fear light, architecture designed for darkness, religions worshipping shadow, and character conflicts with surface-dwellers.
How to Develop It:
Ask yourself: What single rule or circumstance, if true, would fundamentally change how civilization develops? What challenge does your world face that Earth doesn’t?
Question 2: What Is Your World’s Scope—How Much Do You Actually Need to Build?
Why This Question Matters: Writers often waste enormous energy building details that never appear in their story. Defining scope prevents this inefficiency while maintaining enough world depth for authenticity.
What to Answer:
Will your story take place in a single city, an entire continent, a planet, or multiple worlds? What’s the geographical and cultural scope your narrative requires?
Examples:
- Single city: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo takes place entirely in Ketterdam
- Multiple countries: A Song of Ice and Fire spans continents but focuses on specific kingdoms
- Entire planet: Dune requires understanding Frank Herbert’s desert ecology, multiple societies, and political structures
- Multiple worlds: Dark Tower series requires understanding Earth, multiple dimensions, and their relationships
How to Develop It:
Ask yourself: Where does my story begin and end geographically? How far do my characters travel? What regions directly affect the plot versus regions I reference but never show? The answer defines your building boundary.
Critical Distinction: You might mention a distant frozen continent, but if your story never travels there, you need only cursory details about it. The detailed world-building focus remains on places your characters actually inhabit.
Question 3: How Does Physical Geography Shape Daily Life and Conflict?
Why This Question Matters: Geography isn’t decoration—it fundamentally influences how civilizations develop, where conflicts emerge, and what challenges characters face.
What to Answer:
What is the terrain, climate, and natural resources of your world? How do these geographical features influence settlement patterns, trade routes, warfare, and cultural development?
Geographical Elements to Consider:
Terrain: Mountains, deserts, forests, plains, coastlines. Each landscape supports different populations and creates natural barriers or connections between regions.
Climate: Temperature patterns, seasonal variations, weather phenomena. Harsh winters keep populations isolated; temperate climates allow year-round travel.
Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, magical storms, floods, volcanic activity. These threats shape architecture, infrastructure, and cultural psychology.
Resources: Fertile land, metals, rare materials. Control of resources drives conflict and establishes trade relationships.
Flora and Fauna: What grows naturally? What animals exist? Are there unique creatures that affect daily life?
Example Case Study: Middle-earth’s geography fundamentally shapes the story. The geography of Mordor—volcanic, desolate, defended by mountains—makes the journey to destroy the Ring incredibly difficult. The location of natural barriers (mountains, rivers) determines travel paths and military strategy. The temperate climate of the Shire enables its peaceful, agrarian lifestyle until external threats force change.
How to Develop It:
Map your world (not necessarily with precision, but conceptually). Ask: If I were a farmer in this climate, what would I grow? If I were a trader, what routes would I use? If I were a general, where would I position my forces? Geography answers these questions.
Question 4: What Systems of Power and Governance Define Your World?
Why This Question Matters: Who holds power, how they maintain it, and what opposition exists generates your story’s political conflict.
What to Answer:
What forms of government exist? Who holds power in the regions your story touches? How did they acquire power, and what tensions exist around governance?
Governance Elements to Consider:
Government Type: Monarchy, democracy, theocracy, oligarchy, anarchy, corporate control, military junta, or hybrid systems.
Power Succession: How does leadership change? Is it hereditary, elected, earned through combat, or determined by hidden councils?
Centers of Power: Where are major power structures located, and why? Capital cities, holy sites, military strongholds.
Law and Justice: What’s legal and illegal? How are crimes punished? Are laws enforced consistently or selectively?
Hidden Power: What secret organizations exist? Do power structures operate in shadow as well as openly?
Opposition and Conflict: What threatens the current power structure? What tensions simmer beneath stability?
Example Case Study: In A Song of Ice and Fire, the Seven Kingdoms maintain a feudal monarchy with specific succession rules. However, the inheritance question creates constant tension—multiple claimants to the throne generate war. Understanding who holds power (kings and queens), how they maintain it (military might, legitimacy, alliances), and what threatens them (rival claimants, invading forces) drives the entire political narrative.
How to Develop It:
Ask: Who makes decisions in this world? How do ordinary people experience governance? What happens when someone challenges power? Does the system evolve or crush change?
Question 5: If Magic Exists, How Does It Work and What Are Its Limitations?
Why This Question Matters: Magic is a world-building element, not an excuse for plot convenience. Clear, consistent magic rules prevent readers from feeling cheated when “magic solves everything” happens.
What to Answer:
Does magic exist in your world? If yes, what are its rules, costs, and limitations? Who can access magic, and what knowledge or training is required?
Magic System Elements to Consider:
Nature of Magic: Is it scientific and studied, mystical and intuitive, a rare gift, or common and ordinary?
Source of Power: Where does magic come from? Gods, nature, internal energy, technological advancement disguised as magic?
Accessibility: Can anyone perform magic, or only specific people? Do people need training or are they born with ability?
Limitations and Costs: What can’t magic do? What’s the cost of using magic—physical exhaustion, mental strain, moral corruption, finite resources?
Consequences: How does magic affect the environment, society, and individuals?
Laws and Taboos: Are certain types of magic forbidden? How are magic-users regulated or revered?
Example Case Study: In Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, magic has strict rules. Allomancy requires ingesting metals and “burning” them internally to create specific effects. Different metals produce different powers. Users experience physical exhaustion. The system is so consistent that readers understand exactly what’s possible and impossible, creating genuine tension when characters face challenges.
Contrast this with vague magic systems where magic suddenly solves plot problems inconsistently. Readers lose trust when magic’s capabilities are unclear.
How to Develop It:
Write down your magic system’s rules. Then ask: Could my protagonist use magic to avoid the central conflict entirely? If yes, your magic system needs limits. The power of magic should create new problems rather than solve all problems.
Question 6: What Is Your World’s History, and How Does It Shape Present-Day Conflicts?
Why This Question Matters: Current tensions, cultural beliefs, and character motivations all stem from historical events. Understanding your world’s history explains why things are the way they are.
What to Answer:
What major historical events shaped your world? What wars occurred, what civilizations rose and fell, what traumas do cultures still carry? How do these historical tensions influence present-day conflicts?
Historical Elements to Consider:
Defining Wars or Conflicts: What major battles shaped current power structures? Are there ongoing historical enmities?
Periods of Change: When did governance structures form? When did major cultural shifts occur?
Traumas and Triumphs: What tragic events do cultures remember? What achievements are celebrated?
Rise and Fall of Civilizations: Did previous civilizations exist? What happened to them? Do their remains affect the current world?
Cultural Memory: How do people remember and interpret history? (Different groups often remember the same events differently)
Example Case Study: In The Poppy War, the history of the Rin’s homeland—previous invasions, humiliations, and colonial oppression—explains why characters pursue violent resistance and why the protagonist’s power is both celebrated and feared. The historical trauma shapes cultural values, military strategy, and individual character choices.
How to Develop It:
Ask: Why is character A prejudiced against character B’s people? The answer likely involves history. Why does one nation fear another? History explains it. This approach ensures your world feels lived-in rather than arbitrary.
Question 7: What Are the Major Cultures, and What Do They Value?
Why This Question Matters: Cultures aren’t monolithic. Understanding cultural values, daily practices, and belief systems creates authentic character behavior and generates conflict between different worldviews.
What to Answer:
What distinct cultures exist in your world? What do they value? What traditions define them? How do they interact with other cultures?
Cultural Elements to Consider:
Core Values: What does this culture prioritize—honor, loyalty, innovation, tradition, family, community, individual achievement?
Daily Life: What do people eat, wear, do for work? What are typical homes like?
Traditions and Celebrations: What holidays matter? What rituals define important life moments?
Language and Communication: Do different cultures speak different languages or dialects?
Arts and Entertainment: What forms of artistic expression matter to this culture?
Religion or Philosophy: What spiritual beliefs guide this culture?
Social Hierarchy: How is status determined? What’s considered honorable or shameful?
Relationship to Other Cultures: Do they trade, fear, respect, or despise neighboring cultures?
Example Case Study: In Outlander, Claire encounters Scottish Highland culture with specific values (clan loyalty, honor codes, distinctive dress and language). These cultural elements create authentic conflicts when Claire, from modern England, encounters traditions that feel foreign or troubling. The cultural differences between Sassenach outsiders and Highland Scots generate tension and character growth.
How to Develop It:
Ask: What would a character from this culture consider disrespectful? What would they be proud of? What frightens them? The answers reveal cultural values.
Question 8: How Do People Communicate Across Distances, and What Technology Exists?
Why This Question Matters: Technology level and communication systems determine plot possibilities. Can characters send urgent messages? How quickly does information travel? Do remote areas remain isolated or connected?.
What to Answer:
What’s the technology level of your world? How do people communicate? How quickly does information travel? Who controls communication?
Communication and Technology Considerations:
Overall Technology Level: Medieval, Renaissance, Industrial Age, modern, futuristic, post-apocalyptic, or a blend of different eras?
Communication Methods: Written letters, messengers, birds, magical transmission, telephone, internet, telepathy?
Communication Speed: Do messages travel instantly or take days/weeks?
Information Control: Who controls what information gets shared? Is communication free or regulated?
Literacy Rates: Can most people read and write, or only elites?
Transportation: How do people travel? Horses, carriages, ships, airships, teleportation, hyperspace?
Example Case Study: In medieval-inspired fantasy, messages travel by horse and take weeks. This creates urgency for face-to-face meetings and explains why characters can’t instantly communicate solutions. In sci-fi with faster-than-light communication, instant dialogue across star systems is possible, creating different narrative dynamics.
How to Develop It:
Ask: If my protagonist learns critical information on Monday, how long before the antagonist discovers it? The answer depends on your communication systems.
Question 9: What Daily Problems Do Ordinary People Face?
Why This Question Matters: The most believable worlds address mundane challenges alongside fantastical ones. What do people worry about? How do they find food, shelter, and safety? These practical concerns ground your world in authenticity.
What to Answer:
What challenges do ordinary people face in their daily lives? How do they earn money? What resources are scarce or plentiful? What dangers threaten common folk?
Economics: What work do people do? How do they earn a living?
Resources: What’s abundant and what’s scarce? Does food security matter?
Housing: What does typical housing look like? How do people afford it?
Health and Medicine: How do people address illness and injury? Is medicine effective?
Law Enforcement: How safe are people? Do authorities protect them or prey on them?
Social Mobility: Can a poor person become wealthy? What barriers exist?
Example Case Study: In Six of Crows, characters face real economic pressures. Money is necessary for survival. Crime exists partly because legal opportunities don’t exist for marginalized people. The setting feels authentic because characters deal with hunger, poverty, and the need to make money for basic survival alongside the fantastical heist.
How to Develop It:
Ask: What worries keep your characters awake at night? The answer should sometimes be mundane—paying rent, finding food, avoiding violence—not just world-shaking battles.
Question 10: What Single Element Makes Your World Feel Lived-In and Specific Rather Than Generic?
Why This Question Matters: The difference between a forgettable setting and a memorable one often comes down to specific, distinctive details that feel authentic and unique.
What to Answer:
What’s the one element that makes your world uniquely yours? Not the core premise—something more specific. A particular cuisine, a distinctive tradition, an unusual architectural style, a specific type of conflict or ecological feature that feels peculiar to this world?
Examples of Distinctive Details:
Architecture: The undersea cities of Atlantis, the cliffside dwellings of specific regions, the mechanical cities of steampunk worlds
Traditions: A culture’s specific marriage ceremonies, coming-of-age rituals, holiday celebrations
Cuisine: Food preferences shaped by available resources create cultural identity
Customs and Etiquette: Specific greetings, taboo behaviors, social rules
Ecological Features: Particular animals, plants, or natural phenomena specific to this world
Economic Systems: How trade works, what’s valuable, what currency is used
Cultural Artifacts: Art forms, music, literature specific to this culture
Example Case Study: In Lord of the Rings, pipe-weed smoking, hobbit architecture (round doors, carefully manicured gardens), and the distinctive songs and stories of different cultures make Middle-earth feel lived-in. These details aren’t essential to the plot, but they create immersion and authenticity.
How to Develop It:
Ask: What small detail could I never remove from this world without it feeling less real? What aspect would be sorely missed by readers? That’s your distinctive element—the detail that makes this world yours.
Implementing Your World-Building Checklist
Execution Strategy:
1. Answer Quickly First Pass (30-60 minutes)
Write brief answers to all ten questions without overthinking. Your first instincts often provide the most authentic starting points.
2. Identify Gaps and Contradictions
Read through your answers. Do they align with each other? Does your technology level match your cultural development? Does your geography support your economies? Spot inconsistencies.
3. Develop the Critical Path Only
For each question, determine which details matter for your story. You don’t need to answer every sub-question exhaustively—only the elements your narrative requires.
4. Build Iteratively
You don’t need to complete this checklist before writing. Answer these ten questions sufficiently to avoid plot holes in your opening chapters, then deepen details as you draft.
5. Remain Flexible
If your story reveals that your world-building assumptions are wrong, adjust them. World-building serves your story, not the reverse.
The Anti-Procrastination Note
A critical reminder: World-building should not become a substitute for writing. The most beautifully detailed world that never makes it into a finished story is useless. Answer these ten questions thoroughly enough to write confidently, then begin your actual narrative. The remaining world-building details will emerge organically as you draft.
Your world exists to serve your characters’ stories, not the reverse. These ten questions provide the foundation. Your story provides the direction.