Worldbuilding. Worldbuilding. Worldbuilding.
Inventing believable fantasy cultures can be a challenge. I’m not really trying to make something historically accurate, just something that feels like it could function realistically. However, I’m not a history expert in any way shape or form. I don’t know a ton about economics or even natural biology. Whoever said “Write what you know” clearly never set out to create a fantasy world. That being said, I’m a huge believer in research, which means that if I’m making up a fantastical society, I also have to research real societies that might have been similar, to try and give it all the ring of truth, make it all sound and feel like something that could be real.
A fantasy writer is like a magician, an illusionist. You have to make it seem like there’s a whole world behind the curtain, even if there’s nothing there, and that’s kind of the fun of it, knowing which details you need to show to make it all seem like something solid. I enjoy that part of the process! I enjoy the whole process! I just also find it exhausting sometimes.
Keep casting spells, fellow magicians!
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