As everyone begins decorating for Halloween, planning Thanksgiving meals, and jotting down Christmas gift ideas, writers are preparing for another kind of season filled with new characters, fresh stories, and the excitement of creative goals.

World-building in fiction writing is more than just dropping landmarks on a map or naming towns. It’s about creating a place where your readers can walk through, hear, taste, smell, and maybe even feel like they’d never want to leave. The best settings help shape the story and your characters in ways that matter, just like in real life.

As you write your next protagonist or side character, move past basic backstory. Ask what they’d wear, what songs they’d replay, how they’d argue, or which dreams keep them awake. Assign a type and build from the inside out: watch how personality threads drive the story forward.

Every writer starts small, like a child cross-legged on the floor, scribbling odd letters and stories only they can decipher. Over time,...

Learn how developing characters first can drive your plot development