Createing your world
World-building is essential to a good fantasy or science fiction story, as much as characters or plot. What fan of GRR Martin would deny that Westros is as much a part of the Game of Thrones as Jon Snow?
My Phantom Badgers novels (five so far) and the unrelated novel Chains of Honor are all set in the same world of my own creation. The effort of creating this background tapestry was sizeable, but I feel that it was worthwhile.
Build more than you need
Assemble the facts of your world separate of your story, and detail it more than is needed. That way when you set your plot against it the reader will have the sensation of a greater whole, which is very compelling. Likewise the business of writing will not be interrupted when your plot wanders off the ‘colored-in’ portion of your world.
Design nations like characters
Don’t just draw lines on a map. Note down the spirit of the place, and flesh it out. Why is living in nation A different than in nation B? Little details, like the coinage and a few hints of clothing styles can help immerse the reader. As an example, much of the Phantom Badger series takes place in the Eisenalder Empire; over the course of the books I mention that in the Empire non-noble women habitually wear a decorative shawl. This factoid crops up in virtually every one of the novels, often several times, and instills a touch of continuity and color. Its not something a reader needs to lock into his or her memory, but it certainly ought to convey a touch of familiarity when they come across it in the various stories.
What do natives of a given nation think of other nations, and what do other nations think of that nation? It certainly doesn’t have to be true, but such stereotypes are a part of Human nature as old as Mankind. Create them and use them.
What are a given nation’s perceived threats, and how has that impacted that nation? To continue with my example, the Eisenalder Empire’s north border is a cold plains populated by hostile non-Humans. This means a steady low-grade conflict along the entirety of the border. Because of this the Empire has a military dedicated to professionalism and flexibility, and it has a great interest in good internal roads (for the rapid movement of troops). Therefore in line of prisons convicts spend their sentences building and maintaining roadways. The Empire distrusts its Human neighbors, but with a long bloody border to secure it avoids any suggestion of conflict anywhere else. The Kingdom of Arturia, immediately south of the Empire, has much fewer issues with hostile non-Humans, both in frequency and scope. Their military is much more irregular, traditional, and smaller, and their emphasis on roads much less marked. Imperial citizens see Arturians as lazy, vain, and pretentious, while Arturians see Imperial citizens as grim, uncultured, and hasty.
Do not forget any demi-Humans; you can’t simply file off the serial numbers on medieval Europe, toss in a fistful of elves or Dwarves, and call it a setting. You have to ask yourself why the forest-loving Elves ad the wood-using Men haven’t killed each other by now.
Pay close attention to your villains
In fantasy especially the enemy gets a great deal of attention. Design your hostile races carefully. Are they just funny-looking Humans, or are they different beasts entirely? What are their motivations? Why are they hostile to Humans? How do they like to fight? How do they mark successes in battle and glory in war? Why are they a threat? Why haven’t the Humans destroyed them? What do they eat, how do they dress? What do they think of each other? Are the forces of Evil a monolithic block, or do they feud and fight amongst themselves?
What about your evil/enemy humans? What do they value, what sets them apart from the forces of good? How do they identify each other/ what do they think of each other? Make them something other than enemy red shirts.
The more depth you put into your villains, the more depth to your plot. Always remember that competence is not a virtue only of the good, and that evil does not equate into stupid. Think Anthony Harris playing Hannibal Lector: there is a villain worthy of the name. Insane, yet cunning, skilled, and extremely dangerous.
Languages
This can get away from a writer very easily. On the other hand, you are going to need something to lift your setting above all the others, and a bit of foreign lingo is just the ticket. In my setting, I assigned a real-life language to each nation and race, and drew upon them when I needed to toss in a word in a native language. That way the words you use sound and are structurally alike. Don’t go overboard because your reader is not going want to have to remember a dozen definitions just to follow the story, but a word here or there, especially something commonly used, won’t hurt.
Inspiration
A good fiction writer should be on the hunt for new data at all time. Besides reading history (the Emperor’s Ward was inspired by descriptions of defensive works that ran the length of the Rhine during the latter part of Roman rule) I watch documentaries, especially those on Sundance and Spigot, although NatGeo and the History Channel are not neglected. It doesn’t matter if I agree with the thrust of the show; in fact, I prefer ones which I do not agree with, because that exposes me to attitudes and viewpoints to which I would not otherwise encounter. Remember, you’ll need villains as well as heroes. The golden rule is to write what you know, but there is no limit to what you can learn.
Your world setting is the stage upon which your fantasy or sci-fi work will play out, so do not skimp on the props and scenery. A good production is the sum of its part.
