Custom Worldbuilding

 
 

Worldbuilding is as much art as it is craft. Your world needs to be seamless and engrossing, completely real and completely immersive, informing the story without overpowering it. Don't worry if that sounds daunting, Reforge is here to help.

Get a Worldbuilding Quote »

 

how it works

Fantasy and science fiction stories ask more of a reader–more suspension of disbelief, more imagination, more faith. Worldbuilding is how you ask without asking, how you weave details about politics and history and the extraordinary into every fiber of your story. It’s a blend of creativity, esoteric knowledge, and storytelling skill that, like all skills, takes practice to master.

This service is sort of a shortcut and sort of a way to learn from others’ mistakes. I’ve helped writers refine their otherworlds and sort-of-worlds and alternate-futures and fantastic-pasts. The keys to socks-knocking-off worldbuilding are:

  • Originality - in the sense that your world should feel unique to your story, and shouldn’t have any obvious elements that are lifted from other created worlds.

  • Seamlessness - the details of your world are sprinkled throughout the normal elements of the story–characterization, dialogue, description–rather than condensed in “info-dumps.”

  • Relevance - it doesn't matter how well-constructed or logically arranged your magic system is if it doesn’t advance the plot.

Think of it this way, you wouldn’t build a house without talking to an expert first, so why build a world that way?

what you get

Your world report— A detailed analysis of your worldbuilding, constructed from an initial survey, a 1-on-1 conversation, your plot synopsis, and examples from your writing. I’ll provide feedback on your concepts and your originality, and break out the analysis into the following categories, as needed:

  • History & society

  • Politics & government

  • Religion & spirituality

  • Environment & biology

  • Magic & technology

1-on-1 consultation— An hour of conversation with me, in two 30-minute blocks. First, we’ll talk about your world and your plot, and determine what I should be looking for. And after the report is finished, you’ll get a chance to go over it with me.

Plot & integration kit— A pdf toolkit of tips and methods for achieving both seamlessness and relevance in your worldbuilding, along with examples tailored to your story.

what it costs

$300 flat fee — Includes all of the above. Additional consultation time is available at $20/hour, in 15-minute blocks.