Building a World
How do authors build worlds that feel real—without ever naming them?
“World building” is one of those phrases authors use when talking among themselves. But what does it really mean to build a world?
For an author, it means creating a believable setting against which a story can unfold. Is it a world where dragons exist? A tale of high intrigue on the seas—requiring ships, trade routes, and maritime customs? Or a city whose architecture, traffic, sounds, and smells must all feel authentic?
In all of my books—the Jennifer trilogy, Running from the AIs, Harriet’s Way, and Saving Inez—the world is the same: a post-apocalyptic landscape where most of Earth’s population has died off. My characters live on an unnamed island somewhere in the North Atlantic. Though the island is imaginary, I picture Toronto as I write—the red-brick buildings, the streets I know—so the world feels close to home.
That makes my work easier. For authors who write of far-off places—cities like Rome, Paris, or Budapest—the challenge is greater unless they know those places deeply. It’s one reason I never named my island or made it exactly like anywhere real. It saves readers from fact-checking street names and building types. You’re welcome to try, but I doubt you’ll succeed.
Writing several books in the same world has another advantage: less time spent imagining new geography and more focus on the people—their choices, fears, and relationships. Other genres demand more vigilance to stay consistent. We’ve all read fantasy novels where it takes four days to reach the castle but only an afternoon to return, or where mountains seem to shift height depending on the chapter.
Science fiction faces a different challenge. The grand space operas create entire galaxies from imagination, where physics bends for convenience. Characters spend a weekend on a moon of Jupiter, then commute home by Monday morning—what I think of as the Battlestar Galactica problem.
When I first built my fictional world, it was only a few city blocks wide. As Jennifer’s journey expanded—to the vineyard where she founded the Centre for Gaianism, and later to Snug Harbour, where Vijay bought her the cottage at the end of the world—the map grew naturally. Later, Running from the AIs added coastal trails and rugged highlands, drawn from memories of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, and other wild shorelines I’ve visited.
Some novels take the opposite approach. In Nita Prose’s The Maid, nearly everything happens in a single hotel, a small apartment, and the streets between them—a perfectly contained world.
Which novels do you remember for the worlds they created? Do you prefer the small, intimate ones—or the vast, globe-spanning and galaxy-crossing kind?
IN THE STACKS WITH KEVIN
Zoe Price will do anything to avoid being drafted as a Canary for the Human-Alien Committee—even if that means sucking up to one of the best-known aliens in the world, scandalous rock star Chaz Reckward. Unfortunately, Chaz expects something in return for his protection: he needs a wife, and he needs one now. As Zoe’s deadline draws near, her false relationship with Chaz is put to the test. Unless they can fool multiple worlds into falling for their love, they risk losing everything—and plans as elaborate as theirs seldom work as intended.
Lost memories. Supernatural powers. A daughter taken by shadows. One woman’s world shatters as she discovers her true identity as a winged warrior sworn to protect humanity from soul-devouring creatures.
A police officer wakes up with no memories of her past life. When Zera witnesses her colleagues transform into magnificent winged warriors during a hostage situation, her reality crumbles. Her boss, Sam, reveals an impossible truth: she is a Volcan Knight, a supernatural protector of humanity, and his soulmate. Together, they had a daughter who was stolen by shadow creatures that feed on human souls. As Zera struggles to accept her newfound identity, she finds herself drawn deeper into a world of ancient powers and deadly enemies. The shadow creatures are hunting her, drawn to her unique status as the first female Volcan Knight. With her powers awakening and her scar burning with supernatural energy, she must decide whether to embrace her destiny or run from it. But can she afford to deny who she truly is when the shadows are closing in?
Before Roger, the engagement ring and a new lease on life,
I was still Margaret Kellerman
and Liam...well he was still my best friend.
Back then, I had only one goal,
make Liam Collins H-O-T!
Well not too much, I didn’t want anyone to know,
how amazing he was.
I always said he could use a little work,
so he wouldn’t get picked on as much.
Not that he cared either way,
he wasn’t one to give into popularity contests.
All he needed was the right look,
a new haircut, wardrobe and he even learned to
stop saying those corny one liners
and having soap box rants.
There’s just one thing...
