Worldbuilding everyday
Worldbuilding Wednesday is a resource for fantasy and science fiction writers that delight in building imaginary second worlds, or scaffolding fantastic elements onto our own. Here you can find deep dives into different aspects of worldbuilding.
Constructed languages
Magic systems and advanced technology
Fantastic and/or alien races
Politics and pantheons
Geography and made up maps
What’s the difference between science fiction and science fantasy?
Science fiction and fantasy have a strange relationship, fraternal twins of a sort. Similar, but not identical. Fantasy usually draws from mythology, fairy tales, folk tales, alternate worlds influenced by mysterious forces like magic. Science fiction presents “what if” scenarios that could be answered given time and tech.
Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone, a show that often explored the gray area between the two, described science fiction as “the improbable made possible” and fantasy as the “impossible made probable.”
What fantasy writers owe to Tolkien
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that J.R.R. Tolkien has had on high fantasy. He’s been called the father of the genre, and indeed we owe many of the tropes we think of as standard fantasy fare to his work. If you’ve read a book with elves or dwarves or wizards or Dark Lords, then you’ve read literature, however unintentionally, inspired by The Lord of the Rings.