Let’s talk about world-building!

World-Building Secrets: Bringing Your Story to Life

Have you ever cracked open a book and felt completely transported—like you could smell the salty sea air, hear the distant chatter of a bustling marketplace, or feel the eerie stillness of an abandoned house? That, my friend, is the magic of world-building.

Creating a world that feels real, whether it’s set in the distant past, an alternate present, or a fantastical realm, is one of the most important aspects of storytelling. But here’s the thing—world-building isn’t just about describing landscapes and architecture. It’s about weaving together history, culture, atmosphere, and sensory details in a way that makes readers feel like they’re stepping into a fully realized place. And it applies to every genre.

Today I’m sharing some of my favorite world-building secrets, along with a behind-the-scenes look at how I approach world-building in my own books.

Start with What’s Familiar

One of the best ways to build an immersive world is to start with something familiar and add a twist. Think about the setting of your story—does it mirror our own world but with subtle differences? Does it exist in a completely different time or dimension? Even if you’re writing a story set in the real world, every place has unique customs, traditions, and histories.

For example, in The Bibliomancer’s Daughter, I wanted the setting to feel rich with history and a touch of the mystical. I drew inspiration from real-life bibliomancers—people who practice divination through books—and blended that with a small-town Outer Banks atmosphere full of secrets. This mix of the ordinary and the extraordinary helped ground the world in reality while still leaving room for magic.

Use the Five Senses

Readers engage with a world not just through sight but through sound, smell, taste, and touch. Sensory details breathe life into a setting. In other words, showing versus telling.

Instead of writing: “The bakery smelled good.”

Try: “The warm scent of cinnamon and butter wrapped around her like a hug, reminding her of the sticky buns her grandmother used to make on Sunday mornings.”

The second example shows the reader that something smells good, rather than being told—they experience it.

When I was writing The Sky Girls of Swallow Hall, I wanted the old family house to feel haunting and alive at the same time. Instead of just describing the mansion, I thought about how it would feel to my main character: the creak of the wooden floorboards underfoot, the way the candlelight flickered against stone walls, the scent of aged paper and something unidentifiable—maybe dust, maybe something older, something forgotten.

Think About the History and Culture

Even if you’re writing a contemporary story set in a real town, that town has history. It has legends, famous figures, a way of doing things that may be different from the town next door.

If your world is fictional, take a moment to think about:

• What are the unwritten rules? (Is it bad luck to walk through a certain archway? Do people always leave an extra place setting at the dinner table?)
• What myths or legends do people believe? (Are there old stories passed down about a mysterious woman in the woods? A missing heirloom?)
• What does everyday life look like? (How do people greet each other? What do they eat for breakfast? What superstitions do they hold?)

I love weaving small details into my books that hint at a larger world beyond the main story. Maybe it’s an old diary someone finds, a reference to an ancestor who did something scandalous, or a town tradition that shapes how people act. These little touches make a world feel real–to me and to my readers.

Dialogue and Word Choice Shape the World

People in different places (and time periods) speak differently. Dialogue is a subtle but powerful way to reinforce your setting.

• If your book takes place in a small Southern town, do characters use regional sayings?
• If your story is set in a futuristic city, how has language evolved?
• If your character is from a tight-knit community, do they use inside jokes or references outsiders wouldn’t understand?

In The Bibliomancer’s Daughter, I paid close attention to how different characters spoke—some used older, more formal language, reflecting their deep connection to the past, while others were more modern and blunt (Hattie Juniper Pickle, anyone?!). These differences helped reinforce the history of the world and the divisions within it.

Final Thoughts: World-Building Without the Info Dump

One of the biggest challenges in world-building is resisting the urge to explain everything at once. Readers don’t need a history lesson on page one—they need just enough detail to feel immersed without being overwhelmed.

Instead of a long exposition about how the town was founded, let characters mention things in passing. Maybe an older woman complains about “how things have changed since they paved Main Street.” Maybe a teenager rolls their eyes at the town’s obsession with an annual festival. Small, natural references build a world without stopping the story in its tracks.

Your Turn!

Think about your current project. What small details can you add to make your world feel richer? Are there sensory elements you can bring in? An old legend you can reference (like the 2000 year old Irish curse in my Book Magic series!)? A phrase that only people in this world would say?

Until next time, keep writing and keep dreaming!

Happy world-building!

Learn more about World-Building with this Foundations of World-Building online course: Bringing Your Fictional Worlds to Life.

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Read about using tropes to create original stories. Click HERE.