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The Art of World Building #1
Creating Life
Creating a unique, immersive setting one life form at a time.
CREATING LIFE (THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING, #1) is a detailed how-to guide on inventing the heart of every imaginary world - life. With chapters on creating gods, species/races, plants, animals, monsters, heroes, villains, and even undead, it draws on the author’s quarter century of world building experience. Pointed questions, and an examination of answers and their repercussions, will help readers decide on goals, how to reach them, and whether they are even worth pursuing. Always practical, Creating Life will quickly improve the skills of beginners and experts alike, making a time consuming project more fun, easier, faster, and skillfully done.
Unlike other world building guides, the series discusses how to use your inventions in stories while balancing narrative flow with the need for explaining your world. Tailored examples illustrate this. Extensive, culled research on life forms is provided to classify and understand options without overwhelming world builders with extraneous details.
Storytellers, game designers, gamers, and hobbyists will benefit from seven free templates that can be downloaded and reused. CREATING LIFE will help your setting stand out from the multitude of fantasy and science fiction worlds audiences see. THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING is the only multi-volume series of its kind and is three times the length, depth, and breadth of other guides.
Endorsement from Bestselling Author Piers Anthony:
"I read Creating Life (The Art of World Building, #1), by Randy Ellefson...It is exhaustive, well written, and knowledgeable...I, as a successful science fiction and fantasy writer, have generated many worlds, so this material is familiar, but it would have been easier and probably better had I had a reference like this. It is realistic, recognizing that the average writer may not have the patience to work out all the details before getting into the action..."
CREATING LIFE (THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING, #1) is a detailed how-to guide on inventing the heart of every imaginary world - life. With chapters on creating gods, species/races, plants, animals, monsters, heroes, villains, and even undead, it draws on the author’s quarter century of world building experience. Pointed questions, and an examination of answers and their repercussions, will help readers decide on goals, how to reach them, and whether they are even worth pursuing. Always practical, Creating Life will quickly improve the skills of beginners and experts alike, making a time consuming project more fun, easier, faster, and skillfully done.
Unlike other world building guides, the series discusses how to use your inventions in stories while balancing narrative flow with the need for explaining your world. Tailored examples illustrate this. Extensive, culled research on life forms is provided to classify and understand options without overwhelming world builders with extraneous details.
Storytellers, game designers, gamers, and hobbyists will benefit from seven free templates that can be downloaded and reused. CREATING LIFE will help your setting stand out from the multitude of fantasy and science fiction worlds audiences see. THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING is the only multi-volume series of its kind and is three times the length, depth, and breadth of other guides.
Endorsement from Bestselling Author Piers Anthony:
"I read Creating Life (The Art of World Building, #1), by Randy Ellefson...It is exhaustive, well written, and knowledgeable...I, as a successful science fiction and fantasy writer, have generated many worlds, so this material is familiar, but it would have been easier and probably better had I had a reference like this. It is realistic, recognizing that the average writer may not have the patience to work out all the details before getting into the action..."
212 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2017
403 people are currently reading
425 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 17, 2018
A fair foundational base.
This book provides a fairly solid base of knowledge and some useful tools for both SFF writers and gamers, game masters in particular.
That being said, it should be noted that nearly all of the material present is geared toward novices.
Those experienced in world building will still glean a few choice gems, however.
This book provides a fairly solid base of knowledge and some useful tools for both SFF writers and gamers, game masters in particular.
That being said, it should be noted that nearly all of the material present is geared toward novices.
Those experienced in world building will still glean a few choice gems, however.
June 20, 2018
Basic, like child level basic. Oh and if you want more details on a subject, instead of it being in the book you paid for you can sign up for the authors newsletter.
So you could just sign up for the authors newsletter for free and get more information.
So you could just sign up for the authors newsletter for free and get more information.
January 28, 2024
The first book of an incredible resource series by Randy Ellefson. If you are a fiction writer or a Game Master, I highly recommend this series to you.
May 7, 2017
The series The Art of World Building might very well be the definitive resource to create life, places, and everything a writer needs to flesh out a world.
Creating Life, the first in the series, is packed with tools, ideas and suggestions to help you populate a world. This volume is divided in 7 chapters: Why Build a World, Gods, Species, World Figures, Monsters, Plants and Animals, and Undeads. The book is as exhaustive as a non online, constantly updated encyclopedia can be.
The first chapter makes the writer think about the pros and cons of creating a world from the ground up. Ellefson talks about worlds for one-shot stories vs. world for series, the risks you run into when creating many worlds for many stories, how deep you should plan each world, and how to deal with exposition when revealing world details in your stories (and he brings up an observation that I've thought about for a long time now: the more you create and detail, the more you'll feel tempted to cram it all in your book, to make sure the reader doesn't miss any of your wondrous inventions).
The next chapters are self-explanatory. The author guides us through numerous questions and thoughts on how to create each "life", from gods to undeads. The amount of suggestions really surprised me. In the gods section, for instance, Ellefson talks about pantheons, symbols, religions, powers, vulnerability, origins, mythology, apocalipse, behavior, reputation, interaction with humans, and MUCH more. In species, he takes us through race vs. species, habitat, climate, appearance, traits, world view, language, technology, and so it goes.
Each chapter also has specific suggestions for both SF and fantasy genres. Tips like working with analogues from real life or from other authors and changing them to make your own fresh creations were very helpful, and Ellefson states the pitfalls in this method, too.
My favorite chapter was the World Figures one. I think the concept to create famous characters, be they villains or heroes, is often overlooked (at least I never gave it much thought). This is like creating the mythologies and legends of our own worlds, making up famous and infamous personalities. The story becomes even more colorful and alive when the background is more than just a blurry thing full of generic NPCs.
The author ends each chapter with a "Where to Start" section, providing a useful mini-guide to start generating your chosen life form. Finally, in the appendix, there are templates for each chapter (and you can also download them in Word format by subscribing to Ellefson's newsletter) that makes your whole job easier.
It's an amazing reference book. The author's passion for fantasy and world building really shines through each page. He not only knows what he's talking about but is excited to share it all.
Can't wait for books 2 and 3!
Creating Life, the first in the series, is packed with tools, ideas and suggestions to help you populate a world. This volume is divided in 7 chapters: Why Build a World, Gods, Species, World Figures, Monsters, Plants and Animals, and Undeads. The book is as exhaustive as a non online, constantly updated encyclopedia can be.
The first chapter makes the writer think about the pros and cons of creating a world from the ground up. Ellefson talks about worlds for one-shot stories vs. world for series, the risks you run into when creating many worlds for many stories, how deep you should plan each world, and how to deal with exposition when revealing world details in your stories (and he brings up an observation that I've thought about for a long time now: the more you create and detail, the more you'll feel tempted to cram it all in your book, to make sure the reader doesn't miss any of your wondrous inventions).
The next chapters are self-explanatory. The author guides us through numerous questions and thoughts on how to create each "life", from gods to undeads. The amount of suggestions really surprised me. In the gods section, for instance, Ellefson talks about pantheons, symbols, religions, powers, vulnerability, origins, mythology, apocalipse, behavior, reputation, interaction with humans, and MUCH more. In species, he takes us through race vs. species, habitat, climate, appearance, traits, world view, language, technology, and so it goes.
Each chapter also has specific suggestions for both SF and fantasy genres. Tips like working with analogues from real life or from other authors and changing them to make your own fresh creations were very helpful, and Ellefson states the pitfalls in this method, too.
My favorite chapter was the World Figures one. I think the concept to create famous characters, be they villains or heroes, is often overlooked (at least I never gave it much thought). This is like creating the mythologies and legends of our own worlds, making up famous and infamous personalities. The story becomes even more colorful and alive when the background is more than just a blurry thing full of generic NPCs.
The author ends each chapter with a "Where to Start" section, providing a useful mini-guide to start generating your chosen life form. Finally, in the appendix, there are templates for each chapter (and you can also download them in Word format by subscribing to Ellefson's newsletter) that makes your whole job easier.
It's an amazing reference book. The author's passion for fantasy and world building really shines through each page. He not only knows what he's talking about but is excited to share it all.
Can't wait for books 2 and 3!
November 15, 2019
If you are familiar with this type of world-building how to books, then Creating Life is for the most part exactly what you would expect. It shines the most in the chapter on creating heroes and famous figures in your world; the downside of it is that it is 1/3 of a series on world-building that frequently references other entries, forcing you to either buy the rest of the books or have a nagging feeling of being incomplete. Average at best.
May 18, 2020
Best part of the book is the templates. Otherwise, a few interesting parts. The author assumes much and needs to study basic biology. Otherwise, it's a good primer to books with more provoking questions.
March 30, 2018
A good reference and guide
I liked this book. It is a good guide for someone who has no idea how to go about world building. It does not give all the answers or everything one needs to create their own world, but I do not believe it is meant to be or that any single work can be. The author does a good job though of giving a good reference of what someone undertaking world building should consider and touches well on areas where a person might need or want to do more research.
There are several references to the other two volumes in this set as others mention, but I found these to be helpful in letting me know that the author knows there could be more here,but he intends to cover that more fully in another volume of the series. He also includes links to other helpful references for research he has located.
My only complaint would be that the price seems a little higher than necessary ($5 would have been a better price point to me), and it could have used one more proof read to catch the few remaining obvious typos, etc.
I look forward to reading the other two volumes in the series.
I liked this book. It is a good guide for someone who has no idea how to go about world building. It does not give all the answers or everything one needs to create their own world, but I do not believe it is meant to be or that any single work can be. The author does a good job though of giving a good reference of what someone undertaking world building should consider and touches well on areas where a person might need or want to do more research.
There are several references to the other two volumes in this set as others mention, but I found these to be helpful in letting me know that the author knows there could be more here,but he intends to cover that more fully in another volume of the series. He also includes links to other helpful references for research he has located.
My only complaint would be that the price seems a little higher than necessary ($5 would have been a better price point to me), and it could have used one more proof read to catch the few remaining obvious typos, etc.
I look forward to reading the other two volumes in the series.
May 28, 2020
Excellent Guide to Making Real Characters in Speculative Fiction
In the first book of this three-part (so far) series about world building in speculative fiction (sci-fi and fantasy), the author explores how to—as the title says—create life. After looking briefly at why authors should do enough world building, the author starts right at the top by looking at gods followed by species (which some others might call races). He brings it down more personally to villains, heroes, and monsters. He also drills down into the types of plants that a story could have and how they could be used. There's even a chapter dedicated to the undead. (Hmmm, can the undead be thought of as “life,” as this book is supposed to be about?) This book is very detailed, and if you write speculative fiction, it will certainly get you thinking about all the things you need to consider to create believable life in your story worlds.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreview.com
In the first book of this three-part (so far) series about world building in speculative fiction (sci-fi and fantasy), the author explores how to—as the title says—create life. After looking briefly at why authors should do enough world building, the author starts right at the top by looking at gods followed by species (which some others might call races). He brings it down more personally to villains, heroes, and monsters. He also drills down into the types of plants that a story could have and how they could be used. There's even a chapter dedicated to the undead. (Hmmm, can the undead be thought of as “life,” as this book is supposed to be about?) This book is very detailed, and if you write speculative fiction, it will certainly get you thinking about all the things you need to consider to create believable life in your story worlds.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreview.com
July 20, 2021
I came across this book after almost six months of not writing. I'd lost my motivation and confidence after my recent novel collapsed on me. I've studied creative writing to masters level, so that collapse shook me to my core and had me questioning my education, my passion and my future.
Once I'd pinned down that worldbuilding was where I'd slipped up, I fell back into research and this book was one of the best I've encountered. Sure, it doesn't cover everything and links out to the author's website a lot, but he talks a hell of a lot of sense. The questions he poses really get you thinking, and for the first time in months, I have ideas, I have confidence, I have motivation.
Not every book appeals to everyone, but this one certainly resonated for me. Time for the rest of the series!
Once I'd pinned down that worldbuilding was where I'd slipped up, I fell back into research and this book was one of the best I've encountered. Sure, it doesn't cover everything and links out to the author's website a lot, but he talks a hell of a lot of sense. The questions he poses really get you thinking, and for the first time in months, I have ideas, I have confidence, I have motivation.
Not every book appeals to everyone, but this one certainly resonated for me. Time for the rest of the series!
March 15, 2020
Good detailed read
Excellent source for the aspiring fantasy writer. Helps breakdown world building into easy to understand sections allowing you to focus on the parts you need and ignore the rest
Excellent source for the aspiring fantasy writer. Helps breakdown world building into easy to understand sections allowing you to focus on the parts you need and ignore the rest
July 8, 2020
Good for starting world builders to consider.
As a person who built two FRPG worlds in the 1970s and 1980s this book was a good refresher and a good “next step to think about” source.
As a person who built two FRPG worlds in the 1970s and 1980s this book was a good refresher and a good “next step to think about” source.
January 1, 2020
Great resource that I always keep handy when writing. The book is organized well by topic and has lots of great insights and information for help with your characters, monsters, plants or animals.
November 18, 2020
Pretty interesting, once you got passed the author hocking his website and newsletter seemingly every other page.
November 23, 2020
An interesting read. Just a recipe book of ideas for creating different types of beings. Provides plenty of thought starting questions and tips.
November 5, 2021
Excellent reference material that will enhance any story creator's works. Even if you only use a fraction of the material, it'll still improve your efforts.
January 20, 2020
I picked up this book as part of a project to find really great craft books to recommend to other writers on world building.
DNF at 15% - here's why.
This book is a great summary on how this particular author approaches world building.
The first 9% of this book contains a lot of self-advertising for the series and outlines of what readers should expect to see contained within the pages, instead of jumping right into the pages. But as I skimmed ahead a little, any crafting contained within seemed to be just more links to the authors newsletter - asking readers to give their email in exchange for a template.
I wouldn't recommend it as a craft book, but may be suited best for writers who love to read the different world approaches from other SFF authors.
DNF at 15% - here's why.
This book is a great summary on how this particular author approaches world building.
The first 9% of this book contains a lot of self-advertising for the series and outlines of what readers should expect to see contained within the pages, instead of jumping right into the pages. But as I skimmed ahead a little, any crafting contained within seemed to be just more links to the authors newsletter - asking readers to give their email in exchange for a template.
I wouldn't recommend it as a craft book, but may be suited best for writers who love to read the different world approaches from other SFF authors.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews