There is nothing quite like the terror of a fantasy reader pointing out that your world-building worked completely differently in Book 1. World-building is an exhilarating but taxing ordeal. The deeper you go, the more you realize the rules you are creating are not your rules, but your world’s rules. All the decisions you make are at the mercy of your creation. Simply put: you’re the boss, but only up to a point.
In this article, we will discuss the mistakes fantasy authors must avoid in world-building, especially when it comes to writing sequels. You created your world in the first book; can you maintain it in the next?
Mistake #1: Inconsistency and Forgetting the Rules
You’ll be surprised how easy it is to forget the rules when you have various things to juggle in your mind: the characters, the plot, the story, the arcs, the conflict, and so on.
For example: In book 1, you establish that only the elders are allowed to enter the forest, and even then, they must have asked for permission from the chief. But in book 2, we see the elders entering the forest without seeking permission as though it had always been permitted.
This leads to confusion. A way to fix this would be to give the elders motivation not to seek permission from the chief. This acknowledges the pre-established rule while also introducing an element of conflict - who doesn’t like a little conflict in a story? Remember, this is an in-universe fix - if you MUST break your own rule in the plot, make it an intentional choice by the characters, not an accidental slip by the author.
Forgetting the rules leads to inconsistency. It creeps up not just in the major details, but in the minor ones as well. A stream turns into a river. A month turns into three days. The sun rising in the north and setting in the south becomes the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. These inconsistencies break immersion and stall the flow.
Solution:
- Make a world-building bible - Put your world-building notes together in one place where you can easily access them.
- Review your history - Make sure you go back to your previous books and remind yourself of the rules you set in place.
Mistake #2: Making the World Too Much to Handle
When the first book works, it is only natural to want to keep working on it. But be careful not to make the world too big or too complex for you to handle.
For example: In book 1, you set the story in a single kingdom. In book 2, you introduce five new kingdoms, two new continents, and seven new cultures. That is a lot on one plate.
Solution:
Ask yourself: “Does my story need the world to become bigger or more complicated?”
If it does, handle it strategically. People never see the entire world at the same time, and neither will your characters. You don’t need to build the entire world in one go. Instead, build the parts of the world that your character will see in the story.
Case Study: In my novel Pariah Princess, the kingdom has five settlements, but because I knew my characters and story would only interact with three of those settlements, those are the ones I focused on building, and even then, at varying degrees depending on the level of interaction. In the sequel, I expanded the world a bit to add a few more sites in the kingdom not previously featured in the first book. I did this only because the story needed it, not just because I thought it would be cool to do.
Mistake #3: Adding Things Just for the Sake of It
Not every good idea is the best idea for your story. It is a harsh but important reality to remind yourself as a writer. Some ideas, no matter how amazing, need to be set aside. Everything you build in your world must serve a purpose. Everything matters, because how you shape your world, and the things you add to it, affects the characters that live in the world. It affects the story.
For example: You’re writing a story about a miniature kingdom that lives under a bed in an abandoned house. Then you get the amazing idea one day about miniature people fighting sentient toys, and drop that into one of your chapters even though you know it adds absolutely nothing to the story. It leaves the reader wondering, ‘what was the point of all of that?’ You want to avoid that.
Solution:
Before you add on to your world-building, ask yourself:
- What purpose does the addition serve?
- Are you serving yourself, the reader, or the story?
- Does it conflict with the already established lore in your world?
Mistake #4: Info-Dumping the Past
Sometimes you love your story so much that you fear the reader will not remember the world-building in the first book. The result is spending the first few chapters reminding the reader things they never forgot in the first place. It kills the pace and undermines the reader.
Solution:
- Trust your reader and focus on the story at hand.
Ultimately, when writing a sequel, you need to refer to your previous books and your notes to maintain consistency. Before you expand your world, make sure you can justify it. But do not let fear of inconsistency stop you from writing out your sequel. Your world is living and breathing, and it is bound to expand and grow – it is only natural. The trick is to keep close track of it and run it through good, keen editing. Trust me, a solid edit saves lives.
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