Worldbuilding is one of the main reasons people are drawn to fantasy writing in the first place. Creating new cultures, histories, magic systems, and landscapes is fun. When you read authors like Tolkien or Brandon Sanderson, it’s easy to think that great worldbuilding just happens naturally.
In practise, strong worldbuilding is the result of careful choices and, just as importantly, knowing what not to include. Let’s take a look at the most common ones and how to fix them.
Mistake #1: Building the World Before the Story
A huge number of fantasy writers start by building everything: maps, religions, royal lineages, calendars, magic rules… and then realise they have no idea how to fit it all into a novel. The problem isn’t that you’ve done too much work, but that the work isn’t focused.
A far more effective approach is to plan your plot first. Once you know what your story is actually about, it becomes much easier to work out which parts of worldbuilding matter. It should exist to serve the story and the characters, especially your protagonist. If a detail doesn’t affect the plot or force a character to make a meaningful choice, it shouldn’t be on the page.
You can still build plenty behind the scenes to help you understand your world, but only a fraction of it needs to appear in the finished novel.
Mistake #2: Exposition Dumps
Fantasy novel drafts often include long explanations about how the world works. Governments, magic systems, religions, histories, all laid out in neat blocks of text. While it might feel helpful to explain everything clearly, this is one of the quickest ways to lose a reader.
Instead of explaining your world, show it in action.
If the reader needs to understand how your justice system works, don’t explain it in abstract terms—show a character being arrested, judged, or punished. If your magic system has strict rules, let us see what the effect is when someone breaks them. Action and dialogue are far more engaging than exposition, and they help the world feel real rather than theoretical.
The same goes for setting descriptions. Layer details gradually and filter them through your protagonist’s point of view. Let the world reveal itself naturally as the story unfolds.
Mistake #3: Relying on Over‑Familiar Medieval Settings
There’s nothing wrong with a medieval‑style fantasy world, but readers have seen the “generic medieval Britain” setting countless times. If your world feels too familiar, readers might give up on the book.
One solution is to move away from the default entirely. A desert culture with homes carved into mountains, for example, instantly feels different. Another option is to keep the medieval framework but subvert expectations. Change the social structures, the values, or the environmental pressures. Small twists can make a familiar setting feel fresh again.
The key is to make deliberate choices, rather than relying on genre defaults.
Mistake #4: A World That Feels Flat
Sometimes a fantasy world makes sense on paper but still feels lifeless on the page. If that’s the case, the answer usually isn’t to start from scratch.
Worldbuilding often comes together best during the second draft. Small, targeted changes can make a huge difference. Perhaps the antagonist is a monster you’ve created. Maybe a supporting character belongs to a culture with very different values. Introducing a unique creature, belief, or social rule can add depth without derailing your plot.
At this stage, structured tools—like my worldbuilding checklist—can help you spot areas where your setting could be more distinctive or more closely tied to the story.
A Better Way to Think About Worldbuilding
Good worldbuilding isn’t about how much you create. It’s about how effectively you use what you’ve invented. Every detail should earn its place by shaping character, conflict, or theme.
When you stop treating worldbuilding as a separate exercise and start treating it as part of storytelling, your fantasy world becomes richer, more immersive, and far more memorable.
I’m the author of the Writing Fantasy series, a collection of practical reference books written specifically for fantasy writers. My first book focuses on breaking down worldbuilding and magic systems, and providing a variety of ideas to inspire you. It also covers storytelling, characters, fantasy subgenres, where to get ideas and even the basics of marketing your books. If you’d like more in‑depth guidance on building stronger fantasy worlds and novels, you can find Writing Fantasy here.
