These 55 Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions Are All You Need

You’ve seen many worldbuilding templates. The most popular ones are Reedsy’s 130 questions and World Anvil’s comprehensive system with 300 questions.

These lists promise to help you build incredible worlds, but they deliver something else entirely: overwhelm and stupefaction.

You sit there wondering which worldbuilding questions actually matter, which ones you can skip, and whether answering all of them is somehow required before you’re “allowed” to start writing.

Here’s what I learned after building worlds for multiple fantasy novels: most worldbuilding question lists are encyclopedic. Writers don’t need them. What writers need is a functional list of questions that provides comprehensive coverage without redundancy.

To solve this “paralysis”, I have come with 55 questions that exactly serve the purpose. This list is the core of worldbuilding and it includes 5 questions that other lists completely ignore.

Answer these questions and you’ll exactly know when you’ve built enough to start writing.

How To Use The List

Before you dive in, understand this: You don’t have to answer all the 55 questions. That’s now how it works.

More on that later. For now let me tell you how I’ve structured the questionnaire.

I have started with the Foundation & Scope category. It has six questions and these six questions help you determine what kind of worldbuilding your specific story needs.

Then move through Physical World, Inhabitants, and Power questions. History and Magic questions come next if they’re relevant to your story.

Don’t skip Daily Life & Sensory Details (this is where worlds start feeling real instead of theoretical).

End with Story Integration questions because these help you connect your worldbuilding to your actual story and know when to stop building.

Different story types need different questions. Character-driven intimate fantasy needs fewer geography questions and more cultural texture. Epic political fantasy needs robust power structures but can skimp on daily life details.

Romance in a fantasy setting needs cultural values and sensory details but can minimize economic systems.

For methodology on where to start and what sequence to follow, see my guide on how to start worldbuilding. This post gives you the practical tool, the actual questions, whereas the guide provides you the blueprint.

One more thing, you can answer questions during drafting, not just before. Some worldbuilding emerges naturally as you write. Some can come up from the prompts. No matter what, give yourself permission to leave blanks and fill them in later.

Foundation & Scope (6 Questions)

These are the questions that you must answer because they establish the basics before you dive into details.

Answering these questions prevents you from drowning in specifics before you’ve built your framework. They help you determine what kind of worldbuilding your story actually needs, which is different for every writer and every project.

Foundation and scope questions set boundaries. A village story needs intimate local detail. A multi-nation epic needs broader strokes across more territory.

A character-driven tale needs less political complexity than a fantasy of political intrigue. Answering these first saves you from building elaborate systems your story doesn’t need.

Every story type should start here. These questions take 15-30 minutes to answer but save you hours of unnecessary worldbuilding.

If you skip this category, you’ll build blindly without knowing what your story requires, which leads to either massive over-building or frustrating gaps.

Q1: Is your world set on Earth (past, present, or future), an alternate version of Earth, or a completely invented world?

This determines how much explaining you need to do. Earth-based settings inherit reader knowledge. Invented worlds require more groundwork. Skip this and you’ll waste time building details readers already assume or fail to establish basics readers need.

Q2: What type of story are you telling (character-driven, plot-driven, romance, quest, political intrigue, mystery), and how much worldbuilding does that story type need?

Character-driven intimate romance needs vastly less worldbuilding than epic political fantasy. This question prevents over-building or under-building based on story needs. Skip it and you’ll build the wrong depth of world for your actual story.

Q3: What’s the geographic scope of your story. Is it a single village, one city, one country, or multiple nations/worlds?

Scope determines how much geography, politics, and culture you need to develop. If you don’t answer this, then you’ll develop detailed cultures for places characters never visit or have characters travel through bland, identical locations.

Q4: What 2-3 worldbuilding elements are most important to your specific story’s plot or themes?

Now comes what are the elements that drive your story. Is it the magic system? The political intrigue? The cultural clash? Skip this and you’ll build everything equally when you should create exceptional depth where it counts.

Q5: What worldbuilding details must readers understand in Act 1 to follow the plot, versus what can be revealed later?

Not all worldbuilding is created equal. Some details are essential for page one. Others can wait until page 200. This prevents info-dumping and helps you prioritize what to develop first versus what can emerge during writing.

Q6: What’s the “elevator pitch” for your world? That one sentence that captures its most distinctive element?

If you can’t summarize what makes your world unique in one sentence, your worldbuilding might lack focus. This sentence becomes your North Star for worldbuilding decisions. Ignore it and the world feels generic because you haven’t identified what makes it special.

Physical World & Environment (7 Questions)

This category grounds your world in physical reality. But we’re not talking about mapping every mountain range or cataloging every plant species.

These questions focus on geography and environment as they create obstacles, shape culture, and provide sensory grounding.

Why?

Because geography creates conflict. And conflict is vital no matter what kind of story you’re writing.

Mountains isolate cultures. Deserts challenge survival. Rivers enable trade but also become borders worth fighting over. These questions help you build an environment that serves the story rather than just decorates it. The sensory question at the end makes worlds feel lived-in rather than theoretical.

Epic fantasies and quest narratives need strong answers here. Character-driven stories set in one location can answer these more lightly.

If your protagonist never leaves the city, you don’t need extensive wilderness worldbuilding. Focus your energy where your characters actually go.

Q7: What geographic features such as mountains, deserts, rivers, and forests determine how people live?

Geography isn’t decoration. It creates obstacles, opportunities, and cultural divisions. Mountains isolate cultures while rivers connect them. Miss this and your world feels like a stage set rather than a real place with real constraints.

Q8: How does climate affect daily life, survival challenges, and seasonal rhythms?

Climate determines what people eat, wear, build with, and struggle against. A desert culture develops different technologies and values than a frozen tundra culture. Not figuring this out makes characters behave the same regardless of whether they’re in tropical heat or arctic cold.

Q9: What natural resources are abundant versus scarce, and how does this create conflict or cooperation?

Scarcity drives conflict. Abundance shapes power. Who controls water, food, fuel, or magical resources? This creates inherent story tension. Without scarcity driven conflict the world lacks realistic economic drivers or sources of conflict.

Q10: What’s dangerous in this world’s natural environment? Is it the weather, creatures, terrain, or something else?

Every real place has hazards. Danger makes the world feel real and creates natural obstacles for your plot. Skip this and the world feels too safe or convenient, with characters traveling and surviving without realistic challenges.

Q11: What does this world look, sound, smell, and feel like on a typical day?

Sensory details create immersion. Readers remember the smell of woodsmoke, the sound of market haggling, the texture of stone walls. Skip this and the world feels flat and visual-only. Readers can’t truly imagine being there.

Q12: Where does your story physically take place—specific locations your protagonist moves through?

You don’t need to map your entire world, but you do need to deeply understand the specific locations in your story. That tavern, that castle, that forest where key scenes happen. Skip this and settings feel generic and interchangeable.

Q13: How does geography create isolation or connection between different groups of people?

Natural barriers historically create distinct cultures. Trade routes connect cultures. This explains why different regions are different and how they influence each other. Skip it and the world lacks logical reasons why cultures are distinct or how they interact.

Inhabitants & Cultures (8 Questions)

This category covers who lives in your world and how they organize themselves socially. Culture is the water your characters swim in without realizing it. It creates expectations characters can fulfill or violate, which is where interesting character choices happen.

These questions focus on cultural friction and variation rather than exhaustive documentation. What creates tension? Where do cultures clash? What values drive behavior?

The goal isn’t to write a cultural encyclopedia but to understand enough about cultural differences that your characters’ choices feel grounded in something real.

Character-driven stories should prioritize these questions. Romance needs strong cultural values and taboos. Political intrigue needs clear inter-group dynamics.

High fantasy with multiple cultures needs solid answers here. You can answer these more lightly if your story features a single homogeneous culture, though be aware that homogeneous cultures are less interesting.

Q14: What intelligent species or distinct peoples inhabit your world, and what makes each group recognizable?

Whether you’re writing human cultures or different species, readers need to distinguish groups. This isn’t just physical description but distinct cultural identities. Skip this and all cultures feel the same, with readers unable to tell different groups apart.

Q15: What does each culture value most. Do they value honor, freedom, family, wealth, knowledge, power, tradition? And how do these values drive behavior?

Cultural values create expectations and conflicts. A culture that prizes individual freedom clashes with one that values collective duty. Values explain why characters do what they do. Missing out on the values makes characters from supposedly different cultures all think and act the same.

Q16: What’s considered deeply shameful or taboo in this culture, and what are the consequences for breaking those rules?

Taboos create instant story tension. What can’t your character do without destroying their life? What rule might they be forced to break? A tabooless culture lacks teeth with no real social consequences, making stakes feel low.

Q17: How do different groups, such as allies, enemies, neighbors, and trade partners in your world view each other?

Inter-group dynamics create conflict and alliance possibilities. These relationships affect your character’s options and obstacles. Exclude these differences and the groups coexist without realistic tension or cooperation. Social dynamics are missing.

Q18: What are the major differences in how people live. For example, urban versus rural, rich versus poor, powerful versus powerless?

Not everyone experiences the world the same way. Economic and social divisions create distinct life experiences and conflicting interests. Ignore the differences in living standards and everyone lives basically the same regardless of class or location.

Q19: How do people typically get food, water, and shelter and what happens when these basics become scarce?

Basic survival needs ground fantastical worlds in reality. Knowing how people meet these needs (and what threatens them) creates authentic stakes. Skip answering it and you’ll notice nobody ever seems to need food or water, making the world feel unreal.

Q20: What life experiences are universal to almost everyone in this world, and what experiences are unique to certain groups?

Shared experiences create cultural common ground. Unique experiences create insider/outsider dynamics. This affects how characters relate to each other. If you don’t hone into life experiences then you’ll miss opportunities for both connection and conflict between characters.

Q21: What does a typical person’s daily or weekly routine look like, and how does this differ by status or role?

Daily rhythms make a world feel lived-in. What does a farmer’s day look like versus a noble’s versus a merchant’s? These routines create authentic detail and plot opportunities. Answering this will give your characters a daily structure rather than living in a timeless void.

Power, Politics & Conflict (8 Questions)

This category covers who has power, how they keep it, and what creates friction. These aren’t just background politics questions.

Power dynamics create the obstacles your protagonist must navigate, and conflict provides story fuel. When you understand who wants what and who’s preventing them from getting it, you understand the pressure cooker your characters operate in.

Political worldbuilding matters most for epic fantasy, political intrigue, and plot-driven stories.

Character-driven intimate tales can answer these more lightly, though every story benefits from understanding who holds power and what threatens stability. Skip this category entirely and your world lacks inherent tension or realistic social structures.

These questions explicitly tie power structures to story conflict. Don’t just ask “What’s the government?” Ask “What keeps the powerful in power?” That’s functional worldbuilding.

Q22: Who holds power in your world. Is it a monarch, elected leaders, wealthy elites, religious authorities, or something else? And how did they get that power?

Power structures shape every character’s options. Understanding who makes decisions and why explains the status quo your character must navigate or rebel against. Failing to define it makes the political landscape vague or simplistic.

Q23: What keeps the powerful in power, and what threatens their control?

Stable power is boring. The tension between maintaining power and threats to it creates story conflict. This is often the central conflict of fantasy plots. Skip it and power seems static and unchallengeable with no sense of political vulnerability.

Q24: What rules or laws shape daily life, and who enforces them?

Laws create boundaries characters must navigate. Knowing what’s forbidden and what enforcement looks like creates tension and consequences. Laws give society a functioning structure. Without it characters are able to do anything without consequences.

Q25: What groups, such as nations, factions, families, and classes are in conflict in your world? And what are they fighting over?

Conflict is story fuel. These existing tensions create the pressure cooker your characters operate in. They provide ready-made obstacles and alliance opportunities. You don’t want your fantasy world to feel artificially peaceful with no existing tension to tap into.

Q26: What does your protagonist want that the power structures or other people make difficult to get?

This question is important because this is where worldbuilding meets character. The world’s power dynamics should create obstacles for your protagonist. Skip this and worldbuilding and story remain separate. The world doesn’t create interesting obstacles for your character.

Q27: Where is there inequality, injustice, or oppression in this world? And who benefits from it?

Realistic worlds have unfairness. These injustices create motivation for characters to fight for change or uncomfortable moral compromises. A just world is too sanitized with no systemic unfairness to navigate or fight against.

Q28: How do ordinary people respond to power? Do they obey, resist, try to gain it themselves, or ignore it?

Not everyone is a rebel or a loyalist. Understanding the spectrum of responses creates realistic secondary characters and shows how your protagonist’s choices are unusual or typical. You don’t want everyone to think about power the same way.

Q29: What would happen if the current power structure collapsed? Will it bring chaos, opportunity, both, or something else?

This reveals the stakes of political conflict. It helps you understand whether the status quo is better than alternatives or clearly bad. Skip it and political stakes are unclear. Readers don’t understand what’s at risk if things change.

History & Time (5 Questions)

This category covers what happened before your story starts. But we’re not talking about 10,000-year timelines or detailed chronicles of every ruler.

These questions focus on the historical events that actually echo into your present plot. One key historical event that shapes current attitudes is more powerful than an elaborate backstory nobody will read.

History creates the present. It explains why things are the way they are and provides backstory that can drive plot.

But beginners often create too much unnecessary history as a form of worldbuilding procrastination. These five questions give you what you need without the busywork.

Every story needs some historical grounding. How much depends on whether history drives your plot. If your story centers on the consequences of a past war, you need strong answers here. If history is just background texture, lighter answers work fine.

Q30: What major event in the past still shapes current attitudes, power structures, or conflicts?

History creates the present. One key historical event that echoes through time is more powerful than a 10,000-year timeline. Miss on the major event and the world feels like it just sprang into existence with no sense of historical weight.

Q31: Who won and who lost in that historical event, and how do their descendants view it differently?

Historical memory is contested. Victors and losers tell different stories. This creates cultural friction and character perspective differences. You don’t want your reader to interpret that everyone agrees on historical interpretation with no tension over different versions of the past.

Q32: What’s the popular story of the world’s origin or creation. Is that story true or a myth?

Creation myths reveal cultural values and can be plot-relevant if the “truth” differs from the myth. Even if not plot-relevant, it provides a rich cultural texture. Your fantasy world must have a cultural mythology or sense of its own origins. And answering this question helps you to make one.

Q33: What aspect of the past do people wish they could return to, and what are they glad is over?

Cultural nostalgia and relief about past horrors reveal values and create generational tensions. Older characters remember “the good old days” while younger characters are glad things changed. The answer to this question creates generational or cultural memory differences.

Q34: How long ago did the world’s current “normal” begin? Did it begin decades, centuries ago? Or very recently?

Recent change means lots of people remember “before.” Ancient change means current conditions feel inevitable. This affects how characters relate to their world. Skip it and the timeline is vague, affecting character psychology.

Magic or Technology Systems (7 Questions)

This category covers supernatural or technological elements if they exist in your world. If your story has no magic and no advanced technology, skip this entire category.

That’s the beauty of functional worldbuilding. Not every question applies to every story.

For fantasy stories with magic or sci-fi stories with advanced tech, these questions are critical. They define what’s possible in your plot and set reader expectations.

Readers need to understand the rules to feel satisfied by the climax. But over-explaining kills mystery. These questions balance clarity with wonder.

The key is establishing limitations. Magic or technology without costs or constraints becomes a “solve everything” button that drains tension from your story. Costs create drama. Limitations create clever problem-solving opportunities.

Q35: What’s possible with magic/technology that isn’t possible without it?

This defines the system’s scope and sets reader expectations. If magic can do anything, there are no stakes. If it can do specific things, readers understand the rules. Don’t draw the line and the magic feels arbitrary with readers unable to appreciate clever solutions.

Q36: What are the costs, limitations, or dangers of using this power?

Limitations are more interesting than powers. Costs create tension (should the character use this power?) and prevent magic from solving every problem. Skip this and magic is a “solve everything” button. Tension evaporates.

Q37: Who can access this magic/technology? Is it accessible to everyone, a select few, or only to certain bloodlines or species?

Access determines power distribution. If only elites have magic, it’s a source of inequality. If everyone has it, it shapes daily life.

Q38: How does the existence of magic/technology shape society, economy, and daily life?

Magic shouldn’t just be window dressing. If people have magic, they use it for everything: farming, warfare, entertainment, travel. It shapes the whole world. Readers don’t want a world where magic exists but only during fight scenes.

Q39: What can’t magic/technology do and what problems does it fail to solve?

This creates story opportunities. If magic can’t bring back the dead, that’s a powerful limitation. If it can’t create food, people still farm. Delineating what magic can and cannot do creates clear limits, and makes readers stick.

Q40: How is this power studied, taught, controlled, or kept secret?

This reveals social attitudes toward the power system and creates institutional conflict. Who controls knowledge? Who wants access but can’t get it? Miss out on answering this and the system’s social organization is unclear.

Q41: What’s one thing about this power system that most people misunderstand or get wrong?

Cultural misunderstandings about magic create plot opportunities. What does your protagonist believe that’s wrong? What do others believe that your protagonist must correct? Not having clarity on this makes everyone understand that the magic system is perfect with no room for discovery.

Daily Life & Sensory Details (6 Questions)

This is the category most worldbuilding lists skip or take a short cut on, and it’s a mistake. These questions make worlds feel real and lived-in rather than theoretical.

They provide the texture that allows readers to suspend disbelief even in fantastical settings. Details like food, light, sound, and smell ground abstract worldbuilding in physical experience.

Every story type benefits from strong answers here. This is how you make readers feel present in your world rather than observing it from outside.

Character-driven stories in romance particularly need this category. Even plot-driven adventure benefits from sensory grounding.

I learned this the hard way. My first fantasy world had detailed political systems and elaborate magic rules, but it felt flat.

Adding sensory details such as the smell of wool drying by hearths, the sound of looms in every home and the taste of preserved fish made it real.

Q42: What do people eat, and how does this differ by season, region, or class?

Food grounds fantasy in physical reality. It reveals culture, economy, and daily life. Miss on this question and nobody ever eats, or food is generic fantasy stew. The world lacks essential grounding detail.

Q43: What textures, sounds, or smells would characters encounter daily in markets, homes, or streets?

Non-visual sensory details make worlds immersive. The smell of livestock, the sound of street vendors, the feel of cobblestones underfoot. You don’t want your readers to experience the world only visually. You want the sensory richness that creates full immersion.

Q44: What’s the quality and source of light at different times of day or in different locations?

Pre-electric lighting shaped every aspect of pre-modern life. Candlelight, firelight, starlight, magical light create mood and practical constraints. If you don’t answer this question, then light is taken for granted with no sense of how darkness limits behavior.

Q45: How do people typically greet each other, show respect, or express emotion in this culture?

Social gestures make culture concrete. Do people bow? Shake hands? Touch foreheads? These small details signal culture immediately. You shouldn’t force your way of greeting from your own culture into the story.

Q46: What activities fill people’s free time, if they have any free time?

Entertainment reveals values and provides character moments. What do people do for fun? What’s considered a waste of time? Answering this question is critical if you don’t want your characters to only exist during plot-relevant moments with no sense of normal life.

Q47: What’s beautiful or ugly in this world, according to its inhabitants?

Aesthetic standards are cultural. What’s considered attractive, valuable, or desirable says volumes about cultural values. The worst mistake you can make is that everyone shares the same (usually modern Western) beauty standards regardless of their culture.

Story Integration & “Enough” Questions (8 Questions)

This is the category that sets this list apart from every other worldbuilding resource out there. Every other list focuses on building comprehensive worlds.

This category helps you know when to stop building and start writing. It connects worldbuilding to your actual story and addresses the question that torments beginners: have I built enough?

I wish someone had given me these questions when I started writing fantasy. I spent six months worldbuilding my second novel before writing a single scene. I had detailed trade routes, elaborate religious systems, and extensive linguistic evolution.

Most of it never appeared in the book. I was procrastinating because worldbuilding felt safer than facing the blank page.

These questions help you identify when worldbuilding serves your story versus when it becomes an excuse to avoid writing. Every writer should answer these, regardless of story type. This is functional worldbuilding at its core.

Q48: Which worldbuilding elements will readers experience through action and dialogue rather than explanation?

The best worldbuilding is revealed through character behavior, not exposition. This question helps you plan how to dramatize worldbuilding. Ignore the elements and you’ll default to info-dumping instead of showing the world through story.

Q49: What worldbuilding questions can you answer as you write rather than before you start?

Not everything needs pre-planning. Some worldbuilding emerges naturally during drafting. This question gives you permission to start writing without answering everything.

Q50: Have you answered enough worldbuilding questions to write your opening chapter?

This is the critical question. You don’t need the whole world built to start writing. You need enough characters, immediate setting, and initial conflict for the opening. If you haven’t answered enough questions then you either start too early or too late.

Q51: What would a beta reader need to know to understand your story versus what’s interesting background detail?

This distinguishes essential worldbuilding from neat-but-unnecessary detail. Essential worldbuilding must be clear. Extra detail can be subtle or omitted. You shouldn’t treat all worldbuilding equally.

Q52: Where are you worldbuilding to make your story better versus worldbuilding to procrastinate writing?

Brutal honesty question. Are you building that religion or economic system because the story needs it, or because it’s easier than facing the blank page? Answer this, and you rightly diagnose the worldbuilding disease.

Q53: What worldbuilding elements create obstacles or complications for your protagonist specifically?

Worldbuilding should work against your protagonist at least some of the time. What parts of this world make your character’s goal harder to achieve? The answer to the question makes your worldbuilding an integral part of your story engine. Vital for high fantasy worldbuilding.

Q54: What worldbuilding could you cut entirely and the story would still work?

If cutting an element doesn’t hurt the story, that element is probably unnecessary. This helps you identify worldbuilding you built because it’s cool, not because it serves the story. Answering this question stops you from overbuilding.

Q55: What’s one worldbuilding detail you’re excited to reveal through the story?

Excitement is a good guide. What worldbuilding element makes you eager to write? That enthusiasm translates to the page. If nothing excites you, your worldbuilding might be rote. This question reminds you why you’re building this world in the first place.

Worldbuilding Questions Tiers

As I said in the beginning, you don’t need to answer all the 55 worldbuilding questions to create your fantasy world.

Not all fantasy worlds are the same and the type of worldbuilding you’d need depends on the type of fantasy genre you’re dealing with.

For example low fantasy, urban fantasy, and magical realism don’t need extensive worldbuilding because magic is interwoven in the real world.

However sci-fi, dystopian, high fantasy, and epic fantasy need extensive worldbuilding.

So, how do I decide which and how many worldbuilding questions do i need to answer?

I have come up with three question tiers to solve this problem. These tiers are –

Essential Tier
Standard Tier
Deep Tier

I’ll reveal in a minute which worldbuilding questions from the list belong to what tier in a moment.

For now, let me explain how I choose the tiers depending on my worldbuilding needs.

I Choose Essential Tier (25 questions) if:

I am writing a character-driven or intimate story (romance, coming-of-age, personal journey)
My story takes place in one or two locations
I am a pantser who discovers the world while writing
I am eager to start drafting and don’t want extensive pre-planning
I am writing a novella or shorter work

I Choose Standard Tier (45 questions) if:

I am writing epic fantasy, political intrigue, or multi-POV stories
My story spans multiple locations or cultures
I am a plotter who needs solid foundations before drafting
My world has complex power structures or cultural conflicts
I am writing a full novel or series starter

I Choose Deep Tier (all 55 questions) if:

My story heavily features magic or technology systems
I am building a world for multiple books
I need comprehensive worldbuilding to feel confident writing
My story includes extensive political maneuvering or cultural complexity
I am a meticulous planner who thrives on detailed preparation

Here’s your roadmap for which questions to tackle based on how much worldbuilding you need:

Essential Tier (~25 questions) — Answer these to start writing:

Q1-Q6 (all Foundation questions)
Q7, Q8, Q10, Q11 (Physical World basics)
Q14, Q15, Q16, Q19 (Core culture questions)
Q22, Q23, Q25, Q26 (Key power dynamics)
Q30, Q31 (Historical foundation)
Q42, Q43 (Sensory grounding)
Q48, Q49, Q50 (Story integration essentials)

Standard Tier (adds ~20 more for 45 total) — For solid foundations:

Q9, Q12, Q13 (Additional physical world)
Q17, Q18, Q20, Q21 (Deeper culture)
Q24, Q27, Q28, Q29 (Extended power questions)
Q32, Q33, Q34 (More history)
Q44, Q45, Q46, Q47 (Additional daily life)
Q51, Q52, Q53 (More story integration)

Deep Tier (all 55) — For thorough planners:

Q35-Q41 (all Magic/Technology questions — skip entirely if not relevant)
Q54, Q55 (Final story integration questions)

You can always move questions between tiers based on your story’s needs. If magic drives your plot, those questions become Essential even though I’ve listed them as Deep.

If your story is set in a single city, skip the geographic scope questions. Use this as a guide, not a rule.

And if you’re struggling to come up ideas, then don’t miss my post on finding your worldbuilding idea.

Start Building Your World (The Right Amount)

Other lists give you 130-300 questions and leave you to figure out which ones matter. This list gives you focused questions and explicit permission to skip what doesn’t serve your story.

Here’s what to do next. First, pick your tier. If you’re eager to start writing, answer the 25 questions in the essential tier, plus key questions from other categories that directly affect your opening chapters.

If you want a solid foundation before drafting, aim for 45 questions. Answer all 55 only if you’re a thorough planner who needs comprehensive worldbuilding to feel confident.

Second, start with Foundation & Scope. Those six questions take 20 minutes but save you hours of unnecessary worldbuilding. Third, answer questions as you build, not all at once. Work through categories over days or weeks. Let answers develop naturally instead of forcing them.

Use it as a checklist, a brainstorming tool, or a diagnostic to identify worldbuilding gaps. And refer to my framework on worldbuilding and use it in tandem so that you know that you’ve done enough worldbuilding.