What Makes World Building Good?

Having seen two of my friends trying to create a world for their own novel, I had noticed how difficult the process of world building seemed to be. Building ecosystems, environments and language alongside trade, economy and culture often meet at odds creating Plotholes and paradoxes which often go unnoticed by the eye. So what are some key tenets to build an open world?

Consider the public, not your protagonist When you create a world it’s very tempting to focus on the protagonist's journey. Keeping it tailor made to the struggles and challenges he needs to face. But often such terms are the main creator of paradoxes. Instead I would recommend taking a different approach after mapping out the key plot locations to create reasoning as to why they would exist. Does your character need to go to a hot spring for a mission? Consider where hot springs appear, how do read cultures with hot springs use them and is there any meaning people would give to a hot spring. These questions help to make location functional for other characters. 

History Needn't be Clear When world building you may feel a need to accurately map out every event taken place in your world history. However, that is not always necessary and helpful. What is crucial is Environment and People go Hand in Hand. Instead, think of “turning points” in your world's history. For example when mapping out an ancient civilization you can be vague about the history before it collapsed but knowing when it collapsed would be your turning point. Hence keep that as your north starts when considering their world history. It also helps you to be flexible when you create plot points and characters and gives the world a mystique. The sense that there is something more than what's actually seen. However there are caveats when looking at world history. History related to the plot and characters should be fleshed out as it provides motivation and stakes for all of their actions. Knowing the details of a tribe's collapse will be very important when the central character is the last member of the tribe. This is important even if the readers don't know this history as it informs your perspective. People always respond to their environment 

This might seem simple, a nomad tribe should not have large intricate houses, a water species should not have fire powered homes, People living in the city shouldn't have farm animals. Yet they often cause the simplest conundrums. This piece of advice should inform mainly the most minute details of your writing because in the details and the descriptions people will really get access to how your world works. Seeing how foresight helps you to change the way you build the world.