the GOLDEN Rule Every Fantasy Writer Breaks (And How to Stop) 🛑

So you finally realized you’re trapped in your worldbuilding like a cockroach snared in spider’s web.

Perhaps you spent the last three months detailing the political history of the Elves of Q’larth. Or you’ve decided the taxonomy of magical fungi needs one more pass. Maybe you just spent four hours debating the optimal number of moons for a planet inhabited by sentient rocks.

Worse, you’re so far down the rabbit hole that your entire manuscript is a Jenga tower of garbage.

Whether your manuscript has zero words because you have “worldbuilder’s disease,” or it’s 15,000 words of an incoherent mess, it’s time for the cure. The cure is twofold: timers and deadlines. Let’s begin.

Forget vision boards. Burn your writing sprint schedule. The first step to saving your fantasy novel is…. 🥁

give yourself a HARD deadline. How you apply this advice, however, is determined by your personal diagnosis.

My prescription? One week. Two, if you’re feeling generous. When the deadline arrives, your worldbuilding won’t be finished, but you’ll be ready to start writing. You will open a blank document and write Chapter One. No extensions. No “just one more thing about the ancient prophecy.” I know this sounds insane. Don’t you need a rich, detailed world? No. You need to write the book. Determine what type of fantasy book you’re writing (Second World, Alternate Earth, Portal Fantasy, or Secret Worlds) and build only what’s necessary for that world.

“But what if I want to start writing now?” you ask. “AI is churning out new books by the minute. I don’t have time to worldbuild!”

First, forget the AI-generated slop. Unalive your FOMO and put on some blinders. The idiots pumping out lackluster titles will eventually push readers straight into your arms. In the age of AI, quality, a solid distribution plan, and a community of readers are what matter. Your unique, weird, authentic voice is more important than ever. Lean into your outrageous side.

Second, I get the urge to dive in. If that’s you, shorten your worldbuilding to three to five days. Still too long? Fine, give yourself a day. The amount of time you spend worldbuilding isn’t as important as figuring out what you need to know to get started. Determine what type of fantasy book you’re writing (Second World, Alternate Earth, Portal Fantasy, or Secret Worlds) and build only what’s necessary for that world. If you get it done today, you can start writing tomorrow. If it takes you a week, you can start then. You’d be surprised how quickly you can get the essentials down and begin writing, regardless of which worldbuilding trap you’re in.