This month's question: How do you go about building the worlds in your stories? Do you draw inspiration from real places or historical events? 

As a character-driven fantasy author, my world-building process revolves around the lives and struggles of my characters. It all begins with a single scene where a character faces a significant issue. From this pivotal moment, I start to craft the world around them, letting their experiences and conflicts shape the setting in a natural and organic way.

In my book Dake Ascendant, the story opens with the antagonist committing a crime and evading the authorities. He's a common thief and murderer who stumbles upon a magical book in a pre-industrial, medieval-inspired world. Drawing from historical research, I've created a richly detailed setting where the character hides in the backroom of a pub filled with barrels and booty. As he succumbs to the dark magic of the book, the world around him unfolds.

The antagonist's journey is intertwined with the magic book, which promises life and power but must stay nearby, or it siphons life from its possessor. In prison, he uses the book's dark powers to transform a guard into a rat, setting off an unexpected twist. This rat guard, an unlikely hero, escapes the dungeon and embarks on a quest to find dragons, believing his grandmother's tales that dragons can remove curses.

The dragon reveals the existence of the Labyrinth of Times, a place where spells of dark magic can be undone. To gain access, the rat guard takes the dragon's oath and joins dragon kind, embarking on a plan that spans hundreds of years to overcome the evil of the Book Darkmore.

This character-driven approach allows my world to evolve naturally with the characters. By starting with a scene of conflict and asking what happened before and after, I build a setting that feels both fantastical and believable. The result is a dynamic world shaped by the journeys and choices of its inhabitants, creating an immersive and engaging narrative.

#fantasywriting #worldbuilding #characterdriven #epicfantasy #majicandadventure #darkmagic #booklovers #writingcommunity #authorlife