Welcome, adventurers, romantasy readers, and fellow writers, to the first entry in my new blog series: Worldbuilding Diaries: Crafting a Romantasy World. This series is going to be your backstage pass to the creative chaos that is building an entire fantasy world from scratch. We’re talking maps, myths, magic, and maybe the occasional caffeine-fueled spiral. It’s going to be fun, nerdy, and just a little unhinged—because honestly, that’s how the best worlds come to life.
What am I building, you ask? Oh, just a BIG high fantasy universe. Think Tolkien’s Middle-earth, but with a swoon-worthy romantic twist: sprawling continents, intricate religions, fascinating cultures, and enough deep lore to fill multiple series. This is a world where love and chaos intertwine, myths are real, and no character is safe from heartbreak—or an epic happily ever after.
For this first post, we’re diving into where it all begins: mapmaking and religion building.
Where Do We Start? With Maps, Of Course!
Maps are the cornerstone of any fantasy world, and let’s be real—they’re one of the best parts of cracking open a new book. So, I decided to kick things off with a map of my new fantasy world. Is this because I wanted to know exactly where my characters will wreak havoc and fall in love? Yes. Is it also because I love pretending I’m a cartographer while surrounded by art supplies and snacks? Also yes.
My Process
Never made a map before? Same! I leaned heavily on some amazing YouTube videos by WASD20 (highly recommend) to get started. The process began with deciding the scope of the map. Am I mapping a single city? A kingdom? The entire planet? Spoiler alert: I went BIG. My map focuses on one primary continent, with a cheeky little sneak peek at a second one.
From there, it got delightfully ridiculous. I used beans to shape my landmasses. Yes, beans. Why? Because they’re perfect for creating natural, imperfect shapes. After tracing those, I got even fancier with rice to craft detailed coastlines. The result? Landmasses that look like they’ve been there for centuries.
Next up, I’m mapping out mountains, rivers, forests, and cities. Stay tuned for the chaos that will ensue when I inevitably put a desert way too close to a glacier.
And Then, Let There Be Faith
What’s a fantastical world without a deep, intricate religion to shape its people, cultures, and conflicts? Enter the Evestian Faith, my world’s monotheistic religion centered around Evestis, the Lightbearer, who sparked the world out of darkness with a single flame.
How It Came Together
Initially, I envisioned a polytheistic system inspired by Greek and Roman mythology. But as I started sketching it out, something shifted. Suddenly, this fiery, light-bringing figure emerged, and Evestis became the heart of the faith. Inspiration came from real-world religions like Catholicism and Buddhism, with a hearty sprinkle of my favorite video game franchise, Dragon Age.
If you’ve ever explored the world of Thedas in the Dragon Age franchise and read about the Chantry’s “Chant of Light,” you’ll know exactly the vibe I’m going for. The Evestian Faith is rooted in ancient lore, with holy texts, unique symbols, and practices steeped in devotion to the Lightbearer.
Needless to say, I'm totally excited! My skull is already splitting open with new ideas for characters and stories to be told, all inspired by this religion alone. Imagine what else might spark to life as I continue on this worldbuilding journey!
What’s Next?
In future posts, I’ll tackle everything from crafting unique cultures and magic systems to the nitty-gritty of designing history that spans millennia. I’ll also be sharing sneak peeks into my characters’ journeys as they navigate this sprawling world filled with love, danger, and destiny.
Ready to nerd out with me? Make sure to subscribe to my newsletter to follow along with the creative madness and be notified when new posts drop. Together, we’ll build a world worthy of every romantasy reader’s dreams.
Until next time, keep dreaming big and worldbuilding bigger. 💫
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