Worldbuilding for Masochists
Episodes
Episode 84: Make or Break Worldbuilding Deep Dive: The MNG
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Magical Nude Gate is a what we call a tentpole idea: a concept that touches on so many other elements of a world that it can't be just a throwaway...
Episode 83: Using Our Vacation Time
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Here in the dwindling days of summer, we want to know: what do the people in your world do on vacation? Are they relaxing by a beach, wandering museum...
Episode 82.5: Live at ArmadilloCon!
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode, your hosts gather together in real life at ArmadilloCon 2022! We talk about why we love worldbuilding, what our strategies are...
Episode 82: From One-Note Worlds to Complete Space Operas, ft. Valerie Valdes
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when you have to build not just one world, but a whole passel of them? In this episode, guest Valerie Valdes joins us to talk about how ...
Episode 81: That’s Just Good Policy feat. VICTOR MANIBO
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
DUN-DUN. Law & Order. What does it mean in your world? Who makes the laws, and by what power do they do so? How easy or difficult is it to change the ...
Episode 80: Festivus for the Rest Of Us
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We've talked about big holidays and religious observations before, but what about the small, weird, highly-location-specific festivals and traditions ...
Episode 79: Building Past the Horizon
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We kick off our fourth year of the podcast with a conversation about how to fill in the rest of your world, beyond the immediate scope of your plot....
Episode 78: Reimagining Relationships w/ FOZ MEADOWS
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Your characters and the relationships they have -- romantic, sexual, friendly, familial, professional -- will drive much of what readers connect to in...
Episode 77: Pull a Thread, Build A World w/ KRITIKA H. RAO
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to worldbuilding, what's the difference between going deep and going wide? Kritika H. Rao joins us to discuss finding the balance betwee...
Episode 76: Farm to Table Fantasy ft. SARAH GAILEY
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody's got to eat. But where does the food in your world come from? Who tends livestock, who transports it, who turns it into a meal -- and how? ...
Episode 75: Worldbuilding Beyond Borders
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a nation? Who decides where borders are, or even what borders are? What unites a people, within a country or across those borders? What di...
Episode 74: FMK Worldbuilding Edition
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Worldbuilding is, often, about choices. What bits stick out at the top of the iceberg, and what stays beneath the surface? What shiny ideas can you ma...
Episode 73: In-Line Worldbuilding ft. MELISSA CARUSO
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Where does worldbuilding fit into your overall process of writing, rewriting, revising, writing some more, and writing again? In this episode, we welc...
Episode 72: This is Cerulean, Right?: Fashion, Politics, and Power, ft. NATANIA BARRON
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fashion: not just a frivolity, but a component of worldbuilding that can communicate so much about your world's resources, industry, and power structu...
Episode 71: X Marks The Spot ft. PENG SHEPHERD
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This one's for the cartography geeks! We know that's a lot of our followers. Peng Shepherd joins us to think about what a map of your fantasy world ca...
Episode 70: Magical Ethics and Ethical Magics ft. KATE HEARTFIELD
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When you've introduced elemental, supernatural, ethereal, or diabolical powers into your world, what does that do to your society? Guest Kate Heartfi...
Episode 69: The Sexy Things People Don’t Want You To Think About, ft. ELSA SJUNNESON
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When your characters push boundaries, defy authority, and get down and dirty -- well, how do they do it, where do they do it, and just how much troubl...
Episode 68: Potpour-V
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for another Listener Q&A episode! Wherein we discuss fjords, metallurgy, giant Martian otters, bouncy castles, starch-based food categorizat...
Episode 67: WorldCon Minisode
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year! In this minisode, your WFM hosts take a little time to reflect on this podcast's growth, our Hugo Award nomination and the ceremonies,...
Episode 66: Deep History, ft MARIE BRENNAN and ALYC HELMS
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
So you've got lore galore, complex sociopolitical tangles, and a history that reaches back through the ages. How do you show that on the page without ...
Episode 65: Money Makes The Worldbuilding Go ‘Round
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this podcast, we talk a lot about how economics play into other elements of worldbuilding, from death to politics to food -- but we've never before...
Episode 64: The Times, They Are A-Changin‘, ft. FONDA LEE
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Y'know, the thing about the world is... It isn't static! It changes, all the time, and if you want your invented world to feel real and full of life, ...
Episode 63: It’s A Grimdark World After All ft. ANNA SMITH SPARK
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dirty clothes, grayed-out color palettes, and terrible things happening unrelentingly to everyone: that's the stereotype of grimdark. But in this epis...
Episode 62: Otherworldly Worldbuilding ft. SEANAN MCGUIRE
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Halloween draws close and the veil between the realms grows thin, we wonder... how, exactly, do you build a world that, by design, touches other wo...
Episode 61: Worldbuilding: The Search for Intelligent Life ft. MARTHA WELLS
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From aliens to AI, from dragons to dwarves, from to nebulous clouds to sapient mushrooms, how do we conceive of non-human intelligence in our speculat...
Episode 60: Worldbuilding: The Never-Ending Story
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Worldbuilding is often considered part of the pre-writing process -- but sometimes, more worldbuilding happens mid-manuscript or even mid-series. What...
Episode 59: Ooooh, Shiny! Crafting a World from Shiny Ideas
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Worldbuilding can lead an author to generate a lot of fun ideas. But how do you figure out which of those ideas can actually be integrated into your ...
Episode 58: L’Etat, C’est… Quoi? ft. C.L. POLK
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most speculative fiction takes place in a society that has a government of some kind. But what, exactly is a state? And how does it come to be? C.L...
Episode 57: Ask a Necromancer ft. AMANDA DOWNUM
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do people in your world handle death? Spiritually, financially, emotionally -- and, as may be relevant to your plot, how do they deal with actual ...
Episode 56: Word Building ft. SARAH BETH DURST
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Let's get granular! How much can your literal language -- the individual words you use, the cadence of your sentences, a conlang, a poetic tradition -...
Episode 55: Epic GrimDarkPunk Romance
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The fantasy genre comes in many flavors -- but how do we tease those apart? How important are they when worldbuilding, and how much are they invention...
Episode 54: Cyberpunk Worldbuilding ft. PJ MANNEY
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When you're building for the near future, how far can you go? Is technology going to doom us, save us, or a bit of both? How does a society make that ...
Episode 53: Worldbuilding 301
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our third season begins! We go back to the basics of worldbuilding -- and then we think about how to level up! When we're digging deep on our motto of...
Episode 52: Pot4ri
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We close out our second year of the podcast with another listener Q&A episode! Thanks to all of our wonderful listeners who supplied us with themes to...
Episode 51: Gender, Equality, & Gender Equality ft. E.J. BEATON
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gender is a construct -- so how is it built in your fantasy world? There's hardly a better place to interrogate our assumptions about societies, from ...
Episode 50: Playing in Somebody Else's Sandbox, ft. DELILAH DAWSON, TINI HOWARD, DAVID MACK, and MIKE CHEN
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For our fiftieth episode, we welcome an all-star panel of guests who write in major franchises! Delilah Dawson, Tini Howard, David Mack, and Mike Chen...
Episode 49: An Immodest Proposal
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Picture it: It's a sweltering summer day, ninety degrees in the shade, heat mirages glimmering on the horizon. Can your characters strip down to their...
Episode 48: That Belongs in a Museum, ft. MARINA LOSTETTER
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If your character finds an ancient mask half-buried in a field, is that just a cool remnant of an older culture, or are they about to unleash a demoni...
Episode 47: The Timey-Wimey Episode
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? Well... Yeah! If you're building a world, the concept of the passage of time is li...
Episode 46: Join in If You Know the Chorus, Ft. C. L. CLARK
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From ballads to books to TikToks, how do the people in your world communicate their own stories and information? The consideration involves answering ...
Episode 45: Let’s Be Diplomatic
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When you're trying to solve a problem with minimal stabbing, call in the diplomats! In this episode, we discuss the above-board negotiations of formal...
Episode 44: Old MacDonald Had a Dragon
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If OldMacDonald has a dragon, how does he stable it? This episode explores domesticated animals in fantasy worldbuilding, from the useful cart-pullers...
Episode 43: Getting There is Half the Fun, ft. KATE ELLIOTT
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Journeys are a staple element of fantasy plots -- but just how do people get around in your world? Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun, joins ...
Episode 42: Life, Worldbuilding, & Everything, ft. STINA LEICHT
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
So once you've done your worldbuilding, how exactly do you present it to the reader? Stina Leicht joins us to consider how much information to work in...
Episode 41: Myths, Legends and Other Lies of History ft. Marie Brennan & Alyc Helms (M.A. Carrick)
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We humans are "meaning-making" creatures -- So what stories do your characters tell about themselves, their world, and their culture? The writing team...
Episode 40: The Sacred and the Profane, ft. K. B. WAGERS!
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We get asked about fantasy cussing all the time -- but before you can explore profanity, you have to decide what a culture holds sacred. What objects,...
Episode 39: Episode 39: Three-pourri
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's another viewer Q&A episode! Your hosts answer your queries on topics such as magic and disability, art styles that suit our stories, and the bit...
Episode 38: Writing the Dark Side ft. ANNA STEPHENS
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you're taking down an Evil Emperor or a whole Evil Empire, how do you build antagonists into your world? Anna Stephens, author of The Stone K...
Episode 37: Names Are Hard -- A Deep Dive into WFM’s Shared World
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, your hosts apply some of the considerations from the past several episodes to the world we're co-building! From "Griasta Man is at it...
Episode 36: Toil and Trouble
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a good witch or a bad witch? Well, that really depends on how your world conceives of witchcraft, doesn't it? In this episode, we discuss witc...
Episode 35: The Circle of Life
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From youth to veneration, from cradle to grave, how does your fantasy world imagine the phases of life? In this episode, we think about the factors th...
Episode 34: The Reluctant Worldbuilder (ft. MIKE CHEN)
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Your WfM hosts are authors naturally-inclined to overcomplicate their writing lives -- but what if your instincts run the opposite direction? "Science...
Episode 33: Disability and Inclusion ft. ELSA SJUNNESON
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fantasy literature hasn't always done well by people with disabilities. So how can we do better? Guest Elsa Sjunneson helps us think about possible wa...
Episode 32: There’s No Place Like Home ft. ZORAIDA CÓRDOVA
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When fantasy stories are so much about adventure, what is the function of home? The amazing Zoraida Córdova joins us to discuss domestic spaces and h...
Episode 31: Living by the Sword ft. MICHAEL R UNDERWOOD
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Guest Michael R. Underwood joins us to discuss military cultures in fantasy worlds! If your story has warfare, what does that mean for the structure o...
Episode 30: Fantasy Race and Avoiding Fantasy Racism ft. K. TEMPEST BRADFORD, K.S. VILLOSO, and SARAH GUAN!
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
K. Tempest Bradford, K. S. Villoso, and Sarah Guan join us for a panel discussing race and racism in fantasy worldbuilding. What sort of things does a...
Episode 29: Cornerstones and Building Blocks
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Whether your protagonist is a wholesome farm worker, a high-flying politico, or a bone-weary traveler, sooner or later, there's a good chance they'll ...
Episode 28: Framing the Concept
08 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Physical art colors the world around us -- literally! But how do we translate that into the written word? This week, we explore the difference between...
Episode 27: Potpourri 2: 2 Pot, 2 Pourri (Welcome to Season 2!)
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We begin Year 2 of the podcast by answering questions from listeners and introducing our new co-host, Cass Morris! We chat about architecture, city de...
Episode 26: Take Pride in your Worldbuilding featuring K.A. DOORE!
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Guest K.A. Doore joins us to talk about queer worldbuilding! What are ways to think about approaching queernorm in crafting second world fantasy? What...
Episode 25: Rebel Scum and the Evil Empire Featuring ANDREA STEWART!
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fabulous guest ANDREA STEWART joins us to talk empires and rebellions, including the worldbuilding for the empire in Bone Shard Daughter! Don't miss t...
Episode 24: Dress for the Quest You Want Featuring MELISSA CARUSO!
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you're outfitting a fictional warrior for battle, a farmer for work, or a hapless Hobbit for a very long walk, the pragmatic and aesthetic ele...
Episode 23: We Are Gathered Together Featuring TOCHI ONYEBUCHI!
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
People can make a ceremony out of just about anything--life events, accomplishments, afternoon tea. Why, and how, and what can it convey about the wor...
Episode 22: First We Eat (Featuring CASS MORRIS!)
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We've finally done it--we're talking about food! Buffets of food description are a fantasy trope, but why is food so important to worldbuilding, anywa...
Episode 21: Medicine and the Concept of the Body (Featuring FREYA MARSKE!)
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bodies may not be technically required in fantasy, but most of our characters have 'em...what medicine and concept of physical health and self do they...
Episode 20: When Two Wizards Love Each Other Very Much... (feat. Cat Sebastian!)
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we're joined by the fabulous romance author Cat Sebastian while we do some SEXY worldbuilding. With, like, slow jazz and shit. ...
Episode 19: Triskadekaphilia
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we're doing a deep-dive and building up that Thirteen Families culture that we mentioned a little while back! From the ground up, ...
Episode 18: Monuments and Wonders
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're talking about the wonders of the world, both natural and man-made, and how they can enrich your settings! The transcript...
Episode 17: A Brief History of... (featuring S.A. Chakraborty)
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're joined by S.A. Chakraborty, author of the Daevabad trilogy (The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper and, forthcoming, The Empire of ...
Episode 16: A Game of Anything But Thrones
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're talking politics. Yeah, yeah, we know, but we're gonna try to make it fun. Like, why does fantasy fixate so hard on mona...
Episode 15: Potpourri
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Listeners have sent us questions, and we spend the episode answering them, and each of these questions was juicy enough to make a whole episode out of...
Episode 14: Have Yourself A Merry Little Something
25 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Holidays, dear listeners! This week, we're talking about worldbuilding holidays, and we giggle pretty much the entire time! Transcript is avai...
Episode 13: And Now A Reading From The Sacred Text... (feat. Tasha Suri)
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we're joined by our glamorous guest, Tasha Suri, author of EMPIRE OF SAND and REALM OF ASH to talk about worldbuilding religio...
Episode 12: The Play’s The Thing (feat. Cass Morris!)
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're joined this week by glamorous guest star Cass Morris, Shakespeare scholar and author of FROM UNSEEN FIRE, to talk about art and pop-culture in f...
Episode 11: Threads of Life
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rowenna and Alex are going a bit feral this week to talk about fiber arts! Marshall Ryan Maresca asks some good smart questions! The transcript for ...
Episode 10: Death Becomes Us
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this very spooky episode of WFM, we're discussing the customs and practices surrounding death! The transcript of this episode is available her...
Episode 9: Picking the Ties that Bind (with guest star RJ Theodore)
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Author RJ Theodore joins us this week to talk about worldbuilding family structures! Episode transcript here.
Episode 8: A Trip Over the Tongue
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode we're finally getting around to naming some stuff, and that means we're talking about languages! Conlangs, language and culture, lo...
Episode 7: Just Shake and Add Magic
18 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're talking about building magic systems into the world! The transcript for this episode can be found here. (It's still in progress, so if y...
Episode 6: An Interlude with Spreadsheets (with guest star Jenn Lyons!)
04 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're joined today by Jenn Lyons, author of THE RUIN OF KINGS, to talk about methods of organizing your worldbuilding! We give some cool recs for prog...
Episode 5: People in a Petri Dish
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're talking big questions about people, culture, population, and technology! Let's make some civilizations! Read the transcript here!
Episode 4: Civilization and You! (with guest star Fonda Lee!)
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week we are joined by the amazing author Fonda Lee to talk about the basics of creating civilizations for your fantasy world! Read the transcr...
Episode 3: As Narrated by David Attenborough
24 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're talking about building flora and fauna for the world! Come get some biomes! Transcript available here.
Episode 2: Terra Firma and the Firmament
10 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we're talking about drawing maps and creating solar systems, and we begin to build our very own world from the... ahem... ground u...
Episode 1: Playing God In Your Spare Time
26 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the premiere of Worldbuilding for Masochists, a new podcast that is exactly what it says on the tin! Today we try valiantly to answer the q...