World Anvil Academy
Practical lessons for curious worldbuilders, imaginative writers and unforgettable game masters. Your next great idea starts here.
Browse tagged articlesKeep your curiosity alive
Learn how Fallout creates factions that feel real, from the NCR to Caesar's Legion. Five worldbuilding tips for GMs, authors and hobbyists, plus how to start your own.
From Inkarnate to Wonderdraft to World Anvil's interactive maps: a practical guide to fantasy map-making tools, techniques, and how to decide what your world actually needs.
Dungeon Crawler Carl, a hit litRPG series, completely ignores "show don't tell." Learn how you can steal the series' techniques to make your own exposition simply unskippable.
Whether or not you're a cozy fan yourself, the genre's appeal is undeniable. So what draws people in? And more importantly, how can you harness that appeal for your own work?
Fights scenes can add conflict and action to your stories. But they're more than just choreographed violence, they're storytelling tools. Here are some important things to consider.
Tarot cards can make your D&D sessions more mysterious, immersive, and dramatic — and there’s a full spread of ways to use them in your campaign! If you’re ready to find a use for that Tarot Deck you got in a Kickstarter, read on!
Why does the Evil Empire keep showing up as fiction's go-to villain? And more importantly for worldbuilders, how do you create a fantasy or scifi empire that doesn't feel like a cliche?
Here's how to make your world history a fascinating mystery, including five ways to destroy your ancients like a wrathful god, and the tools to make sure your audience is dying to know what really happened.
Omniscient point of view is one of the oldest narrative styles - and one of the most difficult to execute well. Here's a guide to what it is, and when and how to use it.
When every member of a species or culture feels essentially the same, your audience checks out. The good news? You can fix it without overhauling your entire world.
Examples of episodic storytelling, the best places to publish it, and advice on how to write consistent, irresistible serialized stories.
Learn how to create castles that make sense, and have more story possibilities than arrow slits!
Let's look at 10 of the most common worldbuilding mistakes... and how to tackle them!
Making sure that the end of your book is worthy of your reader’s journey can be a real challenge! This article will help.
Most worldbuilders describe what their world looks like. The best ones make you feel like you're already there. Here's how to use all five senses — and beyond — to create more vivid settings.
Do you build your world before you write? During? After? The answer depends on how you write. This guide breaks down a proven worldbuilding framework for both plotters and pantsers.
Every great world starts somewhere
Dive deeper and learn about how World Anvil can help you!
