As creators of speculative fiction, we hold a rare power: to shape worlds that breathe and pulse with life. These are worlds that, though fantastical, are grounded in a self-consistent internal logic that makes them feel alive. Whether in novels, games, or visual storytelling, worldbuilding is essential to drawing readers and players into realms that feel tangible and immersive.
But what makes worldbuilding successful? How do we create worlds that feel both alien and familiar, pushing the boundaries of imagination while keeping our audience grounded enough to follow along? As we launch the 2025 Aldiss Award for World Building, designed to celebrate excellence in speculative fiction in literature & gaming, we invite you to consider these key principles of world creation and to enter your work into this inaugural competition.
The Core of Consistency: Building Worlds That Make Sense
A world rich with imaginative detail but lacking in self-consistency quickly falls flat. For example: imagine a world in which glass is dangerous. Setting aside the reasons why, the implications are enormous, yet often overlooked. Good worldbuilding will explore these details to create a sense of internal consistency. For instance, beyond the obvious absence of windows, there would be no lenses, no mirrors, limited medical technology (due to both the lack of lenses and sterile glass equipment), and likely no modern lighting or electrical technology. The absence of glass would impact not only technology but also societal structure and daily life. How would people see in poor light? How might they adapt to treat injuries or read fine print?
This hypothetical raises an essential point: the choices we make when building a world reverberate through every layer of that world. A consistent world follows its own rules, evolving organically, and in doing so, immerses the audience more deeply.
The Balancing Act: Familiarity vs. Innovation
Worlds that break too far from our understanding risk becoming unintelligible. After all, the alien and the entirely unfamiliar are often hard for us to imagine, let alone relate to. Even the most complex speculative worlds, such as those in The Lord of the Rings or Dune, include elements of familiarity: the comforting presence of swords, horses, or family dynamics.
A blend of the recognisable and the new allows readers or players to find their footing, giving them something familiar to latch onto before they’re swept up by the novel features of your world. For example, a world with new forms of communication may still feature familiar family units, or a futuristic society might have echoes of known social structures. This blend of the alien and the familiar grounds the reader while offering enough unfamiliarity to spark their imagination.
When Familiarity Overrides Technical Accuracy
One of the often-overlooked aspects of worldbuilding is that audiences bring their own assumptions and understanding of reality into your world. For instance, if you mention that televisions work in your fictional world, you might not need to explain the complexities of LCD technology or the chemical properties of the materials involved. Readers accept televisions as part of everyday life; they don’t require technical accuracy so long as the idea feels familiar. In this way, worldbuilding sometimes involves leaning into assumptions and cultural norms as much as creating entirely new elements.
Think of it as a contract with your audience: they agree to suspend disbelief as long as the logic you present feels intuitive or close enough to reality. This approach leaves room for inventiveness while keeping the world relatable.
Building Only What You Need: Strategic World Creation
When crafting worlds, it’s tempting to detail every element, from government structures to economic systems, down to the minutiae of weather cycles and the geology beneath characters’ feet. But comprehensive detailing can be both a strength and a burden; the key is to build only as much as your story needs.
Construct a solid foundation that supports the elements readers will encounter. For example, if your plot revolves around an underground society, you might focus on the food sources, lighting, and architecture that support a life without sunlight. The finer points of above-ground climates and politics may be less relevant and can remain in the background, if addressed at all. This strategy not only prevents information overload but also allows the primary elements of your world to shine with greater clarity and resonance.
Subverting Expectations with Alien Familiarity
One of the most powerful tools in worldbuilding is to take something familiar and make it slightly alien. This tactic allows you to unsettle expectations in a subtle, yet profound way. Imagine a world that initially feels similar to our own, only to reveal that its underlying assumptions are different. Perhaps people interact with their reflections as if they are separate entities, or mirrors reflect emotions rather than images.
This technique disrupts a reader’s sense of comfort, signalling that they are far from “home” in this fictional space. It’s a potent way to deepen immersion by first anchoring your audience in familiarity, then slowly unveiling what is truly otherworldly.
Why Enter the Aldiss Award for World Building?
The Aldiss Award is designed to honour creators who bring the art of worldbuilding to new heights. Named in honour of Brian Aldiss, whose imaginative realms continue to inspire speculative fiction, this award seeks works that captivate with their creative depth, consistency, and ability to transport audiences into immersive worlds.
We believe that worldbuilding is as integral to storytelling as plot or character development. A well-built world frames the narrative, shapes its possibilities, and dictates its constraints, allowing readers to lose themselves within its depths. As you bring your creations to life, think of worldbuilding as the structural support of your narrative. Whether you are a writer, a game developer, or a visual storyteller, the Aldiss Award encourages you to push the boundaries of your craft and share your unique universe with a broader audience.
Key Criteria for Entering the 2025 Aldiss Award
To provide guidance on what we’re looking for, here’s a recap of some core principles for creating worlds that stand out:
1. Internal Consistency
Does the world follow a set of rules that apply universally within it? Are changes to expected norms consistent throughout the narrative?
2. Grounded Familiarity
Are there elements that help readers or players relate to the world, even amidst the fantastical or futuristic aspects? This balance allows audiences to remain oriented while discovering new ideas.
3. Narrative Relevance
Does the worldbuilding serve the story rather than overwhelm it? Build only as much as you need to keep the narrative moving forward.
4. Artful Subversion of the Familiar
Does the world take familiar elements and make them strange, subtly unsettling audience expectations and inviting them into a distinctly different reality?
The Aldiss Award invites you to showcase your worlds, letting them stand alongside the extraordinary realms created by speculative fiction’s greatest visionaries. Join us as we celebrate the art of worldbuilding, and help us expand the horizons of what speculative fiction can achieve.
—
In creating self-consistent, immersive worlds, you offer audiences not only an escape but a space where new ideas and altered realities breathe and grow. If you’re a UK-based creator, we encourage you to share your vision and submit your work to the Aldiss Award for World Building. Help us honour the legacy of Brian Aldiss by crafting worlds that inspire, challenge, and delight.
Leave a Reply