Worldbuilding for Masochists

Episode 183: Tell Me What You Want, What You Really, Really Want

It's the start of our eighth season! And we thought this would be a good time to examine what, exactly, we mean when we say "worldbuilding". There's been a lot of Discourse about it recently, and... yeah, we're a little spicy and spiky about it! So we're addressing, head-on, what we think are some popular misconceptions about what worldbuilding even is (hint: it's not tomes of lore, and it is in every story, whether SFF or not), shifting definitions of "good worldbuilding", and how we have Some Kind of Feelings about the extent to which these trends (or at least the perception of them) are shaping publishers' choices.

And then we try to figure out: What does an author do with all of that? How do we frame worldbuilding for ourselves? What's our relationship to it as it helps us discover our stories and our characters? And what hills are we willing to die on?

We also take a little time to explore the state of the podcast, looking back on some favorite past episodes, and the state of the podcasters!

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Episode 182: Stranger than Fiction, ft. GABRIELLA BUBA

Sometimes, the truth is weirder and stranger than anything we could make up -- and that's something a worldbuilder can use to their benefit! Guest Gabriella Buba joins us to talk about building real science into our magical worlds -- and the implications that can, in turn, have about a society's relationship with information, education, and the power structures that both derive from and control them.

When blending science and magic together, writers can play with a lot of different factors and considerations. Is magic in a given world really about the movement of electrons or the interaction of chemicals, or is it a truly unexplainable force? What do your characters think about the scientific realities of their world? How do they test theories, and do they have a magical R&D department? And what might be the difference between how much the writer needs to know, how much the characters need to know, and how much the reader needs to know? Finding the balance can be tricky, and won't be the same for every project, but getting it right can add invaluable texture to your world.

[Transcript for Episode 182]

Our Guest: Gabriella Buba is a mixed Filipina-Czech author-illustrator and chemical engineer based in Texas who likes to keep explosive pyrophoric materials safely contained in pressure vessels or between the covers of her books. She writes epic fantasy for bold, bi, brown women who deserve to see their stories centered.

Her debut SAINTS OF STORM AND SORROW, a Filipino-inspired epic fantasy, was shortlisted for the 2025 Aldiss Award for World Building in Speculative Fiction. The sequel DAUGHTERS OF FLOOD AND FURY was a top trending Spotify LGBTQ+ Audiobook title. Her work as part of the anthology Witchcraft: Folk Tales & Horror Short Stories edited by Marie O'Regan & Paul Kane was a #1 New Release on Amazon.

She has a Gothic Novella set during the Japanese Occupation of Manila coming with Absinthe Books Spring 2027. Alchemist of Bohemia her next novel will be out May 2027 with Titan Books.

She has a Filipino Fantasy short stories in the anthologies Strange Religion: Speculative Fiction of Spirituality, Belief, & Practice & Of Stardust: A Queer Fantastical Anthology volume 1 & 2, Short stories placed with the Sci Phi Journal and PodCastle Fiction and essays on Filipino Identity in Prairie Fire Press and With Love: What We Wish We Knew About Being Queer and Filipino in America.

Episode 181: Journey to the Past, ft. SHANNON CHAKRABORTY

History underpins so much of what we do in the fantasy genre, directly and indirectly. So how do we make that history feel real in an invented world? What makes it feel old and settled as opposed to a culture that popped up out of the snow like a daisy to give the protagonist their story? Guest Shannon Chakraborty joins us to chat about why we love history, how we study it, and how we weave it together with the fantastical.

History’s not only about what was, but what is, how a society constructs the myth of itself, shapes its values, claims legitimacy, and that means it's not just the source of tomes of lore -- it's so much of what influences who your characters are, how they think, and what obstacles are in their way. Depicting history is also a commentary on today, part of an ongoing project of how we shape our ideas of ourselves and whose stories get to be heard. That makes it a powerful tool to use in crafting fantasy narratives.

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Our Guest: Shannon Chakraborty is the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of The Daevabad Trilogy and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages and nominated for the Hugo, Locus, World Fantasy, Crawford, and Astounding awards. You can find her online at www.sachakraborty.com or on Instagram at @SAChakrabooks.

Episode 180: Subgenre Spin, ft. FONDA LEE

In previous episodes, we've discussed how some genres are more aesthetic-driven (like sci fi & fantasy) and others are more structure-driven (like romance and mystery). So how do subgenres within SFF play with elements of both? How can we blend tropes and reader expectations to put fresh spins on familiar subgenres? Four-time guest and friend of the podcast Fonda Lee joins us to explore the possibilities and potential pitfalls.

A lot of "genre" is really about marketing and packaging, so we also discuss the effects of knowing that end result on the process itself. How is it different if we start out with an idea of "I am going to write This Subgenre Thing" versus starting out with less of that marketing-minded specificity? How much do we play into or subvert a reader's expectations? Navigating that can be a high-wire act, trying to present new things that will delight and surprise a reader without knocking them out of the story. And what do we do if the packaging, which authors often have no control over, doesn't quite paint the right picture of the actual book? We also talk about some recent trends and shifts within SFF subgenres.

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Our Guest: 

Fonda Lee is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the Green Bone Saga, consisting of the novels Jade City, Jade War, and Jade Legacy, along with a prequel novella The Jade Setter of Janloon and a short story collection, Jade Shards. Her newest book is the science fiction novel The Last Contract of Isako. She is also the author of the fantasy novella, Untethered Sky and several young adult novels: Zeroboxer, the Exo duology, and the Breathmarked duology, co-written with Shannon Lee.

Fonda is a winner of the World Fantasy Award, the Locus Award, and a six-time winner of the Aurora Award (Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award), as well as a multiple finalist for the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award. Her novels have garnered multiple starred reviews and appeared on Best of Year lists from NPR, Barnes & Noble, Syfy Wire, and others. Jade City has been translated into fifteen languages, named to TIME Magazine’s Top 100 Fantasy Books of All Time, and optioned for television development.

She has also written acclaimed short fiction and been an instructor at writing workshops including Clarion West, Viable Paradise, and Aspen Words. Fonda is a former corporate strategist and black belt martial artist who loves action movies and Eggs Benedict. Hailing from Canada and the Pacific Northwest, she now resides in the Boston area.

Episode 179: That's Me in the Spotlight, Worldbuilding My Religion, ft. VAISHNAVI PATEL

Faith is an element of society that intersects with a lot of other structures of power and privilege -- So what do we need to think about when incorporating real-world religions into our fantasy worlds and stories? Guest Vaishnavi Patel joins us to discuss Using cultures of faith respectfully but not fearfully!

From gender roles to the afterlife, from guiding moral compasses to provoking conflict, religion has the potential to affect many different components of your characters' lives, whether they are themselves particularly devout or not. Does it put restrictions on their bodily autonomy, the jobs they can hold, or their social class? What role do religious rituals play in daily life -- or in holidays and special events? We also discuss how these considerations can influence character arcs, like crises of faith, redemption arcs, and social reformation.

[Transcript for Episode 179]

Our Guest: Vaishnavi Patel is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Kaikeyi, Goddess of the River, and Ten Incarnations of Rebellion. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Bustle, Paste, Ms. Magazine, and Buzzfeed. She is a lawyer specializing in constitutional law and civil rights, including issues of gender and racial justice. She has lived in five states in the last five years, but Chicago is home.

Episode 178: Character and Conflict, ft. CARISSA BROADBENT

It's an oft-cited (though poorly citationed) aphorism of writing that you should “chase your character up a tree and throw rocks at them." Well, worldbuilding is what gives you the tree and the rocks! So how does your world provide opportunities and obstacles for your characters? Guest Carissa Broadbent joins us to explore making the relationship between character and conflict feel natural and organic through the world they exist in.

Characters are products of their circumstances – So how has the world shaped those for them? What systems and structures have shaped their pasts, and how has that past shaped what they want, what they expect, and what they think is possible? Where does that collide with what other characters want and think? The world also provides the conditions that can push people together or pull them apart, for good or ill -- it can provoke challenge & change, whether you're trying to save the world or get to the kissing bits.

[Transcript for Episode 178]

Our Guest: Carissa Broadbent is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. She has been featured in Elle and Publishers Weekly, and her books have been reviewed in Library Journal, Marie Claire, Popsugar, and Vulture, among others. She writes novels that blend epic fantasy plots with a heaping dose of romance. She lives with her husband, her son, and one perpetually skeptical cat in Rhode Island.

Episode 177: Getting in Tune: Music in Worldbuilding, ft. MIA TSAI

Music is a cultural universal, something human societies have been producing since our very earliest days – So how do we use it when writing novels? How do we put the audial experience onto the page? Guest Mia Tsai joins us to discuss how to go beyond just slapping a bunch of lyrics down on the page! Music is about emotion and communication, so part of the craft of writing it into a book will mean exploring how your characters feel about it, as well as the mental and physical responses they have when they hear a certain tune.

Music can be the tool of the propagandist or the rebel; it can be sacred or profane; small and homey or huge and orchestral. Both its structure and its role in society can vary wildly by time and place, and interesting worldbuilding with music will benefit from looking outside the confines that Western imperialism built around the art. We also talk about building soundtracks for our novels!

[Transcript for Episode 177]

Our Guest: Mia Tsai is a Taiwanese American author of speculative fiction. Her debut novel, a xianxia-inspired contemporary fantasy titled Bitter Medicine, was published by Tachyon Publications on March 14, 2023. Her sophomore novel, an adult science fantasy titled The Memory Hunters, will be published on July 29, 2025, by Erewhon Books.

Mia lives in Atlanta with her family, and, when not writing, is a hype woman for her orchids and a born-again Knicks fan. Her favorite things include music of all kinds and taking long trips with nothing but the open road and a saucy rhythm section.

She has been quoted in Glamour and Washington Post's The Lily and, in her other lives, is a professional editor, photographer, and musician.

Mia is on BlueSky at @itsamia.bsky.social and Instagram at @mia.tsai.books. She is represented by Anne Tibbets at Donald Maass Literary Agency. Please contact Anne for all business inquiries.

Episode 176: Atmospheric Conditions, ft. H.M. LONG

One of the things that can make a novel memorable is its atmosphere. So what do we mean, exactly, when we use that word, and how do we craft it? Guest H. M. Long joins us to attempt to answer that question amid the nebulous, numinous clouds of vibes and aesthetics.

Not every author's going to interpret it the same way, but it's a bit about the mood, a bit about how the setting creates the mood, a bit about the characters' sensory experiences and their memories of those sensory experiences, a bit about what details you use to pull the reader into the character's experience of the world. It's a bit about weather, a bit about lighting, a bit about the score and soundtrack you're trying to put in a reader's head. Writers can use common shorthands, familiar references, quick sketches of setting, vocabulary choices, and other tools to hack their reader's minds and invoke a particular energy and vibrance for their story.

[Transcript for Episode 176]

Our Guest: 

Hannah (H. M.) Long is a Canadian fantasy author. She inhabits a ramshackle cabin in Ontario with her family, but she can often be spotted snooping about museums or wandering the Alps.

​Hannah writes for Titan Books and is the author of the Four Pillars Quartet (Hall of Smoke), the Winter Sea Trilogy (Dark Water Daughter), the Entwined Duology (2026), Ashmarked (2027), and more.

​For the latest updates, follow Hannah on TikTok (@hmlongbooks), Instagram (@hmlongbooks), and Twitter (@hannah_m_long). 

Episode 175: Folklore Monsters and Their Origins, ft. AMÉLIE WEN ZHAO

From creatures to avoid in the woods to superstitions about numbers, folklore not only gives us inspiration for stories, but also stories for the characters in your world to tell. So where do folktales come from, and how can we use them in our worldbuilding? Amélie Wen Zhao joins us to investigate the roots of folkloric monsters and their narrative potential!

We talk about the sometimes blurry lines between folklore, mythology, fables, and legends. Sometimes, that distinction is about the scale of the story: are we talking about the creation of the world, or are we talking about the little creature that lives in your oven to keep your bread warm? Folklore is often more personal as well as more localized, and thus the stories are often very culturally-specific -- and that means they can communicate a lot about your characters' beliefs and values, representative of the world they've grown up in! You also get to decide... are these creatures only stories within your world, or are they really real there?

[Transcript for Episode 175]

Our Guest: Amélie Wen Zhao was born in Paris and grew up in Beijing, where she spent her days reenacting tales of legendary heroes, ancient kingdoms, and lost magic at her grandmother’s courtyard house.

She attended college in the United States and now resides in New York City, working as a finance professional by day and fantasy author by night.

In her spare time, she loves to travel with her family in China, where she’s determined to walk the rivers and lakes of old just like the practitioners in her novels do.

Episode 174: Stress-Testing Your Worldbuilding, ft. ANDREA STEWART

We often start the worldbuilding process with a lot of exciting ideas, shiny notions, and fun experiments -- so then, how do you make it make sense? Even in an invented world with its own history, geography, magic, and other special conditions, we generally still want it to feel like the society could plausibly have developed as we're presenting it. Guest Andrea Stewart joins us to discuss how we can create systems of power and culture-making in invented worlds that still reflect how real people really behave.

[Transcript for Episode 174]

Our Guest: Andrea Stewart is the daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. Stewart is a Sunday Times Bestselling author whose short stories can be found in such venues as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction, Galaxy’s Edge, and others. Her debut epic fantasy novel, The Bone Shard Daughter, was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel, the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, the Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy and Debut Novel, and the BookNest Award for Best Traditionally Published Novel. She now lives in sunny California, and in addition to writing, can be found herding cats, looking at birds, and falling down research rabbit holes