My Journey in Conlanging Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by codes and fictional languages. Even though I never heard the term “conlanging” until I was in my teens, I attempted to make languages for characters to speak in my worlds. They weren’t good. But since then, Read more…
The Three Categories of World Maps in Video Games Often, when we think of fictional maps, we think of books, like Lord of the Rings or Narnia. But there is another widespread use of fictional mapmaking, arguably more popular and even more immersive: video games. The fictional settings displayed in Read more…
The Ultimate Guide to Designing a Fictional Culture Culture is an essential defining factor of a world. It spans a broad variety of elements that are interwoven together and dependent on each other. Despite this interdependency, these factors can usually be developed independently of the others, and woven together after Read more…
Making Better World Design Decisions What makes a world a world? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the world is “the earth and all the people, places, and things on it.” Similarly, a fictional world is defined by what you decide to put in it. Every decision you make affects the Read more…
How to Write a Compelling Story in a Pre-Built World When I worldbuild, I typically begin with a top-down approach. I begin by thinking about the big picture of the world, and work my way down to specific locations and characters. While this sometimes makes it difficult to limit the Read more…
5 Tips to Easily Begin Improving your Mapmaking My favorite worldbuilding activity is mapmaking, but still, I usually find that getting started is most difficult part. As I have worked on improving my mapmaking over the past several years, I have discovered the 5 helpful tips outlined below. These ideas Read more…
Welcome to Square World Portals! Our vision is to express beauty and meaning through the loving creation of fictional worlds. We bring the worldbuilding community together to share ideas and experiences, to inspire one another, and to ignite creativity in the crowd. My Worldbuilding Experience I have always had a Read more…