What is a World-Building Consultant?

Post written by Andrew Wall.

No, but really, what the heck is a "World-Building Consultant"? This isn’t exactly a common title being thrown around the writing community these days. How do I, as a world-building consultant, help writers?

The short of it is that I help authors ensure they develop rich and living worlds for their stories to dwell in. To do this, I:

• Work with writers at any stage of the writing process, from nascent idea to working on that fifth revision
• Mentor writers in sharpening their world-building instincts
• Act as a sounding board for ideas
• Am as invested in a world as its writer
• Assess what is and isn’t working
• Point to needed next steps and possible solutions
• Listen closely to what the writer wants and help them realize those wants
• Try to make the process as fun and engaging as possible

Essentially, hiring me as your world-building consultant is like partnering with a super nerd with a lot of world-building experience who wants you to come out the other side with a world rich with story potential. The best part is that we have all the freedom to do just that, being only limited by our imaginations and research (which I, of course, will help you with!). 

After working with me, my clients say things like: 

“I was so nervous about writing fantasy and he made me feel like I could do it. His world-building consulting helped me find my story and my characters.”

“I can't overstate how significantly my materials have improved in just a few sessions with Andrew. He quickly instilled in me some good habits in world building, and my world has taken off because of it.”

“I thought I had world-building down pat until I talked to Andrew. He opened my eyes to all the different aspects of world-building and what to consider to make everything work and be believable.”

The question to ask now is: How do you know if you need a world-building consultant?

If you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed with your world-building, if you are putting it off until “later,” or if you don’t know where to start, then you definitely can benefit from my services. 

Yet a world-building consultant is also for those who think they are done with world-building. I can assess the world-building materials you have created so far and point out any holes and areas that need to be strengthened. We all know that a second pair of eyes is beneficial for our story material, why would it be different for world-building?

If having someone in your court who can give you professional feedback in a constructive way sounds good to you, think about hiring a world-building consultant! You can check out my services here. I would love to chat about working together!

Not sure if you can afford individualized coaching? I offer world-building coaching to our writers’ community The Alcove as well as world-building workshops for writing groups (contact us here for more information).