When worldbuilding it is important to be organized, especially when designing rich worlds with many details. The way you organize is ultimately a matter of personal preference, but outlined below are a few ideas and resources that may help.

KEEP A SCRATCH JOURNAL: This is a document, either digital or physical, where you can quickly jot down notes and ideas. It does not need to be particularly organized itself, and you should think of it more of a proving ground for ideas as well as a ‘to do list’ for your world instead of your world itself. For example, if you are suddenly struck with the idea for a reclusive order of corgi monks, but are unsure of the details or even if such an idea will fit with your world, write it in the scratch journal. You can always return to it later to flush the idea out or even incorporate it into some other project you work on. We recommend a notebook such as this one – one that’s sturdy, portable, and dotted-lined in case you wish to make diagrams and/or drawings.

KEEP A REFERENCE WELL: A reference well is a folder where you keep all images, documents, anything, that spurs either your creative thinking, or is an element you want to incorporate into one of your worlds. For example, if you come across pictures of some unique architecture that captures your imagination, save those photos in your reference well.

MAKE A TIMELINE: (see TIMELINES) When dealing with worlds that have a rich history, the first thing you will want to do is make a timeline that contains all important events. This can either be in the form of a written list ordered from past to present, or if you’re more visually inclined, a schematic such as the one below.

Timelines will help you create stories that fit within the broader context of your world. It will be far easier to understand the mindset of your characters if you have easy access to relevant historical and cultural events. For instance, a people that just lived through a war will act much different than a people who have only known peace. If you are telling a story that jumps between time periods, a timeline is a must. Even for things as simple as understanding the dynamics between generations a timeline can be useful.

MAKE A MAP: : It will be useful to make a map, or multiple, of lands and/regions of particular importance.

MAKE A CHARACTER TREE: A character tree is a simple diagram outlining where and when important characters in your world interacted. In the case of worlds where certain family dynasties are important, having a family tree is also a good idea.

DESIGN A WIKI: A wikipage can be a useful resource for keeping all aspects of your world organized. There are several free sites for this exact purpose.