Just like your protagonist has a backstory, important events that shaped them, as well as social and physical development unique to them, your world has a history, events that have defined and shaped it, as well as a societal structure and map or physical characteristics that are unique to it.Ĭheck out the opening title sequence for FORT SALEM, which features the history and map of the world:Įliot Laurence had the idea for the story a decade ago, first thinking it would be a series of novels as he created an entire history and lore for the world, but then changing direction to gear it for television after the world had been built. Consider world-building much like character development. Your fantasy world is like another character in your story. In order to play in the sandbox of the fantasy world you’re creating and to take your protagonist on a journey in it, you have to first know what that sandbox is and the rules around it. DO: Establish The History & Societal Structures Of The World Let’s take a look at some do’s and don’ts of writing fantasy while using MOTHERLAND: FORT SALEM as a guide. The show is currently in its second season. Modern society is matriarchal, and witches serve in the military using combat magic.
Laurence has described it as “fantasy through a sci-fi lens.”įORT SALEM is set against the backdrop of the United States of today but with an alternative history, if the Salem witch trials had persecuted real witches and the magical women struck a deal: in exchange for their freedom, they vowed to protect the nation using their supernatural powers. The YA dramatic fantasy series MOTHERLAND: FORT SALEM, created by Eliot Laurence, is a great example of screenwriting and worldbuilding in the fantasy genre. They’re ripe for a large cast and exploration of interesting characters with complex relationships in worlds we can escape into, whether that realm is one of high-fantasy like THE WITCHER, sci-fi fantasy like DOCTOR WHO, or set in a world like our own with fantasy elements, like SUPERNATURAL. There are no limits, other than the ones you create!įantasy is on the rise since GAME OF THRONES helped make the genre more mainstream, showing why these stories make for excellent television. As a writer, crafting a fantasy world and dreaming up the creatures and characters within it is a creative adventure.
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