Learn from the Creator of Alagaësia

Christopher Paolini, author of the justly famed Inheritance Cycle (which was the first major Fantasy series I read after The Lord of the Rings) has some wise Worldbuilding words for those of us who wish to not only read about adventures in the Multiverse, but want plot a journey and make first contact ourselves:

• It’s essential to think about the underlying philosophy of your work, because that will influence the shape of everything that follows.
• Once you’ve decided upon your philosophy, then comes the more tradition elements of world building: histories, names, technology, family trees, major events, and so on.
• As important as it is to be consistent, it’s equally important to have a certain amount of variation.