The process is not as difficult as it appears...

     I know the process of world building seems to be a daunting task when you break it down in the number of sections I have.  Especially since I kept this guide as simple as I could for my own process.  There are far more areas that can be fleshed out in each section, and I will be going into more detail soon enough.  For detail oriented people, this guide is just a beginning, but what about the non-detail oriented people.  The folks who enjoy writing a story, and don't see a reason to have all this information about the world they're writing if they're not going to include it in the story itself.

     I've given a lot of information on how I break down world building, but I never actually explained my process.  I don't actually start with all the questions and phases I listed here.  I really just start writing a story, and as I go, see if there's something in the world building I need to define by referring to the questions in each section.  I never fill out or answer all the questions in one section, just the ones I need to finish the story.

     If I'm writing some dialogue, and a character mentions something about the "city state" being a certain way, I'll often stop, and spend a little time designing and defining that portion of the world.  If I introduce an uncommon, or original creature into a story, I'll stop, and start to write a basic description of the creature, sometimes even going so far as to do a simple sketch of the creature.  If I'm having my character(s) travel across the land, I'll often stop and draw a simple map, so I know which way they're going, what terrain or obstacles they might encounter, and what possible creatures might exist in the areas they're going to go through.  The questions are answered while I'm writing, not before.

     After I finish a story, I sometimes have to answer questions asked that I skipped, because I knew the answer to them and didn't think they needed to be defined.  I know in my first published story, the editor of the magazine loved it, but there were things that needed to be defined.  I did several edits addressing each concern, and in the next to last message they said they didn't like the ending.  I often describe the exchange as a boxing match.  We exchanged multiple blows back and forth, most of mine hitting their mark as the editor appeared to like the changes I made.  The ending change, I think, was the editor's attempt at a K.O.  I took it as a challenge, and delivered my own K.O. punch.  The editor's next message to me was "I'm sending this to the copy editor."

     Basically, what I'm saying, as a writer, you don't necessarily need your world built before you begin writing the story.  Most all of my stories begin with the characters, and the world grows around them.  Nothing I write is finished once I hit "The End."  There will always be edits to be done, and questions to be answered, but if you get them answered, whether before you start, while you're working, or after you finish a draft doesn't matter, as long as they get answered.

     So, don't be intimidated by the thought of building your own world, instead write your story, and let the world "build itself."  XD