Heyyyyy guys... So like, very sorry that I've been dead on this book for two years but all of the attention I get comes from here, and despite not updating, the advice stuff is absolutely still the stuff I get the most requests on, so, I'm back.

(This is the first chapter that's gonna be in this book alone and not in my oc reviews and that's because we're talking universe writing and that book is full and long gone.)

Anyway, let's do this.

So, fantasy is an absolutely massive genre and whilst I know my fair share of stuff, I'm definitely no expert but I'm gonna try my best. So let's talk basics.

The World Itself

World Building is and always will be incredibly fun, but incredibly hard and tedious. Especially in a fantasy setting.

So, here are a few things that you need to figure out before you start writing:
-Species - One of the most expected things in fantasy is new and interesting species and creatures. I've seen some incredible concepts and unique characters from this section alone. Unfortunately, I've seen some pretty rough ones too. The creatures are normally pretty neat but there are a few issues with how they function.
So what I suggest is creating a food chain. Decide who the predators are and what they hunt and how everything works. Having a ranking makes the alignment and creatures feel more natural and makes more sense in the grand scheme of things, allowing a structure to maintain order in your universe.
I also recommend creating your own creatures but if you do decide to use pre-existing ones, such as vampires or sirens or werewolves, do your research. Mythical creatures are actually very complicated and have a lot of interesting ideas behind them. You can just slap one in your story and not have a clue how they actually work. And if you wanna put a good ol' new twist on the species, by all means, go ahead, just make sure it flows and fits with everything else. You can't just add contradictory things and if you want to remove something from a species that exists, you're welcome to but don't change too much because then it's not the same creature. You might as well just design a new one in that case.
Though, if you do decide to use a well-known pre-existing creature (without changing it), pick a specific version of that creature and stick to the lore and information that is available. This will make it easier on you without contradicting yourself.

- Where are we? - Establishing geography is very important. Towns, Cities, Kingdoms, Countries, and Continents; all of it is important in letting the reader know what's going on. I'm not saying make a map (though, that is a good idea), just have a general idea of where everything is in relation to each other, and make sure everything important is named. From there on, you can develop the little details for these places. Like class and culture and who lives here, what it's like to live here, yanno, all that good stuff.

- Languages - In a fantasy setting, it's not shocking for there to be different languages. I'm not saying go Game of Thrones or The 100 and create a fully functional fiction language, because those were done by a linguistic expert. Even referencing that there are different languages or accents or even slang depending on the area can flesh out your universe that much more.

- Fashion - Logically, style will change depending on the area of your world. Similar to languages, how people dress and present themselves will change slightly from place to place. I know it's dystopian, but the Hungar Games is a very good example of this.

- Magic systems - Oh boy, where do I begin? Magic is such a broad term but it is essential to fantasy worlds. There are several YouTube videos on how to do this so I recommend that over my advice because whilst I've done my research and created my own magic systems, I am definitely no expert.
The important thing is to work out how the magic works in your universe. Is it within the user? Is it drawn from a source? Is it genetic? Is it learnt? Is it through spells? From here you can establish how the magic is different from person to person and work out a power ranking.
Power rankings can be hard to do, but once you've managed, it makes things a lot easier. I suggest giving different terms to people with different abilities, and if everyone has the same abilities, then I suggest giving different terms based on how strong they are. Or even both if you're feeling adventurous.
Once you've done that, you can work out how hard magic is to use, or how difficult the different types of magic are to use. This also includes what happens if people overuse these abilities, or what happens when a spell goes wrong.
Some good examples of magic systems if you need inspiration:
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Harry Potter (Obviously)
- Fullmetal Alchemist 

Characters

Not you've got your bare-bones fantasy universe idea, let's talk about how to put your characters into it. I'm going to keep this brief.

For fantasy characters to work you have to have everything previously mention established so then you can work out where they fit in the world. Obviously, you have to sort their personality, background, family, etc, but you have to do that with all characters.

You've already established where they live, how they sound, and whether they have magic or not. So, now you have to work out how your character feels about the world. Do they agree with those in power? Do they like where they live? How do they feel about their class? Are they struggling with the magic system? Are they an outcast due to standards in that universe?

Characters are a crucial part of the story but with fantasy, you have to put as much love into the universe as you do with the people living in said universe. How your characters interact and understand the world around them is just as important as how they interact with one another.

Fantasy is brilliant because there are no limits, so if you learn anything from this, here's the takeaway: do something new. There are so many possibilities and taking inspiration is important, don't just copy someone else's idea. And take your time. The more time you put into the world, the better it'll be and the more fleshed out it will feel.

But most importantly, write about a universe you enjoy writing about. Nothing sucks worse than working on a world and then losing interest in it. And if even you aren't engaged in it, how are your readers meant to be?

*These tips are things I've thought of after spending nearly seven years on this site and been reading nearly my whole life. If you disagree with anything I've said, that is completely fine and you obviously don't have to follow anything I've said*