Fictional cultures must differ from Earth cultures, but be similar enough for readers to understand. Learn how to create compelling but identifiable ones that contribute to your story.
Nature & its denizens are crucial background elements in many genre stories. Learn how to subtly incorporate them into your story to make the reader's experience even more enjoyable.
Governments & their laws affect you every day—& your characters probably have the same experience. Learn how to work legal & governmental issues into your setting & story in an enjoyable way.
The monsters in your world can make or break a good story. Learn what makes monsters work in fiction & how you can make them work in your setting & story.
Kingdoms, nations, planetary empires, city-states -- they're a key part of your story's background. Learn how to create realistic ones & incorporate them into your story in compelling ways.
From alternate realities to lands beyond the veil, learn to use other planes & dimensions to enrich your story, rather than just as a source of weird monsters & villains.
Making non-humans convincingly different but easy for the reader to understand, is a difficult task. Learn how to overcome these challenges in ways that make your story even better.
The setting for a story often takes on a life of its own. Learn to create your own Arrakis or Middle Earth, where the world becomes a character in its own right.
History's the most compelling story ever, but too much fictitious history can drag a narrative down. Learn how & when to use your created history to help, rather than hurt, your story.