When it comes to writing， worldbuilding is like making a cake。 Why a cake？ Because every author starts with the same general ingredients of characters， plot， and setting， but it’s how each author combines and adds to those ingredients that makes a book an author’s own unique creation。

This essay offers a few tips and poses some questions for figuring out the things you enjoy and do best as an author， so that you can write your own cake， whether it’s a big， bold epic fantasy adventure， a subtle， nuanced mystery， an emotion-packed romance， or something else。

Note: Write Your Own Cake is a 2，000-word essay about writing and worldbuilding。 It first appeared as part of the Scribbler subscription box in November 2018。