8 Creative Outlets You Can Try (Besides Writing) to Help Bring Your Fictional World to Life

Doesn’t it feel sometimes like the more you put pressure on yourself to write, the less you seem to accomplish with your story? Sometimes it’s necessary to walk away and give yourself a little break from smashing the keyboard. But what if you don’t want to lose that connection you’ve built with your story? What if there was another creative way to bring your fictional world to life that didn’t require writing?

Well not only is there another way, there are eight other creative ways to keep that connection and bring your fictional world to life.

Today I’m sharing those eight alternatives you can try as well as a few suggestions from teen writers like you who share their own creative alternatives and why they love them. So roll your sleeves up and break out your craft bin, because it’s time to bring your story to life in a whole new, exciting way!

Painting is a relaxing and even therapeutic way to express yourself creatively. From oils to watercolors, you have a variety of mediums at your disposal to have fun with. Drawing also can be a great way to bring the world you’ve imagined to life. But how can painting/drawing keep you connected to your story?

Painting/drawing is an awesome way to enhance your world building process. You can paint a map of your world in epic watercolors or draw a scene in your story. You can paint that sick monster that lurks in the ocean near your fantastical city or sketch your main character. You can also paint/draw something your main character would paint/draw if given the chance. 

Take a look at author Beth Wangler’s beautiful piece below. It’s a water color version of the map from her fantasy book Child of the Kaites

But Rae! I have NO ART SKILLS TO SPEAK OF. No worries bromigo! You don’t gotta be Da Vinci to create a masterpiece you can be proud of. Watercolor sets are easy to find in any Michaels, Target, or even on Amazon.

Clay modeling has been and always will be a favorite hobby of mine. When I was a kid, my parents and brother and I would get the modeling clay out and create all kinds of creatures. And one time as a gift for my uncle, we made a Lord of the Rings chess set complete with a Galadriel Queen, Gollum Rooks, Orc and Dwarf pawns, and Hobbit knights as pictured here!:

Yeah, they’re goofy but hey I was ten years old so cut me a break! 😉

Wouldn’t it be awesome to create your own characters in 3D form? With modeling clay it’s not only possible, but it’s amazingly fun. The characters that have been muckin’ around in your brain and in the pages of your story for days can now come to life with your own hands. And don’t worry about not being familiar with clay. Believe me, it takes absolutely no skill to take on this medium (see picture above!) Not to mention playing with clay is a really relaxing way to unwind after a stressful day.

I highly recommend the Sculpey Clay brand since this clay comes in an absolute rainbow of colors and you can bake your character in the oven, thus leaving you with a solid model of your character that will last fo-eva! (just as long as you don’t drop it, lol). You can find this brand at Michaels or any other craft store or even order it online on Amazon.

Now, that sounds a lot more complicated than it is. I’m not saying “be Mozart!” I’m saying, if you like to strum the guitar or fool around on the keyboard then make it apart of your storytelling process. How exactly can you do this?

If you’re creating a science fiction or fantasy world, you’ve got tribes and different races, no doubt. What hymns do these peoples sing? What is the national song of their tribe? What songs have been passed down to their children? Are there songs that teach of a dangerous monster or a beautiful maiden? Then grab that guitar and write that song! Even if you don’t play seriously or know how to read music or whatevs, no sweat. Just have fun with it.

You can simply enjoy music and put together a playlist for your story!

Nothing brings your fantasy world to life quite like a good representational song. Need some inspiration? Check outThe Hobbit soundtrack. It’s loaded with awesome dwarfish hymns.

What if you don’t play an instrument? Well if you’re like me and not musically inclined in the least, then have a look-sy at some of these apps that help you create music with a tap of the screen.

SNAP! That’s how easy it is to get the creative juices flowing with this hobby. Photography is an awesome way to go hunting for inspiration and capture images unique to your story.

What symbols or concepts live inside your world? Maybe a certain flower or animal represents a particular society or character. Why not go on the hunt for that item and grab a shot of it?

You can even plan a book-themed photoshoot with friends! Grab clothes that might fit the look of your characters, have your friends model for you and have a creative field day! This is something I used to absolutely LOOOOOVE doing with my friends. Below are examples of my own photoshoots that I later photoshopped to implement concepts from my stories:

Once you’ve gathered some spectacular shots that inspire you, collaborate the pictures into an album or start a new inspirational cork board to hang over your writing desk. That way every time you feel writer’s block rear its ugly head, you can slice it off with one glimpse from your cork board.

Journaling is like one, big, giant, mesh of creative expression. It involves cutting and pasting pictures, writing lyrics, drawing pictures, adding quotes, painting scenes, taping in flowers and adding stickers galore! It’s such an imaginative way to pour your mind onto the page, no holds barred.

So how can journaling help you connect to your story? Grab a new journal and dedicate it to your WIP. Make every single page ooze with details, clippings, drippings and stickings all about your novel. Add everything from characters to scenes, creatures to pets, places to objects– yes turn the entire journal into a visual look-book of your novel. 

I promise you’ll get lost for hours with this project. And every time you lack motivation to write, grab this journal and let it inspire you all over again.

UMMMM, RAE isn’t sewing and knitting for grandmas?! Come on, I don’t wanna learn how to do that!!

Yeah, yeah I get it but hear me out for a sec:

You like a good cosplay, right? How do you think a cosplay outfit is made? Can’t find those bad boys at any Party Depot I’ll tell you that much! Most of the time these amazingly intricate outfits are– that’s right– hand sewn! Hand-sewn or stitched outfits like this amazing Aloy cosplay from Horizon Zero Dawn is a perfect example of how sewing or knitting can improve your story:

Getting into knitting or sewing means you have the ability to bring your fantasy world to life in a whole new way. By creating your character’s outfit, you have the chance to not only rock your own character’s outfit at the next Comic Con but a great way to boost sales of your book. Chris Paolini, author of the Inheritance Cycle, used to travel the U.S promoting his books in the traditional garb of his fantasy world. True story!

But even if you don’t have plans to promote your book through your clothes, you can still hand sew a symbol or a little patch that you can attach to your back pack for school. And when friends ask about it, you can share your book with them! So ask your mom, grandma or a favorite aunt about sewing. I’m certain they’d love to sit down with you and help make your book dreams a reality.

I started wood carving last year as a new hobby and it’s really satisfying work. All wood carving requires is one to two carving tools and a soft little block of wood like bass or cherry and any pair of gloves to keep splinters at bay.

What can you create that relates to your story? Well, start small– very small. Carve a wee model of a creature from your fantasy world like a griffin or a dragon. Or why not craft a sacred weapon your main character carries? Last summer, I started crafting the Forest Dweller’s Sword from the Zelda: Breath of the Wild video game as practice. Check it out:

Don’t worry about it being perfect. As you can see from my own shoddy work, you don’t have to be a master woodworker to create something you love. Just have fun with it. This project will take time so be patient and appreciate every little carving you make. Look at your piece from every angle and follow the grain.

Still, maybe wood carving is too daunting a task to begin with. No worries because wood burning is an even easier tier to start with. What is it exactly? Well, it’s like painting but with smoke and wood. Cool right?!

Wood burning is literally burning images or shapes into a block or piece of cut wood. All you need is a wood burner and a choice little piece of wood. (be very careful with the burner as it won’t burn you bad, but it could burn something you don’t want burned like a desk!)

You can create a beautiful image from your book, a character, or even a map of your world. Have a look at this amazing wood burning my friend made for me, an Alaskan mountain range on a slice of wood:

Looking for a great wood working beginner’s video tutorial? Check out this video I watched when I first started my wood-working process:

Dylan also has a wood burning for beginners tutorial as well! Check it out here:

Is baking cupcakes and brownies really supposed to help you write your story? UM, YES. Especially if you do it right!

Baking is the one and only delicious way to celebrate your novel. How so? Does your character have a favorite sweet treat? Why not bake one in his/her honor and decorate it as they would like it? Then, best of all you can share your glorious creation with your followers on instagram– #doitforthegram!

Another option is to create your story’s symbol in edible form. Grab icing, create specific colors with food dye, and have fun skillfully decorating your cookies, cake or otherwise. And when you’re done, grab some milk and enjoy. Or if you’re a little less of a snack hoarder than me, share your bake with your friends and explain the inspiration!

Last of all, you can even create a building or location from your book in edible form. Imagine a gingerbread house– but instead it’s a castle from your book! This is something my brother and I used to do as kids. We would create landscapes from our favorite books in candy form, granted, most of our material mysteriously went missing (I still blame my brother). Use cookies, biscuits or wafers and decorate with sweets and icing to make this a must-chew project.