The Surprised Eel on their Patreon gives us a very nice piece of writing that usefully complicates some over-simplified worldmaking advice.
One thing that leapt out at me was this:
“Of course, your fantasy world doesn’t have to work like the real world, but most people’s fantasy realms operate with the same basic rules of physics as our own.”
Both parts of this statement are true, but I’m not convinced the second part ought to be true.
Fantasists are missing a bet if they unthinkingly accept the restrictions of our reality for their invented reality. If your Elfland is just like Poughkeepsie, you might as well set your story in Poughkeepsie.
If it’s not like Poughkeepsie, you have the liberty of saying “Water runs uphill in Vrandobogia” or “The river divides here because the twin daughters of the River Vrand had a quarrel” etc.
Scientists & historians must have fidelity to facts. Fantasists must have fidelity only to our dreams.
[ETA:
TL;DR version: In fantasy worldmaking, the impossible is not only possible; it is desirable.]
