Creating Worlds Is Exhausting—Why I Welcome AI as a Creative Tool

Creating Worlds Is Exhausting—Why I Welcome AI as a Creative Tool

Diving into a new story is utterly thrilling. A new world to explore, new rules to discover, new possibilities opening up, it’s such a rush.

Until…

You need names.
You need continents.
You need creatures.
And you need to understand why those creatures exist, what supports them, and what they in turn support.

Worldbuilding has always reminded me of the nature documentaries I watched as a kid—learning how ecosystems fit together, how one change ripples through everything else. A well-fleshed-out world gives a story depth and believability, especially in fantasy and science fiction.

It’s also why many writers choose to stay on familiar ground. Writing stories set on modern-day Earth removes an entire layer of complexity. No new worlds required, just characters and their immediate environments.

Fantasy worldbuilding, on the other hand, is endlessly fascinating… and very easy to let take over everything.

When you learn that Tolkien spent more than ten years working on The Lord of the Rings, it can be shocking. But if you’ve ever tried to build a world from scratch, you don’t scoff—you nod. Possibly grimly.

I love discovering how things in a new world work. The creatures. The cultures. The rules (especially the magical ones—what works, what doesn’t, and why). But there’s no getting around it: the hours and hours of creating systems, names, histories, and interdependencies are exhausting.

And then along came AI.

For me, that currently means ChatGPT. And honestly? It’s been a game changer.

Need options for the name of a specific songbird? No problem—give it the rough idea and see what comes back.
Too clichéd? Adjust the angle.
“Actually, I’m thinking Polynesian-inspired, with layered meanings, more like Chinese naming conventions.”

As I keep discovering, you’re only limited by your imagination, and even then, if you’re having a proper brain-fog moment, you can say that and let the tool help you move past it.

I know there’s a lot of fear and judgement around AI, largely driven by how some people choose to use it. That’s not new. Every tool, from the printing press onward, has been misused the moment it appeared.

For me, AI isn’t a replacement for creativity. It’s an assistant.

You could ask AI to generate an entire world for you with minimal input. But the results are always strongest when it’s used to support ideas already taking shape in your mind—helping you flesh out, test, or expand what you’re already imagining.

You are still the creator.
A shallow idea, whether your own or generated by AI, will always fall flat.
An idea shaped with care, curiosity, and excitement will shine—regardless of the tools involved.

Worldbuilding will probably always be exhausting. But if a tool exists that helps me spend less time stuck and more time creating, I’m happy to welcome it.

Earlier in this series:
In Method Writing, I explore how first-hand experience can shape believable action and detail on the page.

These lessons came from rewriting my BirthRight Trilogy — now available in its newly refined, final form here.