* Even if the world in your writing is another planet or version of reality, use specific elements from your daily life such as sensory details or cultural concerns. This will help make sure that readers can at least partially picture the sci-fi world and relate to it. * Take time to visually understand the world you’re building: Write detailed descriptions, draw it, maybe even create some maps. Even if you never directly use this content in your finished piece of writing, taking this time to imagine the world in complex detail will help you imagine it fully. * Do some research to get inspired, and adapt elements of actual science, or actual history and culture into your world. Drawing on some material that really happened or is happening will help make your fictional world believable. * Think about the logistical details of daily life for inhabitants of your world. What do they eat for breakfast? What do their pajamas look like? How do they get around? Concrete details like this, even if they might seem mundane, will help make your world feel substantial and “real.” * Come up with names for places, languages, nations, etc. to create a sense of a fully immersive world. * Think through multiple facets of life in your world: The natural environment (ex. What does the landscape look like?), the cultural and political environment (ex. Who has power here and who is at the bottom of the hierarchy?), and the personal environment (ex. What does a typical family look like here?).