I’ve always loved the feeling of falling into a fictional world—rich with history, strange with magic, brimming with tension. As a writer, I wanted to build a universe that felt just as immersive. But worldbuilding can be overwhelming. You start with one idea—a character, a place, a fragment of lore—and suddenly you’re trying to invent an entire civilization, with maps, mythologies, languages, and more.
I don’t outsource my creativity. But I do collaborate—with AI. Specifically, I use AI tools like ChatGPT to help me refine, expand, and question what I’ve imagined. It’s not about automation. It’s about augmentation.
Here’s what that looks like in practice.
From an Idea to Infrastructure
When I first started writing the Shadows of the Lost series, I had a central premise: a young woman scarred by an ancient entity, entangled in a battle over forgotten magic. But where did the magic come from? Who built the systems that made her world function—or break?
I used simple prompts like:
“What are possible consequences of a society built around memory-based magic?”
“Generate factions that might emerge in a world fractured by a magical cataclysm.”
“What are ten historical events that could shape a post-collapse civilization?”
These questions sparked hundreds of narrative possibilities. Not all of them made it into the final version, but they helped me build a layered foundation beneath the surface of my story.
The Magic of Deep Context
The Arkadien Chronicles is the larger universe that houses Shadows of the Lost, along with novellas, intersecting series, and standalone stories. It’s a cross-realm narrative involving Echo fragments, veiljumps, corrupted deities, and mythic magic like the Mirrorlock Array.
Sounds complicated, right?
That’s why I started organizing my worldbuilding with AI—not just to generate ideas, but to track them. I’d paste in lore snippets and ask:
“Does this contradict anything I’ve previously written about the Curator?”
“Suggest a timeline of historical events that aligns with this prophecy.”
“What questions would a scholar in this world ask about the Echoes?”
The AI isn’t perfect. But it’s like having a hyper-focused research assistant who remembers everything and doesn’t mind being asked the same question twenty different ways.
The Weird, the Broken, and the Beautiful
Some of my favorite worldbuilding moments came from going weird.
When I wanted to design a forgotten library dimension, I asked:
“Describe a library that exists outside time, maintained by sentient knowledge.”
What came back was part poetry, part madness—and exactly the vibe I needed. From there, I could refine the concept into what became Pergamon, the Library of Worlds. Likewise, my creature designs, magical systems, and Echo artifacts often started with a strange prompt like:
“What would a god leave behind if it was torn apart?”
The AI doesn’t write the answers. It gives me raw material to wrestle with.
Tools, Not Replacements
I’m not trying to cheat the process. I like the process. But writing a universe from scratch is a massive undertaking, especially when juggling multiple books, character arcs, and metaphysical systems. AI helps me stay organized, think bigger, and explore paths I might not have considered alone.
I’m still the architect. But sometimes, I let my copilot sketch.
Final Thought
Worldbuilding is less about knowing every answer than it is about asking the right questions. AI gives me space to ask more, imagine more, and revise with intention.
One prompt at a time, I’m building a universe I can’t wait to invite readers into.
Because every author could use a copilot.
Kevin Arms | Author & Educator 
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