World building is what writers do. The good ones, the really awesome kick-ass take-no-prisoners crafters of fiction, they're able to invest such honesty into their tales that you believe in them. This is accomplished not through the alchemy of the letter-dance alone, but because they sit and they think and they play if-then games, they create a world and then honor their creation's internal logic. They breathe life into their world by finding the details that reveal the whole, by setting the laws of their universe and then adhering to them. If I write a story and set it in Antarctica and then I take Carrie Stetko outside for a walk, I'd damn well better remember that it's cold outside. That's world building. There's no secret to it. If a writer -– any writer -– wants to make their story worthwhile, then the characters deserve as much consistency and attention as the world they inhabit. How do I write such strong female characters? I write them the way I write all of my characters. With consideration, with respect, with honesty. As much as I can muster of these things while lying to you for your entertainment, amusement, and sometimes, perhaps, for your consideration. http://io9.com/5912366/why-i-write-strong-female-characters