EDIT: If you like this journal entry, check out The Sarcastic Guide to Writing ebook http://www.amazon.com/The-Sarcastic-Guide-Writing-ebook/dp/B005TOCC1C for exclusive content on world-building, character, and dialogue!
World-building, for me, is one of the biggest things about fantasy. It has, in many cases, saved a book from sucking. Conversely, poor world-building can drag a brilliant plot and excellent characterization down. What is world-building? It is consistency of logic and the new rules that you introduce as part of the story. Easy to say, hard to do. World-building, in good fantasy, more often than not, provides som