"Ghost World" was first conceived in the early 1990s by Daniel Clowes. Much of the comic is partially inspired by Clowes's own life; for example, Clowes moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and he has said that the town in the story is a visual combination of both places. Most of the novel was not written in chronological order. Clowes began writing "Ghost World" on September 9, 1993, and stated that he created the first chapter without any plans to continue it.