If so, then there is some culture out there that considers it either a staple or a delicacy. Does the culture value wealth or generosity more highly? You can lend permanence to a setting by making the buildings ancient but still functional. Are there topics that can only be raised by the host? Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Food, Culture, and Worldbuilding: 50 Questions For Creatives (The Way With Worlds Series). As society becomes more advanced, trade and commercial considerations come in as well. Where are we? For contemporary writers, worldbuilding might be a quick exercise, especially compared to some fantasy writers who develop their worldbuilding over several years. Come up with another must-consider question? Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions – A great list of questions to help you build a realistic fantasy world. You can also have a world with vast, unspoiled frontiers yet to explore. Worldbuilding is usually a skill associated with speculative fiction writers, however historical, memoir, or even contemporary romance authors must create a world for the character(s). Choose the desired Survey Type from the dropdown menu to see all the associated questions. The other kind of writer is often described as a “pantser” who “flies by the seat of their pants.”Naturally, each approach has its advantages and pitfalls. What is the level of technology (stone age, hi tech)? 30 Days of worldbuilding (integrates some writing/plot). Generally you can gloss over laws, but there are opportunities to introduce conflict in unjust or ridiculous laws, or even just laws that have recently changed. It’s all about what you and your story need. What is the relationship between the different species? Use this list of questions to firm up the scaffolding behind your story—a great exercise for writers of speculative and historical fiction. (And IMHO should be required reading for all North Americans. But I also understand how frustrating it can be. Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions: By Patricia C. Wrede Basics What are the physical characteristics of this race? I have a background in archaeology, and as well sayanthropology as well, since the two disciplines share certain principles. Who dislikes/suffers from/disapproves of this change? Do people eat plain or heavily flavoured food? 10. Buy the Kobo ebook Book Food, Culture, And Worldbuilding: 50 Questions For Creatives: Way With Worlds, #5 by at Indigo.ca, Canada's largest bookstore. Morals: Define what is good and bad. Worldbuilding questions: What is the political structure of your world? Are the laws of nature / physics different to earth? Don’t fall into the Star Wars Trap of having mono-climate worlds (Tatooine = desert, Hoth = ice, Endor = forest). Anonymity goes up with population, as does access to various goods and services. Worldbuilding is the process of constructing a fictional universe. Step 5: Determine the Culture of Your World. Do an elite control religion / magic or is it accessible to all? Afterlife: What happens when you die. Leave a comment and share with others! You can choose to either address this issue, or let it slide to the background. Our worldbuilding tool is packed with surveys that can help with the heavy lifting. Worldbuilding Questions! Worldbuilding Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for writers/artists using science, geography and culture to construct imaginary worlds and settings. It’s an Earth-like world, but any or every aspect of culture or location … could be altered. The first person to discover a creature is either a scientist or an explorer; the second is invariably a cook. Peasants will be better off in a democracy than an empire, but the clergy benefit most from a theocracy. That becomes a biological given. Worldbuilding Geography. What took place during their reigns? Whether it’s the language spoken by the inhabitants or the apocalyptic landscape, pick the aspect of the world you’re most excited about exploring and start there. You’re welcome. The Weltenbau Wissen List of Worldbuilding Questions offers a step-by-step approach to develop a fantasy world, a science-ficional universe, or anything in between. Is the water generally clean enough to drink? That becomes a biological given. I’ve recently started fleshing out a culture I’m building from scratch, and this will prove most useful. If you’re looking to create a new world for your next epic fantasy novel or craft a believable science fiction setting, there are a number of worldbuilding tips you can follow in order to make the most of your own world. and use them as you see fit. If you’re not looking to make an anti-deity statement, include at least oblique references to religious institutions or practices existing. A: Are there different human races, whether or not there are non-humans like elves or dwarves? A society in decline lets buildings and infrastructure fall into disrepair, while a thriving one will create new and better, seeking to outdo the old standards. Elaborate. If your world contains fantastical creatures, consider which of them are edible. Utopian politics have their place, more often it’s useful to have the friction and conflict of intrigue and rebellion. You don’t need to answer every question below. Access to fresh water, arable land, mineral resources, and fishing waters are influential in whether an area can support a large number of people. How big is the gap between rich and poor? Normally there are a few particular cultures that interest me at a given time. Does the leader have special protection (Kingsguard, secret service)? Flesh things out as you go and you'll come up with more and more questions, which lead to more answers. In-depth questionnaire used by anthropologists to study cultures. You can make a setting seem new with in-progress construction of great works. Thank you! ... be working with some parallel version of Earth as we know it. Do they need to worry about heat, cold, or both? What was the cause of the most recent war? In a world of magic, science still exists. A guide to writing sex about sex in your world, from biology to culture. ‎News and media shape culture and education, forge the future, and record the past. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Developing an imaginary setting with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, and ecology is a key task for many science fiction or fantasy writers. Having a setting explicitly devoid of both deities and worshipers makes a statement. Great authors can create a living, breathing environment for their stories, invite readers into another world, and make us homesick for a place we’ve never been. Posted October 12, 2016 by Jennifer Ellision in blog , Writing / 4 Comments Once upon a time, I was a baby author, daunted by the task of world-building for my fantasy novel. If your countryside grows wine grapes, someone probably makes a living exporting wine. by J.S. Element: Consider … Creation myths: Explain the creation and destruction of the world. by Patricia C. Wrede. Email Insiders club members get: the J.S. How much land is temperate, equatorial or polar? Other Gaming/Pop Culture Questions (29) Pokémon Biology Questions (93) Pokémon Design Questions (195) Pokémon Move/Ability Questions (66) Pokémon Movies or Anime Questions (20) Pokémon Worldbuilding Questions (115) Spotlight Series (2) Unova Pokédex (71) X Nuzlocke (24) A: How do magical beasts fit in? Describe them. Consider what rituals and practices may have arisen. SteveWrites. Is the working class well off and comfortable, oppressed, rebellious or broken spirited? I have a background in archaeology, and as well sayanthropology as well, since the two disciplines share certain principles. What sort of clothes do people wear on special occasions? The guest? Do most people live in rural or urban areas? And Historical research is most definitely useful when worldbuilding. Culture-making checklist - neitherworldstories.blogspot.com; Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions; Astronomy You can "toss a coin to your author" to buy me a coffee (or two!) Lily J on April 29, 2014 at 3:03 pm This is just what I needed to read! In an open society, you will develop a merchant class who profits from the local resources. The current music, fashion, slang. Worldbuilding HOW I DO IT First, your environment. by Amelia Wiens. Culture is a vital part to realistic worldbuilding. You m… To get started, go to My Workspace, click the New button, and select the Worldbuilding Survey option. We are starting to have a problem with psychology questions. However, humans developed hundreds (if not thousands) of languages on Earth, so the one language per race trope is a bit simplistic. Fictional settings require real thought about news! Also, while we have tried to categorise the questions to make them easier to manage, this categorisation is neither perfect nor comprehensive, and in somecases is downright questionable. To what extent is magic a learned skill or an innate talent? As related to the question of rulership, you need to address how the bottom rung of society lives. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Thanks! There are two basic types of authors when it comes to worldbuilding: those who plan and those who make it up as they go along. Starting a World. What does a basic pauper’s meal look like? Is magic a specialist, elite skill or is it used easily by commoners? People will buy what they don’t have nearby and sell what they have or make in abundance. Checklist: Building a Culture Nice post. For me, I love the idea of creating new races, religions, places, cultures, and people. $2.99. The guest? Architecture tends to track will with the advance of civilization. Free … Magic is powerful. At the society level: jousting tournaments, plays and opera, sports, and gladiatorial games. A society at peace will behave much differently from one that is fighting a war or preparing for one. Fine tuning the physical and cultural landscape of your setting? Religion and Worldbuilding: 50 Questions For Creatives. Are there any magical creatures? For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! Is there a class system? If your world wasn’t created by divine powers, people most likely have invented them. Consider the climates of your world, and where your story takes place. A: Is it an “alternate Earth”? This is a short PDF that includes my worldbuilding tips, a questionnaire to help you brainstorm, prompts to help you focus your brainstorming, and recommendations to avoid infodumping. A: How does magic fit in? If you want fantastical races, the best route is to create your own. World building is the art of convincing a reader that a fictitious place exists. Culture is how biology responds and makes its living conditions better. What biomes does it contain? The Dark Side), societal structure (slaves and free), and politics (the trade wars) play huge roles. ... be working with some parallel version of Earth as we know it. 60 Worldbuilding Questions for A/B/O fic writers Long post, press J to skip So we were talking on Discord about writing A/B/O worlds, and somebody was wondering when parents should find out the secondary genders of kids and such. Planners sit down and work all the details out beforehand, determining the geography and history of their world before starting the first draft. I go into quite a bit of detail on the subject of how magic and science interact, but suffice it to say that unless your story is about primitive hunters, killing with their bare hands, you have some technology in your world. Are they the ones doing the ruling? Write them, and possible answers. If you have more than one sentient race, each probably has their own language. I’m currently reading GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL to learn more about why societies develop the way they do. Cities happen for reasons. Simple questions to ask that make sense for my world and don’t require too much details. For countries, the larger the population, the more cities, the more bureaucracy to keep it all running. What do you do if you don’t know where to start creating that illusion? Laws that restrict freedoms or forbid things that are essential to the characters are the most likely areas to bring laws to the fore. There is no limit to the creativity you might employ in devising a non-human race. 60 Worldbuilding Questions for A/B/O fic writers Long post, press J to skip So we were talking on Discord about writing A/B/O worlds, and somebody was wondering when parents should find out the secondary genders of kids and such. Does it have moons? Are there topics that can only be raised by the host? Is it an “alternate Earth”? How do you get into a professional guild? Are these gifted individuals looked upon as boons to their communities: protectors, sages, visionaries? Reply. If so, then there is some culture out there that considers it either a staple or a delicacy. wondrous worldbuilding — Questions for developing the biology of a new... 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions — The World. A: Is this generally an earth-like world? What benefits do you gain from being a member of a guild? In an oppressive society, the rulers will see all the benefits from this. wondrous worldbuilding — Questions for your developing magic system... 1.5M ratings 277k ratings See, that’s what the app is perfect for. The worldbuilding process is an important aspect of many genres of fiction writing, especially sci-fi and fantasy writing. How many / how long? War-like people will make city-building decisions with defensive considerations as well. I am pretty sure I have seen this list before in some form or another, but from the RPG Game Master advice point of view. A Worldbuilding Guide to Crafting Diverse Cultures . How long has the system of government been in place? You may wish to shuffle them around to suit your specific requirements. Buy Now $2.99 USD or more. Questions to get you thinking so you can better develop your countries and their cultures, whether they're fantastic fairytale kingdoms or futuristic space colonies. Can magic be combined to increase its strength? Country & Culture Development Questions. It sets its users apart from the rest of society, because the laws of physics no longer apply equally to everyone? The larger a land, the more opportunity for corruption, inefficiency, and operating without the knowledge of those in charge. If your world is more Earth-like, take a cuisine appropriate to your climate and adapt it to your world. When worldbuilding, consider: The Deep Past: What happened way back when that fuels the present economy, environment, culture, etc. It is a nice reminder that a lot of that stuff is really helpful to writers as well. So take these questions, prompts, thoughts, etc. Worldbuilding Questions and Ideas for Six Planet Types Worldbuilding is a massive undertaking. I’ve found gamers to have a bit of a higher tolerance for imperfect worlds, but the experience is always better if the setting feels real. Are there professional guilds / institutes/ etc? Which are scarce? Worldbuilding is an aspect of storytelling that writers either love or hate. (Desert, mountain, forest, island, etc.) News, Media, and Worldbuilding: 50 Questions For Creatives. This is mostly a matter of practicality. Well, to get you going, here’s a list of 20 world building questions you can ask yourself to get started. Not all fantasy needs to have elves, dwarves, and orcs. I have a tendency to using multiple POV in a story, so I like knowing what else is going on in society. Hopefully these 20 world building questions give you some inspiration on where to start on your next best-selling series, but I’m sure there are plenty more. What are the seasons like? What natural resources are available in different regions? 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