Nota bene: I spent all day finishing up a chapter of my story, which means I will spend this evening catching up on all the meals I missed, and not being coherent. XD In deference to the aforementioned incoherence, this post will be a bit shorter than usual.
So I was obsessing yesterday over what to do this post on. And then last night, I dreamed that I was making a post here about world building. Proof that I still think about these things even in my sleep!
Since last week, we discussed characters, I think talking about settings this week is a good choice. Specifically, though, we're going to talk about building a setting from scratch. If you're like me, world building doesn't come naturally to you, and requires a lot of thought. (And if it does come naturally to you, then I'm jealous. But read this post anyway.)
I've come up with a list of things that I find important to know when creating my own world. Hopefully, some of those will be useful to you, too.
Style of government: Think about who rules your fictional country. Is it an emperor or king? A parliament? A single elected official? Is the government a feudal sort of society with many minor officials, or is it a government centered around a dictator? Even if the government doesn't play a part in your story, they play a big part in your character's every day life.
Climate: Because as much as I wish my worlds could be like an RPG and have a grassy country, a desert country, and a snow country all in close proximity, I'm fairly certain world climates don't work like that. I find it especially helpful to work out the record highs and lows for each season.
Level of technology: The great thing about world-building is that you're allowed to make your own rules on this one, especially where it pertains to culture. Want to create a society with a medieval European sensibility and laser weapons? Do it! The only caveat here is not to get too mish-mashed. If your character owns a cell phone and travels by horse and carriage, then your readers are going to get a bit jarred.
Culture: Like I mentioned above, you can match this with technology however you like. But unless you are amazing and can create a culture from scratch, you're probably going to draw from a mix of existing cultures. It's always helpful to figure those existing cultures out beforehand.
History with surrounding countries: Does your country have a reputation of being a bit of a warmonger? Is it regularly kicked around by the neighboring kingdom? Does it have some sort of tenuous relationship with another country that may eventually lead to war? Definitely good to know.
Economics: What kind of economic period is the country going through, and how available are jobs? What's the national currency, or do they barter? What are the biggest imports and exports, and what kinds of things are hard to obtain in your country? If you don't share my weird fondness for marketplaces, does the country have shopping malls?
Society: And everything it entails. Social conventions, traditions, common prejudices, sports teams, anything you can think of.
And those are all the ones that are especially important to me. Any more that you guys can think of?
