World-Building

[sarillia]

I noticed that I'm not the only one around here who likes to write fantasy and come up with my own worlds. So how you do go about it?

For me it depends on which elements of the world will be most important to the story. I have one where the religion is very important so that's what I started with. Other times it may be a political story so it's the government that's most important. Or the family structure for more domestic stories.

Once I've figured out the elements that are most important to the plot, I go through a typical day in the life of my main character and write down any questions I have. What food do they eat? That will largely depend on indigenous wildlife in their climate and how sophisticated their trade networks are. Same with what clothes they wear.

So how do you all build your fantasy cultures?

Comments

[belacqua]

I use questionnaires religiously. It can get tedious, but I just feel better knowing all the little unnecessary details. Right now, I'm working through them for an astrology-based fantasy world. I started by thinking up some basic facets of their religion and society, then dug into the questionnaires.

[sarillia]

Do you have any favorite questionnaires?

I love this Character and Setting Integration Worksheet. Obviously it's not a typical questionnaire but it approaches things the same way I do, by looking at the interaction of setting and character.

[inkdust]

Oh I like the look of that one. It doesn't go on and on like a lot of character bio sheets and the questions seem more conducive to non-present-day-earth settings ("Setting Integration," I like it).

[belacqua]

My favorite is Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions. It's very thorough. I also consult Magical World Builder and World Weaving sometimes, but those two act more as guides than questionnaires.

I like that worksheet you posted! I usually start with worlds before characters, but that could come in handy still.

[inkdust]

I looove questionnaires. I'm not very good at using them, I tend to start skipping questions that would take more than a minute to find the answer to and I never actually finish them, but it satisfies my organizational drive. I have this one bookmarked for when I eventually get to my full-on fantasy novel but I don't know if it's really any good because I haven't looked at more than the first day or two.
http://www.web-writer.net/fantasy/days/index.html

So I second sarillia's question about favorites.

[belacqua]

Oh, I've used the 30 Day Builder too. It's definitely come in handy for me, but tbh, it's not my first pick. I just prefer the thoroughness of Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions. The 30 Day Builder has its advantages though; it's a lot less overwhelming and it has some solid commentary. It, along with World Weaving, is something I don't necessarily follow completely, but still use from time to time.

[inkdust]

Ooh awesome. Thanks!