Blogging the Fading Lands

So...you have a planet. You have some idea of the basic terrain, climate, vegetation, animal life. Now it's time to add your people.

The people and their cultures that you create will have a far greater impact on your story than any other element of world building you can contemplate. Why? Because stories are about people: the trials they face, the quests they undertake, the way they interact with each other, their values and beliefs.
When you are building your world, the people (and their cultures) are what you should spend the bulk of efforts to create, flesh out, and understand in detail. Here, small sketches are not enough - unless you're talking about a race that is a mere footnote in your book.

Let's start with some very basics:

1. Average life span. Are these mortals? Immortals? What is the average lifespan of a man and woman (barring unforeseen accident or death)? If your people are "immortal" is this true immortality (ie, even destruction of physical form does not kill the consciousness) or can their otherwise unending life be terminated (cutting off the head, silver bullets, stake to the heart, etc.)
   
   
2. Physical characteristics. Are your people short? Tall? Stocky? Slender? Beautiful? Pale-complexioned? Dark-skinned? Ruddy? Are there predominant hair and eye colors? Are there any race-specific physical characteristics (rounded ears, pointed ears, three fingers, fangs, etc)?
   
   
3. Superhuman abilities. Do they possess any superhuman abilities? Some types of superhuman capabilities include magic, psychic ability, flight, shape-shifting, healing. Other, slightly less fantastical capabilities include superhuman strength, speed, hearing, vision, empathy. (We will talk about magic and superhuman abilities in more detail in a later post.)

WARNING: When creating a people with superhuman / supernatural abilities, in particular "all powerful" beings, don't forget to give those people one or more weaknesses. All characters must have a point of vulnerability. Without it, they are gods, and it's extremely difficult to evoke any real sense of danger in a story about a character who is invincible. Even Superman has Kryptonite.

Now, let's add some broad cultural/societal brush strokes to our fledgling peoples.

1. Core Values. What does this society value most? Why? What are they willing to do to protect that value?
   
   
2. Defining Attributes/Cultural Strength. Is there a core belief/activity (which almost always springs from the thing or things the society values the most) that makes this society/culture unique? Are your people conquerors? Are they great artisans and craftsmen? Great poets and musicians? Great scholars? All societies typically have some basic core strength, else they will ultimately be absorbed by some other culture.
   
   Some examples of defining attributes/cultural strengths: dwarves are typically depicted as being miners, dwelling below the surface, typically coarse and either jovial or unfriendly people. A race of nomadic horsemen living on the plains would build their society around the horse, and likely following a migratory food source. Hunting and horsemanship would figure enormously in all their endeavors, and weapons of choice would be something that could be wielded on horseback. A tribe of Fremen living in the sands of Dune build their civilization around Spice and water, and their great strength is their fighting ability, which springs from their relentless battle to survive in a bitterly harsh environment.
   
   
3. Cities. Is the society nomadic or do they establish permanent settlements/cities? Are there distinctive elements to their architecture, and can these artistic elements serve to reflect the core beliefs and lifestyle of the culture? Warlike people, for instance, would build their cities for defense. Nomadic peoples would have easily constructed or movable buildings and would likely also have some reliance on beasts of burden.
   
   
4. Interaction with other cultures. Which cultures interact with others? Which are more closed (and therefore more likely to be hostile to outsiders)? Who are their enemies? Allies? Why? How strong are the alliances? How hostile the feuds?
   
   
5. Religion/Spirituality. Does the society have a communal religion? Are they monotheistic? Polytheistic? Atheist? Are there various sects within the society that worship in different ways? Are they tolerant of other belief systems? Does religion play a large part in daily life?
   
   
6. Education / Scholarship / Training. Does your culture value education? Can everyone read and write, or only certain people? Are certain people prevented from educating themselves? What sorts of education are available and how is it provided?

Again, when making these decisions, go back to the basic themes and plots of your story. What will help illustrate or draw those themes/plots into conflict? For instance, if you are writing a story about freedom and living with nature, you could showcase a nomadic, hunter/gatherer society against a society that builds stone monuments to progress across previously open hunting plains.

I am clearly omitting several key considerations, which I will discuss in later blogs:

1. Social structure


2. Government and Industry


3. Warfare and technology


4. Magic


5. Myths, Legends and Histories


6. Customs and Taboos


7. Language

I will be discussing the above topics individual in upcoming blogs. Next article: Structuring Your Society.

Labels: worldbuilding