Blogging the Fading Lands

All those of you who have been waiting (so patiently) for the next installment of the worldbuilding series, here it is! Our topic today, gentle writer, is about fleshing out the history of your planet and various peoples, their lore (body of knowledge about particular subjects) and their legends and myths. Of the three, I personally find legends (even more than myths) to be one of the most powerful tools in the worldbuilding arsenal. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

History

The history of your planet, your various cultures, and key events on that planet and in those cultures are vital to everything that happens on that planet and in those cultures. We are all a product of our upbringing, and everything that is now is a product of something that came before.

Your world has a timeline too. The more you know about it, the more fully-realized your world is going to be. Does this mean you have to sit down and write out acres of historical data before you can begin your story? No, of course not, but it does help to document a few key "major" events -- things that the people in your story will know about, that will have had some effect on the events in the story. A great plague, for instance, or a terrible war, or the death of someone important, or a king's coronation.

There are some timeline generators you can use to give you ideas. One that's fairly fun to play with is http://www.fantasist.net/timeline.shtml. I like it because it gives a range of "world events" that can spark your imagination.

If you don't like that idea, just consider earth's own history. I love history. Not the boring bits about dates of battles and wars, but the stories behind those battles and wars. I also love seeing how certain events change the course of the world. THOSE are the events you would document in your timeline.

In the novels of the Fading Lands, I started with two key historical events: The Mage Wars and The Scorching of the World (caps for emphasis). I knew the Scorching had occurred 1,000 years prior to the story start. I knew my hero was 1200 years old at the story start. Even now, I'm still not exactly certain how long the Mage Wars raged, but I've pinned it down to approximately 4-5 years, give or take a year or two. My reasoning: that much devastation can't go on for too long before there's no one and nowhere left to fight. I also had a vague idea of several important historical events: "Time before memory" and a key event that will be revealed in QUEEN OF SONG AND SOULS.

The rest of my timeline grew as the story developed, and as I discovered things, I added them to my "History of the World" file. The assassination of Marikah and Dorian I and the Vengeance of Gaelen vel Serranis, which kicked off the Mage Wars. The Great Plague which occurred 300 years prior to story start and re-initialized trade between Eld and Celieria. I have also made reference to the Demon Wars and various legends and events (Lissalukai breathes magic into the world, Fellana the Bright meets Sevander, Shannisorran v'En Celay meets his truemate, Elfeya), but I haven't placed them exactly on the timeline. I've found myself backtracking now and trying to pin those events down, because I'm at the point where timing of historical events is becoming more and more important and my references to those events needs to be solid.

Being an excel nerd, the easiest way for me to create and track a timeline is to create an Excel spreadsheet file. I love the sortability-by-date feature which makes it easy to add things and just re-sort.

Oh, and if you are REALLY nerdly and do something goofy like build a planet with two moons (like I did) and tie power to the revolution of those moons (like I--Bonk! Bonk!--did), I just discovered a really cool calendar builder... http://www.gamewyrd.com/archives/calendar.php ... where you can create a calendar (with full moon tracking for up to 5 moons). I was in nerdling heaven when I discovered this. The only down side is it doesn't actually track the NEW moon phases (which was the part that was important to me). So I use...you guessed it…Excel.

Lore

Lore is really a collection of knowledge (or stories) about any topic. It can be factually based (herb lore) or less so (folklore). Factual lore may be documented by the knowledge-keepers, herbalists, medicine men, etc. Factual lore is, essentially, the seeds from which science germinates. It's helpful to have some idea of what has been remembered and passed on--and what has been forgotten or changed. The last, most especially, can be a wellspring for the imagination.

Prior to the invention of the written word, knowledge and traditions were passed orally through tales and songs. As you can imagine, stories changed over time. Facts became blurred. Lore became legend, and eventually legends became myths.

Legends and Myths

I adore legends and myths. They bring such rich layers to a story and offer nearly endless depths to be plumbed for dramatic purpose.

Legends bring instant emotion to any scene. For any story to become legend, it must be extraordinary; therefore the mere fact that someone or some occurrence has passed into legend imbues the legendary person or event with great and supernatural power. And because legends are generally well known, you can show legends are significant by the way people react to the mention of them.

As a tool for storytellers, legends can be used in a variety of powerful ways: to highlight certain aspects of your story, give a sense of "prophesy" to the events or to specific characters, and even heighten dramatic tension, build suspense, or create fear. Think of how well the tale of the Headless Horseman works in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Think of how many horror movies (Halloween, Friday the 13th) use "legends" to instill fear--"They say that you can still see her ghost walking the halls." Think of how romances use legends and myths to assign supernatural properties to events, people or places: "They say if you lean backwards over the well, you'll see the reflection of your true love." (Whoever "They" are...they are great nameless characters for storytellers!)

Think of all the End of the World prophesies there are, and how much they fascinate us.

I adore legends.

Sometimes, however, some of the best effect comes not from what is remembered but from what is forgotten. In the prologue of Peter Jackson's fabulous Lord of the Rings movies, remember the voice of Galadriel (Cate Blanchette) saying, "Much that once was was lost, for none now live who remember it...and some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And…the ring passed out of all knowledge..." Oh my.

There is enormous potential in the value of lost knowledge and the rediscovery of it. The phenomenal bestseller, The DaVinci Code, revolves entirely around the investigation and rediscovery of lost religious secrets. Rediscovery of lost knowledge / disproving accepted fact / proving legend to be truth are all powerful dramatic tools a writer can use to great potential in their works.

In another example of how well legends can be used, consider Dragonflight, the first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. There are many legends that McCaffrey uses to great effect in the book. Most of those legends are told through songs sung by the Harpers: The Ballad of Moreta's Ride, the songs about Thread (crack dust/black dust), and The Question Song about what happened to all the Weyrs of Pern four hundred years earlier. (You can find a terrific compilation of them here.) These songs (legends) are vital to key scenes in the book. The Moreta's Ride song is what pushes Lessa to admit she can talk to all dragons. The crack dust/black dust song lets F'lar realize what is happening in the cold regions as black dust falls from the skies. For the first time in 400 years, Thread is falling again, and the dragonriders must fly. And the Question Song...well, that is the key to the climax of the entire book.

Keep in mind: legends don't have to be about ancient events or dead people either. Great heroes can be famous (legendary) in their lifetime for the great deeds they have done.

To sum it all up, if you are worldbuilding, every culture in your world will have histories, lor, legends and myths--a common knowledge store they all draw from. Those legends and histories can come out in useful places to move your story forward, raise tension, set expectations, increase the stakes, etc.

That's all for now. I'll be back again later with the next article: customs and taboos.

Labels: legends, lore, myth, worldbuilding

Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble...
~ Shakespeare's MacBeth

In this long-delayed (and for that I do so apologize. Deadlines, you know) continuation of my Worldbuilding 101 series, we're going to talk about creating credible magical systems for your world.

Because magic is by definition the most fantastic element of your created world, creating the specifics of your magic system can either fascinate readers or destroy all suspension of disbelief. That's why it's imperative you devote appropriate time, attention, and detail to the creation of a plausible and well-defined magic system.

I'm big on "discover as you go" but the basics of the magic are the one concrete foundation I absolutely MUST establish from the get go. Don't do this, and woe betide you.

The Magic Must Make Sense

The number one rule when creating magic is this: create your rules, then follow them.

It doesn't so much matter how your magic works but that it works the same way, every time. In other words, be consistent.

This does not mean you cannot have surprises or have your characters learn new magical techniques. But don't have "The Door That Cannot Be Opened" suddenly be opened at will, without effort or struggle or some logical explanation.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to begin building rules for your magic system:

What can your magic do?

What can your magic not do? As always, limitations are just as important as capabilities.

Does your magic require totems, wands, potions, or other paraphenalia, or can your conjurers work their magic at will, without accoutrements?

Is there a limit to how much magic someone can wield? A physical, mental, or other price to using the magic (or particular types of magic)?

Where does the magic of your world come from? Is is inherent in all living things? Is it a gift from the gods (or devils?)? Is it a byproduct of some other activity? Is it passed genetically?

Who can wield magic and how do they get it? Is it a genetic trait or something that is studied? Do they use it instinctively? Must they train to use it? Do different races wield different kinds of magic?

Can a person lose his / her magic? How? Once lost, can the magic be regained?

Can magic be counteracted? Spells be broken? Often times, particular environmental / physical "nullifiers" cause particular magics not to work.

Are there specific dangers / vulnerabilities magic wielders possess? Think the evil witch in Wizard of Oz who melted when water was thrown on her. Garlic holds off vampires; silver bullets kill werewolves. What are the threats to your magic wielders?

One trap to watch out for (and it can be easy to fall into) is the lure of creating "all powerful" beings. Do not! Be sure even the most powerful magic wielders in your world have a vulnerability. (Remember from my earlier post: Bambi v. Godzilla. No contest.) Your magic wielders should not be gods -- unless, of course, you're writing a story about gods (but in those cases, the antagonists are not likely to be mere mortal).

Types of Magic

There are many different types of magic. when you are choose what type of magic system to use, consider what your story is about, consider the theme of your story, and chose a magic system that will help you illustrate that theme. If all you do is throw cool magic into your book, you're missing half the value and purpose of using it!

Many vampire novels, for instance, are really books that explore the themes of humanity and godhood, sin and salvation, redemption and damnation, life and death, light and dark. For that reason, most vampire magic throws those themes into conflict. Vampires have eternal life, but in a dead body.

Here are a few ideas for types of magic:

Elemental Magic. Earth, Water, Fire, Air. This could be the ability to manipulate nature (ie., control an existing fire, make a river suddenly roar up like a herd of racing horses, etc.) or it could be the ability to use the elements and "create" something that doesn't exist (make water fountain in the desert, raise mountains, start fires, etc.).

Demon / Djinn Magic. Magic worked by summoning demons or djinns. Ofetn involves knowing "names" of demons/djinns and using some sort of summoning spell to enslave them. The demon/djinn is often collared or cuffed (with magical enslavement manacles) and often tied to some physical device.

Witchcraft/Wizardry. Usually involves spells, potions, wands etc. Typically considered a "craft" in that study improves abilities, but most witches/wizards are born with magical ability.

Psy Talents. "Magic" worked through mental powers. Includes telepathy, telekensis, teleportation, precognition, etc. Genetic manipulation, some sort of "awakening event" (ie, near death experience, radiation, etc.) or hereditary influence are three common causes for psy talents.

Weather Magic. Ability to control or manipulate wind, storms, rain, lightning, etc.

Beast Magic. Often involves communication or control of animals, birds, and/or fishes. Sometimes includes shapeshifting. Sometimes merely allows the user to see through the eyes and senses of animals. Some forms of "beast magic" take the form of "totem animals" where a particular beast spirit guides the magic-wielder or has some sort of psychic connection to him or becomes the type of animal a magic-wielder can shift into.

Rock/Crystal Magic. Ability to wield magical powers using crystals. Often used for healing, scrying, etc.

Metallurgical Magic. Magic tied to specific types of metal objects (often swords, mail, sheilds, etc have special magical properties. Typically, metallurgical magic is embued by special forging / smelting techniques. (Dwarven axes, Elvish swords, etc.

Astrological/Planetary Magic. Magic tied to the movement of the stars, moons and planets in the heavens. Often used for precognitive events and for "special days" where certain magical events can only happen during specific planetary/solar/universal alignment events.

Blood Magic. Blood is frequently used as a vital component in performing magical rituals. As, literally, the liquid of life, blood frequently has inherent magical abilities. Often used for "sacrificial" magical spells.

Necromancy. Magic associated with the ghosts and spirits of the dead.

Bone/Relic Magic. Runes are frequently etched on the bones of animals, witches, saints and used to fortel the future. Holy relics collected and presumed to have "holy" magical abilites were bones of saints, bits of cloth from clothes they wore, splinters from the cross, etc.

Creature Magic. Magical creatures often can transfer certain of their magical powers to individuals who have/use part of the creature. Dragon scales, for instance, could be used for an unbreakable shield, Dragon's teeth for a poisonous sword or dagger, the pelt of a griffin might be impervious to flame, for instance. Creatures can also have special magical powers of their own that characters can use/covet. Unicorns horn is said to purify waters, for instance, and as we all saw in Harry Potter, phoenix tears have death-defying healing powers.

Divine Magic. Gods can impart gifts to their favorites. Such gifts, however, usually come with a high price. Prayers/miracles and direct diety-intervention are also possible forms of magic.

Mirror Magic. Mirrors have long been considered as having magical properties. They could be windows to the past or future, scrying devices, even portals to another world

Time Magic. The ability to manipulate time, time travel, etc.

As you can tell by just the (actually very SMALL!) list above, the types of magic are limited only by your imagination.

Consequences of Magic

If there is magic in your world, there are consequences of that magic. Because necessity is the motherhood of invention, technology (science) is far less likely to thrive in a society where magic is prevalent. Why invent a computer when a wizard can create magical implements that do the same thing? Why worry about telegraphs when psychics can just send thoughts zooming at light speed?

Now, if magic is not ubiquitous, its perfectly reasonable to expect that non-magical beings will turn to science as a counterbalance and as a form of self-defense (or find some other way to "control" the magical ones. Ooh...loads of opportunity for conflict there!).

This is not to say it's impossible to create worlds where science and magic blend. Star Wars (laser guns vs. light sabers and "The Force") did it quite nicely, and Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series combine the magic of dragons (telepathy, teleportation) with science as well. (Though in her books, the more advanced society lost a vast amount of their scientific advances and reverted to a more "medieval" society before engaging in a renaissance of scientific discovery and exploration.)

Whatever your magic, you should consider how it fits in (1) the context of your story and story themes and (2) the context of your world. And don't forget: take your time to create thorough, well-thought out rules for your magic, and be sure to follow them!

Happy writing!

Labels: magic, magical systems, worldbuilding

Warfare and technology plays a role in any society and any world you will create. Whether you are writing about pre-industrial "Middle Earth" type worlds or laser-gun equipped futuristic societies in galaxies far, far away, your societies will typically have some form of technology and weaponry. How much warfare comes into play in your story is a variable you can certainly control, but the level of technology available is a vital component of any society and a required component of any successful attempt to set readers firmly in your world.

Technology and Warfare go hand in glove. They are so closely related, in fact, that they have a symbiotic, chicken-and-egg sort of relationship. Which came first, warfare or technology?

Have you ever played Age of Empires from Microsoft? It's a fascinating, high-level overview of the development of technology and warfare and societies. When you play the game, the first societies available are hunter-gatherers. The first soldiers you can create run around with big wooden clubs which they use to bash their enemies.

Technically, if you think about it, the first weapons available to mankind were hands, teeth and muscles. Then came bashing tools such as rocks and clubs. Then cutting tools, starting with branches that could be shaved to a point, rocks that could be shaped into sharp-edged tools such as hand axes and scrapers. Then came the discovery and control of fire. The airborne missiles such as spears and arrows that could deal a grievous wound while allowing the user to maintain a safe distance from his target. Then metal.

Warfare drives many a technological invention and many a technology drives advances in weaponry.

Here is an approximated partial anthropological timeline of key technological advancement on earth from dawn of time until the early 1800's.

1. Early tools. Hand axe, scrapers, wooden spears (2.5 million bce)
2. Discovery and utilization of fire, which was used for both food and improvement of weaponry (1 million - 400,000 bce)
3. Development of clothing and shelter
4. Flint tools, bone tools (250,000 bce)
5. Advancement of fire usage. Furnace and bellows.
6. Metallurgy, smelting and forging of metals such as gold, copper, silver and lead. Copper age of weaponry. (8000 bce)
7. Development of metal swords, knives, axes
8. Irrigation (7000 bce)
9. Development of the wheel (6000-4000 bce)
10. Wheel and axle combination (5000 bce)
11. Development of alloys - bronze and brass (4000 bce) Bronze Age.
12. Writing (3500 bce)
13. Development and use of sails for boats and ships (3500 bce)
14. Chariot (2600 bce)
15. Development of iron alloys - steel (2500-1500 bce) Iron age.
16. Currency (2000 bce)
17. Simple machines (level, screw, pulley) (300-200 bce)
18. Discovery of gunpowder (800 AD)
19. Forceps, Scalpel, Surgical needle, Suture thread (1000 ad)
20. Rifled musket barrels (1400 ad)
21. Steam engine (1698 ad)
22. Steam locomotive (1814 ad)
23. Revolver (1835 ad)
24. Steel plow (1837 ad)

For a complete list, take a look at Wikipedia. One of the bits I find most interesting is the pace at which different cultures advance. Just because one culture is advanced, does not mean another (even neighboring) culture shares the same level of advancement. You can use this variance in technology and weaponry to great effect in any novel as a source of conflict.

Technology

Start by thinking how technologically advanced your society is. Many people use historical earth societies as a basis for a fantasy world's development? Why? For two reasons: (1) it gives you a starting point you can research, with instant credibility, and (2) it provides immediate "accessibility" to the reader. Whether we remember it or not, most of us have had exposure to historical earth cultures through World History classes and such in school. That provides readers with a built-in sense of "realism" they can connect to.

Remember, the level of technology needs to be commensurate with the other aspects of your culture. Hunter-gatherers, for instance, would probably not have internal combustion engines. Medieval knights would not have light sabers.
Consider travel technology - how do people get around? How do they transport goods? Horse and wagon? Donkey pack trains? Locomotive? Ground-skimming hovercrafts?

Consider machines - what types and what is the availability of machinery? And if they have machines, what powers them? A windmill is a machine powered by wind. Historical uses for windmills include milling grain, powering well pumps, etc.

Consider technology used by common man - the printing press changed the world. How are homes plumbed? Is there running water? Are there toilet and bathing facilities? What sort of cookstoves are used in a house? What sort of communications technologies are available?

Other types of technology to consider: industrial technology, medical technology, manufacturing capabilities, etc.

Whatever level of technology you choose, make sure you are consistent within that culture.

Warfare

The more advanced a society's technology, the more advance their war-making capabilities. The type and complexity of available weaponry depends entirely upon the resources and technologies available to make those weapons.

Pre-industrial weaponry includes swords, arrows, slingshots, spears, axes, crossbows. Catapults, battering rams, and trebuchets (an advanced form of catapult) are also possible. The ability to add some sort of incendiary device (fire arrows, burning "mortars" delivered by the catapults, etc.) adds damage to these weapons, and therefore makes them more effective target. Also consider other possible weapons, such as boiling oil to pour down upon the heads of attacking armies, avalanches (wood or stone) to close a pass and crush an army, etc. You can get very creative with pre-industrial weaponry.

With the advent of gunpowder came even more damaging weapons: guns, exploding mortars, rockets, etc. Gunpowder was a huge advantage to societies that possessed and knew how to use it.

Among some of the first guns were muskets, the barrels unrifled, which typically mean the accuracy of the shooter was hampered. Rifling the inside of gun barrels provided for a truer, straighter trajectory of the fired missile (bullet). The next significant advance after rifling was repeating shot weapons, which cut down on reload time and made shooters more effective. After repeating shot came semi-automatic and automatic weapons, etc.

Beyond the type and availability of weaponry, also consider military strategies and tactics. What types of "troops" are available in your country's armies? Calvalry? Infantry? Archers? Navy? What tactics do they use? You can look to widely available historical sources for all manner of ideas. I love to read up on Greek and Roman battle strategies, and the tactics of Alexander the Great are still studied today for military relevance. Be creative, but also avail yourself of the vast array of detailed historical military studies for ideas and suggestions on how to create believable military forces, conflicts and campaigns.

And remember, don't only consider weaponry and military tactics. One of the reasons the Roman army was so effective a conquering force was the well-maintained condition of the roads which allowed that army to travel very far, very fast (for their time). Logistics are hugely important for all armed forces. If you cut off the supply of troops, food, or weapons & ammunition, you severely hamper the effectiveness of the fighting force.

The next article in this series is going to be about building credible Magical systems for use in fantasy novels.

Labels: worldbuilding

In our previous exercises, we created out planet, resources, peoples and societies...now we need to build the engines that keep food in the belly, clothes on the back, and provide some semblance of order and leadership in our world. That brings us to government, industry, agriculture and trade.

Agriculture - Let's start with the very basic foundation: food. Every creature needs sustenance. The food must come from somewhere. If your society is a nomadic race of hunters and gatherers, the bulk of their time and lifestyle will be built entirely around the locating and harvesting (through hunting and/or gathering) of food. Anthropologically speaking, hunter/gatherers are among the most primitive of societies. Cultivation of food is higher on the technology scale and agricultural societies are subsequently more fixed rather than nomadic to provide time for the planting, cultivation, and harvesting of crops. Domestication of livestock should also be considered.

If the characters in your novel are going to interact on any level with farmers or ranchers you should have some idea of what plants they farmers cultivate, what animals they raise, where the farms and ranches are located, what degree of technology they have. How big their farms or ranches are. (Incidentally, the Acre which is a long-standing two-dimensional plot of land was devised as being the average amount of land a farmer behind an ox-pulled plow could plow in a single day.) If you have farmers and ranchers, you need to consider water supply and terrain. Mountains can be terraced for farming.

Even if on-page interaction with farmers and ranchers will not take place in your novel, you still need to determine what the peoples of your world eat and drink, how the food is prepared, rituals associated with the preparation or consumption of food, food taboos (if any, such as the jewish taboo against meat and milk products being served together), etc. Don't forget to consider what effects certain foods may have on the people who eat them, and remember that for all the healthy foodstuffs that may be available, there are also likely alcohols, stimulants and poisons to be found as well.

Keep in mind: Food is a sensory experience. Smells, tastes, visual displays (presentation) all come into play, and you can use those experiences on-page to illustrate all manner of cultural and personal information. Think of two lovers sharing long, slow bites of succulent cherries, prisoners partaking of their last meal, a Spartan soldier eating raw meat from a fresh kill, Roman nobility gorging themselves on food, wine and decadence.

Government - The human race settles itself naturally into social order, and leadership becomes established at a relatively early date on the timeline of civilization. From tribal chiefs and councils of elders to high priests to nobility and kings to elected officials, most cultures must, in order to survive, form, support, and submit to some form of government. Depending on the type of societies you have created, you may have any number of government or leadership roles.

• Leadership by Right of Combat. This is one of the simplest and earliest forms of leadership. The alpha male. Leadership is won through challenge and combat. Leaders who age or are injured are challenged and replaced (or killed, as was often the case). In highly-contentious societies with great numbers of enemies, the War Chief will often become the leader of the society, simply because effective military leadership is essential for survival.

• Religious Leadership. This includes Popes / High Priests / Priestesses / Shamans. Typically religious leaders work in conjunction with a more secular (though often "divinely appointed") leader such as a king or tribal leader; however, depending on your society the religious leader may be instrumental in governing the society. Decide how powerful your religious leaders are and what influence they hold over daily life, decisions of state, and the rulers of your society.

• Council of Elders. In many societies, age is equated with wisdom and tribes are governed by assemblies of elderly men (and sometimes women) who pool their collective experiences to guide the younger members of their society. In such societies, elderly members of the society are typically revered for their age, not reviled for it, and the society encourages open care of devotion for its aged members. Families are extended to include elderly members. This does not, suggest, however, that younger members of the society always accept the wisdom of their elders without contention. Nor does it imply that the Elders are always right!
  
  
• Feudalism. In a Feudal society, the nobles reign supreme. Feudal societies typically are ruled by a king and a heirarchy of nobles who have sworn fealty to him. Each noble may also have other, lesser nobles, whom have sworn fealty to them as well. The king typically rules by birthright. Serving him are a collective of nobles, who may have earned their titles and stewardship of self-supporting estates (typically agrictulturally-driven estates) through service to the crown. In return, as a vassal of the king, the nobles offer a proscribed number of "knights fees" or months of soldiers' service to the king on an annual basis, gathering taxes for the king, and dispensing the kings justice on their etates. It is not uncommon, however, for the nobility to rule as kings on their own estates, dispensing justice and governing as they see fit.
  
  
• Absolute Monarchy. In an absolute monarchy, the king reigns supreme. No law and no body of people (noble or otherwise) may oppose him. Typically in an absolute monarchy, the king is thought to possess his kingship through Divine Right (i.e., the will of God). Even in absolute monarchies, however, most kings have inner councils of advisors to help him make wise, well-informed decision
  
  
• Constitutional Monarchy. In this, the most modern, form of monarchy, the king is essentially a figurehead. Real power rests with an elected body of officials (the Parliament, for instance).
  
  
• Democracy. In a true democracy, all governance is performed through majority vote. Beyond a small tribal collective, pure democracy quickly becomes unweildy and anarchistic, not to mention terribly unfair for the unlucky sods in the minority (who lose every vote). In a true democracy, if John was a miner who found and mined a fortune in gold, his less fortunate fellows could gather together and vote to take John's gold and divide it amongst themselves. And John would have no way to stop them. Pure democracy, which sounds so nice on the surface, is really mob rule. If your character finds himself wandering into a pure democracy, he'd better hope he's got the mob on his side!
  
  
• Democratic Republic (aka, Representative Democracy). A democratic republic, or representative democracy, is the type of government we currently have in the United States. The people elect representatives to governmental councils called congresses (town councils, county boards, state congresses, national congresses). As part of this election, the electorate empowers the elected official to introduce, develop and vote on legislation on their behalf.

While you're deciding on the type of government your society has in place, also consider the benefits and perils of how the succession is decided. In monarchies, rule is passed by birthright. The eldest son of the current ruler becomes king after his father's death. Can women rule? What happens if the king dies without issue? What if the inheriting son or daughter is not up to the task of leadership? What if they are still a child when the king dies? Is there a regency? Is it a single person? Are successions peaceful or times of great tension and upheaval?

Do not forget how the governments support themselves (taxation, goods and services donated by the governed, etc.). Also do not forget how the government establishes and maintains law and order.

Industry - Next comes industry. What goods do your peoples make? How advanced is their civilization? Are they pre-industrial? Do they manufacture machines made of metal, have automation?

Is each individual self-sufficient, or do members of your society specialize in particular crafts or industries? Types of crafts / industries can include metal workers, glass blowers, carpenters, woodcutters, tool makers, furniture manufacturers, shipbuilders, sail makers, buggy / carriage makers. The list is virtually endless. If you need a little help fleshing out types of industry to create, consider lookin up the Standard Industrial Classification codes (SIC codes) used to classify companies in the US. You'll get all manner of ideas.

Don't forget all the industries involved in the production of items. For instance, if your world uses metal swords, the metal ores must be mined and smelted before the swords can be made.

As part of early craftsmanship often comes the establishment of Guilds which are used to train and "license" individuals in the production of quality goods. Guilds are usually industry-specific. A woodcarver's guild, for instance, would have different members and rules than a blacksmith's guild. What are the stages of apprentiship and mastery in the guild? Apprentice, Journeyman, Master is a common, three step process of training, but you may choose to make up your own stages.

Trade - Last but not least, you must consider trade. How are the foods and fruits of industry and agriculture disseminated amongst your populations (or between cultures, for that matter)?

Distribution is key to any productive form of industry. What goods you harvest or manufacture must be taken to a market of some sort. Are there trade routes (land, sea, river, etc.)? How well established are they? What are the perils of those trade routes (piracy, highwaymen, etc.)?What goods does one society manufacture that are most desirable to other societies? What is traded in return? How fair is the trade - and might certain societies attack another to capture their valuable resources?

What types of people are your merchants? Honest men, or sly hucksters selling snake oil remedies? (Note: merchants who offer exotic goods for sale are usually far wealthier than the individuals who produced or delivered those goods.) How are tradesmen paid? What must they do to defend their trade routes and markets?


These are just a few of the many questions you can ask yourself when fleshing out these aspects of your society. Where possible, consider each decision you make with an eye for how it can affect your plot or your characters.

Happy Worldbuilding! In the next article, we'll talk about Warfare and Technology in your societies.

Labels: worldbuilding

So you've decided some basic physical and genetic basics about your races. And you've decided some broad cultural and societal brushstrokes such as core values of the society (and what the society will do to protect them), where and how the members of the society live, how they interact with other cultures, what their religious beliefs are, and the basics of how the society educates its members.

Now lets flesh out the social structure - the classes (or sub societies) within the culture.

You will be drawing upon most of what you've decided previously to do this exercise.


Class system. Is there is class system and how stratified is it? Most societies automatically segregate into classes. At a minimum, there are typically low, middle and upper classes in any society. You can break this down even further: slave, peasant, craftsman, merchant, professional, cleric, noble, king. And often there are sub-strata within each class.

In some societies (such as India) a very stratified "class" system - called caste - exists. Under the caste system, you are born into your caste and can never leave it. People do not marry outside their caste. Social order, friendships, jobs and professions are all determined by your caste.

What are the classes in your society? How are they established? Can individuals move between classes - and if so, are there limits to how high (or low) they can move? What sorts of obstacles are they likely to encounter?

Typically, the lower the class, the poorer the education and the more menial the tasks the members of a particular class are expected to perform.

Value of Life. What value does your society put on life in general? Are lives valued, or are people considered expendable? In ancient Roman times, for instance, the gladiatorial combats slaughtered people for sport. In societies where conditions are harsh and survival is a struggle, death would typically be greeted with practicality. There might be some weeping, of course, over the death of a loved one, but members of the tribe would typically accept and move on.

In some cultures (such as feudal Japan, china, and certain middle eastern cultures), honor is far more highly prized than life, and as a consequence, the societies embrace ceremonial suicide and honor killings.

Family Structure. What comprises a family unit in your society? Families are the core unit of most societies, but the makeup of them and how they relate to one another might be considerably different. Who is the head of the family - does s/he have particular roles associated with that responsibilty? Is the family comprised of parent and children, or extended to include relatives (brothers, sisters, cousins, grandparents) all living beneath the same roof? How strong are family ties and family loyalties? What, if anything, trumps familial loyalty?

Pair Bonding / Mate Bonding. Is there a mate bond? Is it a chosen bond or a genetically predisposed/undeniable bond? Are matebonds formed for love, political ties (i.e., arranged marriages), as a spoil of victory won by rite of combat, or by divination (gods/priests/oracles determine which couples are to be bonded). Are there effects of complications that typically - or uniquely - arise due to the matebond? Are the bonded mates monogamous? Do the people of this culture mate for life or can mating bonds be broken? What are the social (or possibly even physical) ramifications of that? What responsibilities come with the mate bond?

Children. In longer-lived cultures, children must, by necessity, be a rarity, else the immortal species would soon overrun the planet like an unchecked bunny population. Are children rare or relatively common? Are they raised by their parents or are they fostered or raised by the tribe?

At what age are children of this society/race/species considered to have achieved adulthood? Are there any rites of passage? Are there any physical transformations that mark this transition to adulthood? Are there certain abilities adults have that children do not (or vice versa)? For instance, perhaps magic does not blossom until after puberty.

Gender Roles. Are there specific gender-associated roles in your society? For instance, are women warriors, or is war solely the province of men? Is the society patriarchal or matriarchal (or perhaps the genders live apart from one
another). What happens if a character steps out of a traditional gender role?

Age-Related Roles. Does age play particular significance in what is expected / allowed for individuals in your society? Wizards are often depicted as old men because, one assumes, learning to become a wizard takes a very long time.

Do certain capabilities only come with age? Become lost with age (biological clocks, memory, health, etc.)?

There are many, many more questions you can ask yourself in order to flesh out the structure of your society and how individuals in that society relate to one another. Societal bonds are hugely important to most peoples because socialization, not isolation, is necessary to our physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

Now keep in mind, as you come up with these tenets of your society, that the society's values should mirror, underscore, or challenge your plot and themes. And keep your eye open for all manner of interesting conflicts - because with the ties and expectations of society come the rules and limitations imposed upon your characters by the societies in which they live.

Happy Worldbuilding! In the next article, we'll talk about how to structure and incorporate Government and Industry in your societies.

Labels: worldbuilding

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

So, you've decided to build a world. The first thing you need is...well, yes...the world itself. The Planet.

Now this may seem extreme to some writers, but for certain stories establishing the proper planet (or solar system or even galaxy) may be of vital importance to your story. The following are some examples where planets become key elements to the plot of a book:

1. Dune, by Frank Herbert. Both the existence of Arrakis (aka Dune, the Desert Planet) and vastness of the galaxy in which the Dune novel is set are crucial elements to the story. Sandworms plunging through the shifting sands of the deep desert, still suits that allow desert people to survive in the brutally harsh environment of their homeland, Fremen tribes harvesting the water from the bodies of their dead, Fremen soldiers honed to lethal effectiveness by their constant struggle to survive: all of these key story elements are tied to the geography of the planet Dune. And the fact that Spice, which is vital for "folding space" to allow rapid interplanetary travel, is only found on this one planet puts Dune smack dab in the middle of the power struggle going on between all the major factions in the book.
   


2. The Dragonriders of Pern novels, by Anne McCaffrey. In these novels, the solar system--with its elliptically orbiting Red Star that rains the vile, devastating Thread upon the planet every 250 years--is a vital component of McCaffrey's world building. Without that Red Star and the Thread that falls from it, the original book, Dragonflight, could not possibly be the same story. Most of the rest of the planet Pern is rather earth-like, but cave riddled mountains (ie., Weyrs) are home to the dragons and their riders, and the existence of a newly discovered southern continent becomes an important feature in Dragonquest and The White Dragon.
   


3. Larry Niven's Ringworld and The Integral Tree as well as many of his other works revolve entirely around the unique physical construction of the "planet" (or in both these cases, non-planet) on which his characters live.

If you are going to set your story in some unique, unearthly setting, be sure to do your homework. For instance, the number and type of suns around which a planet orbits will have substantial impact on the terrain, the climate, and the type(s) of life that can exist there. And make that setting key to your plot or theme in some way. (Otherwise, you've created a cool planet, but squandered its true value as an integral element of your book.)

For most people writing fantasy rather than science-fiction, however, the specific geologic composition of the planet or the makeup of the solar system will be of minor (if any) importance. An "earth" or "earth-like" planet is generally sufficient for most needs.

The basic components all world builders should consider include (again, keep in mind the plots and themes of your book with an eye for making these elements mirror, conflict with, or support those plots and themes):

1. Climate - Weather, temperature, seasons. Consider the impact of climate on the cultures that live in them. How might their lives, their customs, their racial features, be different? For example, if you are writing a story in which fire and ice are key symbolic themes, you might set two cultures in opposing climates and let them clash.


2. Geography - What are the land masses? The major geologic features? The rivers, lakes and oceans? Are they all natural? Any man-made? Magic made? (If man- or magic-made, is there a story there? Something you can use in your own plot?) Keep in mind, geography has considerable impact on warfare and defense. Also, when deciding these features, it's very helpful to draw maps. Consider geography for travel distances and methods, how different terrain affects travel methods, population, plant and animal life, etc.
   
3. Resources - What resources are available? Are they rare or precious? Are they unique to a particular area in your world? Throughout the history of our own world, the availability and scarcity of certain high-value resources has proved central to conflict, population, nomadic tribes, etc.


4. Countries, cities, and political boundaries - Maps are extremely useful here as well. I highly recommend that if you are world building your own continents and cultures, you draw a map (scaled so you can calculate distances) and make use of it. Consider natural geographic boundaries when drawing your countries (rivers, mountain ranges, etc.) and consider reasons why cities would be located in particular spots. Invariably, cities are located near fresh water (rivers, lakes), near locations of important resources (mining towns, logging hamlets, farming villages, etc.) or in key strategic defense positions (cities built to supply frontiers, house troops, etc.).
   
5. Plant and animal life. Climate, terrain, and resources most definitely impact the variety and prevalance of plant and animal life. If you put massive predators in an environment, you must be sure the environment can support enough other animals to feed them (which also means plants and water). And please, vary the lifeforms. Insects, birds, fish, fowl, mammal, reptile, amphibian: keep them all in mind. Even if they aren't key to your plot, having them around helps add richness to your world (and if you can tie one or two to the story in some memorable way, do it!).

Does this all sound too complicated? It doesn't have to be. If these features are not important to your story, you don't have to go into great detail to flesh them out, but the broader and more varied your world, your terrain, your cultures, the more concrete you world will seem to readers. The one thing I do strongly recommend is drawing maps. They serve many useful purposes, and you'll find they become a tool that you refer to constantly.

A Word About Maps

Maps are invaluable tools for world builders. And not just for drawing continents and oceans. You can (and probably should) draw maps of cities that play a major role in your books (particularly if you use street names or need to navigate your characters around the cities). You might draw maps of a castle or palace to remember where the rooms are located, whether the stairs are on the right or left, etc.

I use pencil when drawing my maps - because I find that I sometimes change features on the map to suit my story. If you aren't certain how to draw a map, I recommend you consult online atlas resources to get a few ideas.

The following is the original map (which I inked for the purpose of scanning it in) of the world I use in the novels of the Fading Lands:

Notice the scale marker at the bottom right. I use this constantly. A piece of string (I use dental floss!) and a ruler allow me to calculate distances between points both "as the tairen flies" and as riders or characters on foot would travel. I place the end of the string at the starting point, lay it out on the map along the travel route, mark the end point on the string, then straighten the string and measure it on the ruler and convert to mile-measurements according to the scale of the map. (Note: it's very helpful to log these distances and travel times in a file so you can keep it for future reference and not have to keep recalculating.)

Now that we have a planet, we need to populate it. The next article will cover some of the basics of creating races and cultures.

Labels: worldbuilding

World building is not just for fantasy writers. Honest. All writers world build. It's just that contemporary and historical fiction writers call their world building by different names, chief among them research, setting, and characterization.

Multi-published, award winning author Holly Lisle says:

"You're worldbuilding when you sketch out a floorplan of the house that your character lives in so that you don't accidentally have her bedroom on the first floor in chapter one and on the second in chapter three. You're worldbuilding when you draw out a little map of the town in which your characters live and name the streets and decide that the corner drugstore is on the corner of Maple and Vine ... You're worldbuilding, in other words, when you create some guidelines about the place in which your story takes place or about the people who inhabit the place in order to maintain consistency within the story and add a feeling of verisimilitude to your work. So worldbuilding is essential to anyone who writes."

Worldbuilding done right can be an amazing creative experience. It can also infuse your novel with an almost sensory realism and help tie your entire novel into a cohesive whole.

Having said all that, when someone mentions world building, most people immediately think of fantasy and science fiction novels. That's because in the fantasy and science-fiction writing realm, authors are, in fact, writing entire novels set on planets, spaceships and even in galaxies that do not exist. For those authors, the term world building really means world building!

In the following series of articles, I'm going to take you through the process of creating and fleshing out an entire fantasy world. We'll go step by step, covering all the basics, and a few of the not-so-basics. And if you follow along, when you're done, you'll have built a world you can use with your own stories.

Note: This series of articles is my take on the worldbuilding process. I am far from the only writer out there who has developed a process or written articles about it. In fact, there exists a veritable cornucopia of free online sites and lists to help with worldbuilding. At the end of this world building blog series, I'll post a reference list so you can check out the sites, compare their methods to mine, and choose whatever works best for you.

Where do you start?

Inevitably, this is among the first questions that comes up when I discuss worldbuilding, and it's a bit of a tricky one to answer because where you start with your world building depends on you, the writer. How do you write? How well-formed are the ideas for your book before you begin? How much about your world do you need to know before you can begin to write the story you need to tell?

Some writers, like Holly Lisle, start with maps. Tolkien started with the Elvish language. Some writers start with the planet / solar system / galaxy in which their story is set.

For the Tairen Soul series, I started with the image of an immortal, magic-wielding, shape-shifting king sitting on a golden throne, contemplating the pending extinction of his entire race, and the idea that a mysterious (seemingly) mortal girl somewhere half a continent away would hold to the key to his and his people's salvation. I knew I wanted to write a fantasy-romance, so I knew the romance had to be central to the successful completion of the quest. Everything else in my story and my world flowed from that one initial image and sense of direction.

Truthfully, it's really not that important where you start. Whatever works for you, start there and roll with it. What's more important to my mind (and here's where that bit about cohesive wholes comes into play) is how you use the world you are creating to echo, contrast, or accentuate the major theme(s) and/or plot(s) of your story.

Having said that, I also know that many people prefer a little order to the madness of their creative genius, so tomorrow I will pick a specific starting point and we'll begin building a world. Just to keep things nice and tidy, we'll start with the most basic foundation: the planet itself.

Labels: worldbuilding