Category: worldbuilding
Creating a Story World, Day 31: Unexplained Phenomena
| August 31, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Project August, Prompts, worldbuilding |
Many people have offered explanations about why vessels disappear in the Bermuda Triangle. Some say that something funky happens to compasses there. Others assert hurricanes, sabotage, or plain old human error cause the disappearance of ships. But nobody really knows for certain.
No matter how much work you do to create your story world, there will always be some things that you just can’t explain. What kind of unexplained phenomena exist in your world? How long have they been in occurrence? What are some of the theories about what’s happening?
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Creating a Story World, Day 30: Inventions
| August 30, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Prompts, worldbuilding |
The Little Mermaid is one of my absolute favorite movies. I was thinking of it this morning as I was trying to decide what today’s prompt should be. Remember when Ariel first discovers the fork? Scuttle tells her it’s for her hair. She uses it to brush her hair at the dinner table!
So today’s post is about inventions (tenuous connection, I know). What are some contraptions in your story world that don’t exist in the normal world? Or is there something in the real world that is used for a different purpose in the story world?
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Creating a Story World, Day 29: Pets
| August 29, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Prompts, worldbuilding |
When I was a kid, my family had lots of pets. We had 3 horses, a pony, a goat, chickens, cats, dogs, birds, and fish. I think my favorites were the goat and the horses. The goat always had such attitude. He always terrorized my little brother. So much so that he could hardly go in the pasture without being butted. Poor kid.
As I thought of this, I considered the types of pets that people keep in various stories. Daemons in the His Dark Materials series, frogs, rats, cats, or owls in the Harry Potter series. Pets can play an important role in the lives of people.
What kinds of pets are kept in your story world? Does everybody have one? Only a few people? What sort of pet does your main character keep, if any? What about your antagonist?
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Creating a Story World, Days 27 & 28: Sweets
| August 27, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Prompts, worldbuilding |
This weekend’s prompt will be slightly more interactive than the previous few. Since it is the weekend, I hope you’ll have time to play around with it!
One of my favorite websites is Harry Potter Recipes. I’ve made Pumpkin Pasties before (except I used puff pastry instead of pie crust). They were amazing! But I digress. The purpose of this prompt is to help you create your own story world.
So, what are the sweet treats in your story world? How are they made? What are the ones that anybody can make? Which ones need to be made by a professional?
Double challenge: try out your recipes!
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Creating a Story World, Day 26: Secret Societies
| August 26, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Prompts, worldbuilding |
Secret societies are fascinating. I love the mystery about them. I love the idea that there is a collective group that fights for a higher cause. A group of men and women who come together to work toward a goal that normal society knows nothing about.
What are the secret societies in your story world? Do any of your characters belong to these societies? How can people join? What are the requirements? What kinds of covert activities do these societies participate in? Good or bad?
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Creating a Story World, Day 25: Healing
| August 25, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Prompts, worldbuilding |
In your story world, who do people turn to when then are sick? When they are dying? When they are cursed? Who are the naturopaths, the medical doctors? Are there apothecaries?
Further, what are the symbols of the medical profession? In modern medicine, there is the caduceus, a staff carried by Hermes. What are the symbols in your world?
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Creating a Story World, Day 24: Death
| August 24, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Prompts, worldbuilding |
Grim topic, huh? Well, death is a part of life. A part that is common to everyone. A part that cannot be escaped.
Death rituals are different all over the world. Ancient Egyptians mummified their pharaohs. Tibetan Buddhists might perform sky rituals (leaving body parts on top of a mountain for the birds). We either cremate or bury our dead.
What are the rituals associated with death in your story world? What is the symbolism associated with the customs?
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Creating a Story World, Day 23: Reliable Reporters
| August 23, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Project August, Prompts, worldbuilding |
My favorite place to watch the news is on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I love that guy. I guess I also use other sources too, like the internet and, on occasion an honest to goodness, old-fashioned newspaper.
What are the news sources in your story world? Who are the reporters? What are their angles? What are the really reliable sources? What are the tabloid quality sources? How accessible is information?
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Creating a Story World, Day 22: Education
| August 22, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Project August, Prompts, worldbuilding |
How are people in your story world educated? Is education important? Are people taught by apprenticeship? Formal institutions? Reading? Watching reenactments of history? What are the basic things that everybody learns (you know, we have the 3 r’s)?
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Creating a Story World, Days 20/21: Mythology Madness
| August 20, 2011 | Posted by ljquillyn under Project August, Prompts, worldbuilding |
One of my absolute favorite stories is that of Bilbo Baggins. What I love about it is that there’s always more to learn about the world of Middle Earth. Tolkein has provided maps, descriptions of the people in his world, mythology, history, and of course a great story.
So, let’s focus on the mythology for a second. On day 2 of Project August, we did a history lesson. Now we’re going to switch gears and write some mythology. What are the legendary tales of your story world? Is there an Odysseus? A Thor?
Don’t forget, mythology can paint largely metaphorical pictures about humanity or provide a fantastical explanation for why things are the way they are. Let yourself get carried away with this prompt.
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