Clothe the Skeleton

     Worldbuilding is creating a fictional world. It is usually done for stories or games, but can be done simply for the joy of it.

     There are countless approaches to worldbuilding, including top down (create the large areas, then focus on the small ones) and bottom up (create the small areas, then focus on the big ones). You could even create the language first, as Tolkien did.

     Personally, I like the method I call “Clothe the Skeleton.” I start with a skeleton – the bare bones of an idea. From there, list the direct implications and consequences of the idea. Continue answering the questions about previous answers until you have the answers you need to write or create the game. Assuming those are your goals, remember to stop planning and begin writing or playing the game.

Below are some questions to consider, grouped by category:

Land Maps: Where are the mountains, lakes, and oceans? Where are the major rivers

Weather: The wind currents in large areas of water or land blow in a clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere. Large mountains will apply pressure to clouds, causing rain and snow on the side near the water source, and desert on the other side. Does your world have any strange weather patterns?

Flora: What kind of interesting plants live on your world? Is there an interesting flower or fruit that might enhance your world? Are there any plants with special properties

Fauna: What kind of animals are there? Are there large reptiles lumbering around? Tiny little mammals just seeking to stay alive? What kind of pets do people have? What monsters do they fear? What creatures have they domesticated

People: What intelligent races exist? What forms do they take? Do they have any special abilities or weaknesses

Culture: Speaking of people, what are the major cultures of your world? What do they value? What do they consider taboo? How do they expect their people to behave? How do they treat people who do not follow these expectations? How do they treat outsiders? Insiders? What subcultures exist, and how are they defined

Celebrations: What does your culture celebrate, and how do they do so? Are there annual festivals? Are things not normally allowed encouraged? How do people feel about the holiday? What happens when people celebrate it differently, or try to sit it out?

Language: Consider combining two similar languages to create a new one. Alternately, list sounds that are appropriate when creating new words. I recommend keeping a dictionary of created words. Sometimes creating a word will suggest others that you hadn’t made yet.

Memes: Not those pictures with words that float around the net and make some laugh while others groan. I mean the core cultural ideas that people understand by being a part of the culture, or the ideas of the culture that are spread by being raised in or associating with people from the culture. What things do they value, fear, and love? How do they express that in sayings? Music? Art? Behavior?

History: What historical events hold sway over the time frame you’re focusing on, if you are focusing? What are some of the critical wars, and who fought? What do people go to war for? What would they risk their lives for?

Sacred: What stories does the culture hold sacred? What about locations? Objects? What stories does it give about the origins and structure of the world? How does it treat the natural world? What heroes des it admire? What qualities do their heroes possess?