Today we're going to look at another geeky hobby of mine: World building!
Maybe you're writing a book. Or perhaps you just want to share your imagination. It is even possible all you want is a richer experience inside your own head. In any case, this post is for you.
World building, or Geofiction, is the art of designing imaginary planets, cultures, languages, and more- all with the intent of creating a consistent universe. World builders consider such facts as what the air is made of, what kinds of plants and animals there are, what eats what, and more. In this series we will be starting a new world and designing it from the bottom up.
The first thing we are going to do, however, is what I always do when working on a new hobby- develop a list of resources! While by no means exhaustive, this list will be a good place to return to when stuck for ideas or in need of guidance. Without further ado, lets get listing!
A very good place to start is Patrica C. Wrede's Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions. For getting a general overview and dealing with a few thorny questions, this list is indispensable for authors as it hits all of the major points of contention you need to clarify for readers.
A nice next stop is 30 Days of World Building. With description and a 15 minute exercise for every day for 30 days you are sure to find something of use to do. And if you go through them all in order, more power to you!
An unfinished but very informative wiki-guide is the Educated Worldbuilder site. It doesn't go too in depth on any one thing, but gives a basic overview of how many different things work.
Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds. Split into chunks this article is exceptionally long- and good! From gods to zoology this article series hits on the most major topics to come up in building a world.
Considering magic in your world? Here is a Guide to Creating Believable Magic.
This same site also hosts a very brief introduction to world building, also called World Building 101.
We all know I like donjon's random generators and his Fantasy World Generator is no different. If you have a hard time with maps, this will be an invaluable resource for you.
Another list of resources that can still grow is the NaNoWriMo World Building Resource Thread. Catered to authors, it is a list of resources other authors have found and enjoyed- all of my previous links have found their way on there!
Another long list of questions is the Xtreme Culture Questionaire. If you're starting form people to world, this is a great place to start!
That's the end of the list for today, but I'm certain there are hundreds of other great resources out there. Care to share?
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