- Invitation Status
- Looking for partners
- Posting Speed
- One post per day
- 1-3 posts per week
- One post per week
- Writing Levels
- Intermediate
- Adept
- Advanced
- Preferred Character Gender
- No Preferences
- Genres
- Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Quest, Sci-Fi, Time Travel and World Hopping, Steampunk, Action/Adventure, Modern Drama, Mystery, Slice of Life, Romance, and many more.
If you've been worldbuilding for ANY length of time, you know that building a world is a multilayered endeavour. There's everything to think of from what people to wear to funeral rituals to the local cuisine, archetecture, music, legends, the list goes on!
So where in the heck do you start?!
For different roleplays and stories, different parts of culture are going to be more important, so you probably already know a couple points that need to be more fleshed out for your story, but here's a skeleton sheet to try filling out to add some colour to your world:
Don't be afraid to let answering questions lead to more questions, you can build and create for as long as you want!
World Name: (And/or the name of the country where most of the story happens)
How does the average commoner/noble person dress?
Some common occupations:
Education system: (What level of education is standard? What is considered advanced? Do people typically learn in schools, or under individual tutelage?)
The dominant religion and a brief overview of how it is practiced:
The main cities (or just the capital) and what makes them/it unique:
What kind of food do the locals enjoy?
Technological era:
The most recent war or historical event that most effects the culture in the present: (e.g.: 9/11, Jack the Ripper, the Olympics, Bird Flu)
Three important historical, religious, or magical sites:
Some local slang words/terms:
Any political conflicts going on: (a divide between classes, racial tension, border skirmishes, dangerous cult)
Any particularly strange/unique laws:
How are Criminals treated? (Outlawed, banished, tortured, imprisoned, put in a dungeon, etc)
The most popular form of entertainment:
The country's main industry for which it is known: (e.g.: Early Canada's Beaver Pelts, Chinese silks and spices)
Some additional questions for a Fantasy World:
Some additional questions for a Sci-Fi World:
So where in the heck do you start?!
For different roleplays and stories, different parts of culture are going to be more important, so you probably already know a couple points that need to be more fleshed out for your story, but here's a skeleton sheet to try filling out to add some colour to your world:
Don't be afraid to let answering questions lead to more questions, you can build and create for as long as you want!
World Name: (And/or the name of the country where most of the story happens)
How does the average commoner/noble person dress?
Some common occupations:
Education system: (What level of education is standard? What is considered advanced? Do people typically learn in schools, or under individual tutelage?)
The dominant religion and a brief overview of how it is practiced:
The main cities (or just the capital) and what makes them/it unique:
What kind of food do the locals enjoy?
Technological era:
The most recent war or historical event that most effects the culture in the present: (e.g.: 9/11, Jack the Ripper, the Olympics, Bird Flu)
Three important historical, religious, or magical sites:
Some local slang words/terms:
Any political conflicts going on: (a divide between classes, racial tension, border skirmishes, dangerous cult)
Any particularly strange/unique laws:
How are Criminals treated? (Outlawed, banished, tortured, imprisoned, put in a dungeon, etc)
The most popular form of entertainment:
The country's main industry for which it is known: (e.g.: Early Canada's Beaver Pelts, Chinese silks and spices)
Some additional questions for a Fantasy World:
The races/species that live there and their relation to each other:
Does the fantasy nature of the world affect the geography? (eg: Sentient mountains, enchanted forests, environments that look or behave differently because of magic or magical creatures)
Some local fantasy wildlife:
Do any gods or deities protect this world? Attack it? How are they worshipped/pacified?
Talk about magic: (Is there any? Who can use it? How is it used? Are there schools for it?)
The relationship between magic and technology:
Are there any alternate dimensions from which things/people can be summoned?
The most common form of transport: (technology, magic, a tamed animal)
Does the fantasy nature of the world affect the geography? (eg: Sentient mountains, enchanted forests, environments that look or behave differently because of magic or magical creatures)
Some local fantasy wildlife:
Do any gods or deities protect this world? Attack it? How are they worshipped/pacified?
Talk about magic: (Is there any? Who can use it? How is it used? Are there schools for it?)
The relationship between magic and technology:
Are there any alternate dimensions from which things/people can be summoned?
The most common form of transport: (technology, magic, a tamed animal)
Some additional questions for a Sci-Fi World:
Some common aliens local to the main area the story takes place:
Some forms of technology borrowed/traded/adapted from aliens:
Level of intergalactic travel reached:
How sturdy/refined is space travel/technology?
Are intergalactic relations generally hostile, friendly, neutral?
Is there a branch of military forces for intergalactic combat? Describe it briefly
The main style of technology for humans/ other important races: (Clunky like TOS star trek; sleek, minimalist design; army bunker, comfort oriented, etc. )
Time Travel?
Any 'wormhole' or 'warp' technology?
Teleportations? Lasers? Any other cool gizmos?
Some forms of technology borrowed/traded/adapted from aliens:
Level of intergalactic travel reached:
How sturdy/refined is space travel/technology?
Are intergalactic relations generally hostile, friendly, neutral?
Is there a branch of military forces for intergalactic combat? Describe it briefly
The main style of technology for humans/ other important races: (Clunky like TOS star trek; sleek, minimalist design; army bunker, comfort oriented, etc. )
Time Travel?
Any 'wormhole' or 'warp' technology?
Teleportations? Lasers? Any other cool gizmos?