Advice for World Building 3
Here we are again.
I keep saying that this is advice specifically for quick world building, so this next section is going to sound backwards. But bear with me.
No One is a Background Character
Now normal advice for fast tracking a story is to use character as short hand, boiling them down to simple archetypes, The Gruff Blacksmith, the troublesome orphan thief, the corrupt aloof prince.
While that can be the best strategy for making quick NPCs to further the plot in a pinch, that is not the goal we are going for today. I personally believe that the narrative is made from the strength of the characters, and if you have weak characters, you have a weak story.
Of course I can’t tell you how to make interesting characters, some creators can spend months ironing out all the details of a single characters, so the actual speed is something you’ll need to practice on your own.
But maybe I can offer a few tips for how to write a CAST of characters rather than just one singular character.
You have designed a city, worked out the geography, the economy, the cuisine, and what sort of challenges your heroes will have to overcome once they arrive, but who lives here? Behind every window and every storefront there has to be a body filling the roles needed to keep this place alive.
Let’s explore this shall we?
Never create characters in isolation. To form a vibrant and living society you have to create these characters as a cohesive unit. A young couple, an extended family, the staff of a store, a squadron of soldiers, a building of neighbors. Everyone is part of some sort of community, and even if they are an ‘outsider’ they are only an outsider in theory, and not necessarily in practice.
Start with one character that is 100% essential to your story and what you want to accomplish. Then work your way outwards, asking:
Who is an essential part of their day to day life?
Let’s try this together with an example:
Location: Silver City, a thriving hub of trade in the center of a magical kingdom. The economy is booming due to the well kept roads and well trained task force of guards. People feel safe to travel to and from Silver City and thus it has goods and people from all over the world.
Let’s focus on a single person, the first person the traveling adventurers would encounter. The guard who manages the door for small groups wishing to enter Silver City. Let’s call him Mark. It is easy to make a single character, maybe Mark is young and is not as cynical as the other guards in the city. He got through the extensive training so he is physically fit but he has always been weaker and more timid than the other Guards. He is nervous but eager to prove himself. These are all details that could come across in how he talks to protagonists as they arrive in Silver City.
“Adventurers eh? We get a lot of those here. Lots of travelers mean lots of new faces. Everybody has a need for something in Silver City, you guys are sure to find lots of work here right? W-Where did you uh… come from? Anywhere interesting? I was gonna go off and see the world but I uh… Have an obligation to the city now. I can always go adventuring when I retire right? Haha! Eh… never-mind, sorry you guys are clear to enter.”
Adding a few details like that can turn a generic door guard into a character that you will remember, the young door guard who is a little nervous and has some dreams of adventure. We all remember Mark and maybe we see him about the city, or when we leave. Mark is a cool guy.
Now, start filling the city with people who know Mark.
Who takes over his station when he isn’t there? A meaner, older guard?
- Darron: A gruff older guard who is more cynical than Mark. He has seen thieves and murders slip past the checkpoints and hurt people in ‘his city’. So he is tougher on newcomers and doesn’t make small talk. He isn’t mean out of malice, but simply because he doesn’t want to be responsible for letting in someone dangerous. He doesn’t make friends easily but those who know him say he deeply cares for others when they earn his trust.
Who trained Mark when he was a new recruit?
- Lady Silas: A war-hardened lady knight who had to be taken off the battle field after she lost her right arm to a monster. She now shares her battle skills with new recruits and trains the city guard. She is so ruthless that almost every guard in the city favors their left hand because that was the hand they had to defend themselves against her with. She is a lonely woman who throws herself into her work to avoid slipping into the darkness of her past. She acts tough but remembers the name of every recruit she meets.
Who were/are Mark’s parents?
- Douglas and Mila: Douglas is a spice merchant who died of old age when Mark was young, and Mila is his emotionally distant mother who now runs the store. Douglas worked hard as a farmer to afford enough money to open up his own store. Spices are expensive but tend to sell well. Because there was already a merchants guild for spices, he never saw the success he dreamed of. He met his wife when she traveled from a country overseas and ran out of money in Silver City. She was his only employee and the two of them bonded over the hard work it took to get the shop running. Douglas died of natural causes, and while Mila wants to travel the world, she feels responsible for the store her husband put so much effort into. She wants one of the kids to take over the store but she also doesn’t want to burden them with all of the stress and hard work that would entail. This conflict is often what causes her to act so cold outwardly. You can even see that Mark gets his hard working nature from his dad and his wanderlust from his mom. Losing his dad and dealing with his mothers emotional distance has exacerbated his shyness.
Who is Mark’s younger sister?
- Yokea: Even though she is still not of age, Yokea is a prodigy, able to do math, science and even magic better than most adults. She has been a huge boon to her mother in helping with the shop but it is clear that she is meant for bigger things. She is still unsure of what she wants to do in life and she doesn’t seem to have the desire for adventure that her mother and brother have. She is being scouted by wizardry guilds and the city guards alike, and she is very uncertain if that is what she wants out of life. She is more confident and outgoing than her brother (possibly due to her being constantly praised for her skills and a little bit of her mothers favoritism.) But she still has the same quiet awkwardness as the rest of her family under all the confidence.
Who is the spice stores main competitor?
- The Braendor Trade Company: The third largest company in Silver City, The Braendor Trade Company resents the large gap between them and #2 (The Oil-Leaf Guild) and have adopted ruthless tactics when facing smaller competitors. They have a near monopoly on spice trade in Silver City, which yields high profits despite how expensive it is to buy and move. The same strain that effects Milas shop effects Braendor and anyone who threatens their spice trade is considered a top priority threat.
Who works for Braendor and directly interact with Mark’s Family?
(The 7th District Branch)
- Emish Revoria: A greedy merchant middleman who acts as an enforcer for the company. He has been working in the spice trade for years and hates how it almost never breaks even. He wants to be promoted to management and is desperate to prove himself to his higher ups. He intentionally neglects his personal life so he can be a good employee and never bothers with slowing down. He does have little hobbies like sewing and playing chess, but he intentionally suppresses any part of him that wants to have fun and let loose. Despite his greed and ambition, his employees do care about him and often try to get him to let go of his non-stop work attitude.
- Anto Boltov: A powerful demon warrior who has grown tired of war and wishes to settle down in a calm human city. They are trying their best to learn trade and while they are still new to the merchant lifestyle they are a quick learner. Their demonic aura tends to distract and enchant their co-workers but those who trust Anto know they are a hard worker and a good friend. Anto is desperately loyal to Emish but is unaware of the companies crueler business practices. If they ever found out they would quit, as Anto values honor and honesty.
- Col Revoria: Emishs niece and right hand employee. She is cunning and willing to do anything to save their struggling branch. She often harasses Mila’s store and tries to buy out their suppliers. She does no see her actions as evil, but as necessary to save the business that she and her family depend on. She often acts on Emishs behalf when his is indisposed. Before she was hired she was studying to be a scribe, and her skills have helped with her role as an accountant. She doesn’t hate Marks family, and in fact wishes to win over Yokea and hire her to work for them.
- Olden Marhse: If anyone in the 7th District Branch is truly out to get Milas store out of malice, it is Olden. He resents the poor as he came from a wealthy family that disowned him after he humiliated them. He was able to cash in his family name to get hired by Braendor and has been lying low, waiting for a chance to betray Emish and take over the branch for himself. He often subtly goads Emish and Col into crueler and crueler acts to destroy Mila, hoping that they cross a line and get fired for their misconduct. Then he can act like taking over Mila’s store was all his doing and claim Emish’s promotion for himself. He is an immature brat who often blames his mistakes on others, and his genuine charisma and talent are often used as justification for his selfish behavior. Even with his cruel intentions, he does care about Col and Anto (and maybe has a bit of a crush on Anto that he refuses to admit) He plans to keep them as employees if he ever manages to take over, but he will never admit it’s because they are his friends.
Even with just ten characters, this city is starting to feel more like a location and less like a ‘guard tower’, ‘training grounds’ ‘small merchant store’ ‘big merchant store’. Instead it is:
“The tower Mark and Darron work, they don’t mesh well personality wise but they recognize how hard the other works and Darron slowly becomes a mentor and father figure to Mark.”
“The training grounds Mark and Darron go to every weekend, and their old drill sergeant still whips their butts every time. Despite the three of them all being from different walks of like, they go out for drinks together and nurse their bruises.”
“Mila’s store, where she struggles to make ends meet and silently wonders how she can keep her family together and satisfy her own desire for adventure. She and Yokea spend their days together reading books when no customers come in, and have to deal with Col’s machinations to ruin their store. But despite everything Col an Yokea still strike up a friendship.”
“The 7th District Branch where Emish stays up late into the night going over the numbers with Col. When he falls asleep at his desk, Anto puts a blanket over him and prepares a meal in the store room, where Col and Olden are waiting. Col enjoys Antos cooking and while Olden never complains, he missing the cooking of his personal chef.”
As a writer your goal is to transform everything. A simple guard station into, “Mark’s Workplace” a store into “The Family Business.” Take something cold and unfeeling and turn it into something warm and familiar.
As with the previous two posts, take simple easy ideas and strengthen the bonds between them.
Two knights guarding a door can become friendly rivals who push each other to do better.
Three dock workers can become drinking buddies who you can see singing loudly together as they walk back home.
A caravan of merchants can become an extended family who travel everywhere together, grandma rides in the front and the cousins sit on top of the wagon with bows. They bicker and laugh and every town on their route recognizes the rowdy merchant family every-time it pulls up to the front gate.
Not every single person in a city has to be as well realized and complex as your protagonists, but taking the time and effort to think about what they do when not on camera always pays off. Promise me when I say that this technique saves you more time than just adding “merchant, blacksmith, guard, bartender” to the list of characters. The heroes aren’t getting information from some random NPC, they are getting information from their friend. Elise the bartender told them something important because they trust the protagonists enough and want them to go save the kidnapped princess. (who just so happens to be marrying Elise’s sister next month) Taking the time to befriend characters makes plot points feel earned, makes them feel rewarding, and isn’t that the goal of a writer? Turning meaningless encounters into impactful moments?
This is the third time I have basically broken down my tips to “Start simple, connect the simple ideas, and enough connected simple ideas become one big complex one.”
I think that is a good place to end the ‘world building’ section of this series. Any concept can have this theory applied to, as I showed with Economics, Cuisine, and Relationships.
When writing your story, what else can be expanded into a complex web?
The Magic? The Religion? The Medicine? The Literature? The Animals?
Your universe only gets richer the more you expand these webs. The individual nodes can be written with little to no effort for speed, but they are just parts of a much larger whole.
If this 3 part series was interesting I do have plans to go into specific genres and characters, so let me know if this advice was helpful.
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