Fantasy Guide to Hosting a High Society Dinner Party
In every period piece, the rich, the noble and the Royal often gather for an exquisite meal where etiquette reigns supreme. The intricacies of these high society dinners are complex, one foot out of line and you risk offending your guests. So how can we write them?
Place Settings
Perhaps the most complex part of a dinner is how the silverware, plates and glasses are arranged on the table. First the table is laid with a wool cloth to keep the white tablecloth in place. The tablecloth has to hang midway between the floor and the table. Every course has to have its own set of silverware, every course must have its own glass for the wine being served. Napkins are usually of linen, cut about twenty-four to twenty-six inches. Most tables would have centrepieces either of candelabras or flowers. This would be undertaken by the footmen under the eye of the butler.
Seating
Table seatings are just as important as anything for a dinner as it marks rank. The head of the house sits at the head of the table. The guest of honor sits next to the head and if they have a guest, say a friend, they sit on the other side of the head of the household. A spouse of the female guest will sit to the left of the host and the spouse of the male guest at the left of the hostess. Important guests are seated near the host or hostess. Other guests at the table are arranged by interests, usually near people they can speak with. Married or engaged guest generally do not sit with one another. Most dinners are arranged in a man-woman arrangement. Most dinners, especially formal ones, would have assigned seating.
Serving
In the dinning room, there are usually a collection of footmen and the butler to serve. The butler selects and pours each wine for the courses served. He serves the host first, working clockwise around the table with each footmen carrying either the sides, accompanying sauce or the meat/fish itself. In very formal settings, every guest may have their own footman to cater their needs. While waiting at table, the servants don't talk to the guests unless asked a direct question they must avoid avoid eye contact and offer the plate to the appropriate height so the guest can easily serve themselves. All footmen and the butler must wear white gloves while serving.
Timeline
Before dinner, guests gather in the salon or drawing room to have a drink and get settled before hand. Some houses served cocktails during this time. When dinner is announced, the guests will make their way into dining room with the men escorting the ladies they are seated with, following after the host in order of precedent. Most formal dinners had multiple courses, sometimes as much as twenty or so. After dinner, the ladies would leave the men to their drink and cigars while they take coffee in one of the drawing rooms. They would reunite after for some light conversation and entertainment.
Drink
There are strict rules involving drink. Most courses would have their own wine. White wine is served with the fish, red wine with the meat, and champagne or sherry with dessert. Port, coffee and other drinks such as curaçao would be served after supper. Wine would have had to be strained for sediment by the butler beforehand and decanted once opened.
Dining Etiquette
There are numerous rules to follow when is dining at a formal dinner right down to leaving the table or what you wear.
One doesn't sit until the hostess has been seated, the guests wait behind their chairs until she sits.
Men would pull out the chair for the lady to their right. Hands should remain off the table when not in use they should be ones lap.
Napkins are placed on one's lap but only after the host/hostess does, with the fold tucked at the waist.
As for silverware, one begins with the outermost pieces and work your way in for each course.
One only begins eating or drink when the host does. When the host/hostess stops eating, placing their silverware on the plate at the 10:20 position, everyone must stop eating.
When a lady rises, the men near her are expected to stand, pulling out her chair and pulling it in when she returns.
When being served, one is not expected to thank the servants.
When at a formal dinner, men would wear their whites and tails. At a less formal dinner, men would wear dinner jackets.
Married ladies would wear tiaras at formal suppers and all ladies wore gloves, removing them while eating.
Antipasto - any of various typically Italian hors d'oeuvres; also: a plate of these served especially as the first course of a meal.
Antipasto (plural antipasti) is a combination of the Italian prefix anti- (meaning "before") and pasto ("meal, food"). Pasto comes from Latin pāstus, a word for the pasturing of animals, and pāscere, "to feed."
An antipasto, or "food before a meal," typically includes a selection of Italian meats and cheeses as well as vegetables (such as peperoncini, olives, and artichokes).
Aperitif - an alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer
Aperitif is from French apéritif, the adjective of which can mean "aperient (gently moving the bowels)" or "stimulating appetite." The French word goes back to Latin aperīre, "to open" or "to free from obstacles."
Appetizer - a food or drink that stimulates the appetite and is usually served before a meal.
It derives from Latin appetitus, the past participle of appetere, which means "to strive after" or "to long for."
Originally, appetite referred to any natural or instinctive desire (or longing) before it specified the desire to eat, as dished out in phrases like "a hearty/healthy appetite" or "a loss of appetite."
Canapé - an appetizer consisting of a piece of bread or toast or a cracker topped with a savory spread (such as caviar or cheese).
Hors d'oeuvre - any of various savory foods usually served as appetizers.
It is one of many borrowings from French cuisine. It translates literally to "outside of the work."
Meze - an appetizer in Greek or Middle Eastern cuisine often served with an aperitif.
Meze is not just an appetizer but a platter of appetizers. Its name comes from Modern Greek mezes and Turkish meze, which go back to the Persian word for "taste" or "snack," maze. That said, a meze can be a meal in itself with its assortment of Greek spreads and dips, vegetables, and cheeses, along with olives, grape leaves, baba ghanoush, and pita bread.
Tapa - an hors d'oeuvre served with drinks especially in Spanish bars.
The word tapas is derived from the Spanish noun tapa, meaning "cover" or "lid."
Feel free to tag me or leave a link of your poem/story in the replies if you were able to use any of these words. I'd love to read them!
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Resources
Resources For Creating Characters
Resources For Describing Characters
Resources For Writing The Mafia
Resources For Writing Royalty
Commentary on Social Issues In Writing
General Tips
Guide to Character Development
How To Fit Character Development Into Your Story
Tips on Character Consistency
Designing A Character From Scratch
Making characters for your world
Characters First, Story Second Method
Understanding Your Character
Tips on Character Motivations
31 Days of Character Development : May 2018 Writing Challenge
How To Analyze A Character
Alternative Method of Character Creation
Connecting To Your Own Characters
Interview As Your Characters
Flipping Character Traits On Their Head
Character Driven vs. Plot Driven Stories
Traits
Tips On Writing About Mental Illness
Giving Your Protagonists Negative Traits
Giving Characters Distinct Voices in Dialogue
Giving Characters Flaws
Making Characters More Unique
Keeping Characters Realistic
Archetypes
Writing Good Villains
Creating Villains
Guide to Writing The Hero
Positive Character Development Without Romanticizing Toxic Behavior
Tips on Writing Cold & Distant Characters
Balancing Multiple Main Characters
Creating Diverse Otherworld Characters
Foreshadowing The Villain
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Amulet - small token, for example a hieroglyphic symbol or figurine of a god, that is believed to provide magical protection or another kind of benefit to its wearer
Amun - god of Thebes, “the hidden one,” shown in human form with a tall crown of feathers. Sacred animals are the ram and the goose.
Amun-Re - from the Middle Kingdom onward this fusion of Amun and Re is the preeminent deity, combining in a single entity all the characteristics of the creator and sustainer of the world
Ankh - hieroglyphic sign meaning “life” and “to live”
Anubis - god of embalming, protector of the deceased, guardian of the cemetery
Atef crown - resembles the crown of Upper Egypt with an ostrich plume on each side and horizontal ram’s horns underneath; worn by Osiris, to symbolize his triumph over death, and by the king in certain rituals
Aten - solar disk; under Akhenaten worshiped as the medium through which the divine power of light comes into the world
Atum - “the undifferentiated one”; according to myth, the primeval being and creator of the world; also god of the setting sun
Ba - the spiritual part of a deceased person that has the ability to act and move about. The ba of a god can be translated as that god’s efficacy. In art the ba of a deceased person appears as a human-headed bird.
Bas relief - low relief in which the images are raised from the background, which has been cut away
Bastet - goddess of the city of Bubastis in the delta, depicted as a cat or as a human with a cat’s head; often understood as the benign counterpart of Sakhmet
Bes - protective dwarf deity with a monstrous face and a lion’s ruff; a household god who averts evil, especially at times of childbirth, and is in charge of sexual life
Blue crown - the khepresh, a helmet-shaped crown frequently worn by kings from the New Kingdom on, usually colored blue
Canopic jars - funerary jars containing organs removed from the mummy; these were made in sets of four to contain the lungs, stomach, liver, and intestines
Cartonnage - a material made of layers of gummed linen or papyrus and plaster; a medium for mummy masks and coffins
Cartouche - oval frame (meant to indicate a tied rope) in which the birth and throne names of the king are written
Crook and flail - from the early Old Kingdom onward, part of the king’s paraphernalia also held by Osiris. Originally the crook probably derived from a shepherd’s stick; as a hieroglyph it signified the word “ruler.” The flail resembles a fly whisk.
Cult symbol - symbol of a deity, often itself an object of veneration
Cursive - a style of writing in which successive characters are joined and angles are rounded
Demotic - a cursive form of hieroglyphic writing developed in the seventh century B.C., written from right to left
The first step a reader takes into your story & world is through the opening chapter of the novel. Opening chapters are the writer's way of introducing their characters, plot and world to a stranger: just as important as a handshake at an interview. Thank you to @curiousloveable
What makes a First Chapter Pop for a Reader?
Some readers are fickle and will abandon books without an interesting first chapter. Some power through and discover the story beyond. But you cannot go into writing the opening chapter thinking such. First Chapters are your way of introducing your story to a stranger. You want to make the right impression, put your reader in the right mood.
As a reader myself, the most entertaining opening chapters are those that are not bogged down by expostion and terrible character descriptions. They are the ones that tell you where you are, what you're doing and who is leading you through the story. Your opening chapter should be concise and to the point. Your reader doesn't care whether your character has eyelashes that smwould shame a cow or likes to butter their toast sideways. It's not important yet unless your bovine MC is going to survive the opening act of the plot because they butter their toast lift to right.
Kinds of Opening Chapter
There are 3 kinds of opening chapter, which I have given sone helpful names:
The Jump Into it: The jump into it is basically an action-packed chapter. The reader comes upon the characters in the thick of the story. This kind of chapter has a great hook as it immediately plants the reader in the middle of things with no explanations. These chapters are usually very effective but can alienate readers who prefer a more structured story slope. The example here is the opening chapter of Maze Runner by James Dashner. Thomas is in the lift about to be delivered to the Glade. We experience first hand his fear, his confusion and the world from his Pov which is a pretty clever truck as we begin life at the Glade just like Thomas.
The Gentle Slope: This chapter begins the story off at a slow or middling pace in order to ease your reader into it. These chapters usually show the character's life before it goes to shit. Readers learn about the world and get to know their narrator. Our example is the The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. We are introduced to Katniss and her life, we hear about her family and the eponymous Hunger Games.
The Skew: This chapter dies not focus on the main protagonist, instead focusing on another character or storyline, associated but not connected to the MC. These chapters place your character into the world and basically lay the foundations of what your story will become. These chapters are mainly written to provide ground for the rest of your story to stand on. In A Game of Thrones, the book opens with a chapter focusing on the Wights or White Walkers and the Night's Watch who have stumbled upon them. We learn about the Night's Watch, the threats they face and are introduced to the main antagonist of the series. The same can be said of Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone. We are introduced to the Dursleys, to Dumbledore and to Harry. We hear about Harry and the events that orphaned him and will echo throughout the series.
What should be included in an Opening Chapter?
As I said, the opening chapter is the introduction to the story. An opening chapter should have the most fundamental things a reader should know about your story & the narrator.
Firstly, the fundamental:
1) Who is the Narrator?
2) Where are we?
3) What's happening in your narrator's life? / Around them?
The Optional/Subject to story type:
1) introduce antagonist or conflict
2) inciting event to rest of plot
Some things you should remember
Your first draft doesn't matter. You can akways go back to fix it. Think of it like a stepstool in front of a ledge, you need to stand on it to get where you're going. Don't sweat it. You can beat yourself up about it after.
Your characters should not push their luck with the reader yet. Your character is a stranger and your OC needs to make an impression. Throw out the "I'm not like other girls" or the "I'm the baddest boy on this block". Your reader doesn't have time for this yet.
Make your reader love your OC or at least relate with them. Your OC is your reader's guide in this world, they must relate or like them at least a little bit. It will cast your OC into dull lights for your reader and may poison the plot.
Don't overwhelm your readers with jargon yet. Give them the most fundamental facts about the world as they need. Think of it like this: your reader needs to know they are on Earth but they do not yet need to know about the Big Bang created it all.
Occurs when the integrity of any tissue is compromised (e.g. skin breaks, muscle tears, burns, or bone fractures).
May be caused by an act, such as a gunshot, fall, or surgical procedure; by an infectious disease; or by an underlying condition.
8 Categories of Acute Wounds
Generally used by emergency personnel & first aid workers.
Abrasions. Also called scrapes, they occur when the skin is rubbed away by friction against another rough surface (e.g. rope burns and skinned knees).
Avulsions. These occur when an entire structure or part of it is forcibly pulled away, such as the loss of a permanent tooth or an ear lobe. Explosions, gunshots, and animal bites may cause avulsions.
Contusions. Also called bruises, these are the result of a forceful trauma that injures an internal structure without breaking the skin. Blows to the chest, abdomen, or head with a blunt instrument (e.g., a football or a fist) can cause contusions.
Crush wounds. Occur when a heavy object falls onto a person, splitting the skin and shattering or tearing underlying structures.
Cuts. Slicing wounds made with a sharp instrument, leaving even edges. They may be as minimal as a paper cut or as significant as a surgical incision.
Lacerations. Also called tears, these are separating wounds that produce ragged edges. They are produced by a tremendous force against the body, either from an internal source as in childbirth, or from an external source like a punch.
Missile wounds. Also called velocity wounds, they are caused by an object entering the body at a high speed, typically a bullet.
Punctures. These are deep, narrow wounds produced by sharp objects such as nails, knives, and broken glass.
Symptoms of a Wound
Include localized pain and bleeding.
Specific symptoms:
An abrasion usually appears as lines of scraped skin with tiny spots of bleeding.
An avulsion has heavy, rapid bleeding and a noticeable absence of tissue.
A contusion may appear as a bruise beneath the skin or may appear only on imaging tests. An internal wound may also generate symptoms such as weakness, perspiration, and pain.
A crush wound may have irregular margins like a laceration; however, the wound will be deeper and trauma to muscle and bone may be apparent.
A cut may have little or profuse bleeding depending on its depth and length; its even edges readily line up.
A laceration may have little or profuse bleeding. The tissue damage is generally greater and the wound’s ragged edges do not readily line up.
A missile entry wound may be accompanied by an exit wound, and bleeding may be profuse, depending on the nature of the injury.
A puncture wound will be greater in depth than in its length, therefore there is usually little bleeding around the outside of the wound and more bleeding inside, causing discoloration.
Some Terminology
Butterfly bandage—Narrow strip of adhesive with wider flaring ends (shaped like butterfly wings) used to hold the edges of a wound together as it heals.
Plasma—The straw-colored fluid component of blood, without blood cells.
Tourniquet—A device used to control bleeding, consisting of a constricting band applied tightly around a limb above the wound. It should only be used if the bleeding in life-threatening and cannot be controlled by other means.
Traumatic shock—A condition of depressed body functions as a reaction to injury with loss of body fluids or lack of oxygen. Signs of traumatic shock include weak and rapid pulse; shallow and rapid breathing; and pale, cool, clammy skin.
Whole blood—Blood that contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in plasma.
Tropes - themes, motifs, plot devices, plot points, and storylines that have become familiar genre conventions
All writers manipulate language to create certain effects. At the level of individual phrases and sentences, the skillful use of tropes is key to creating writing that’s fresh, memorable, and persuasive.
Merlin Sickness: Characters with Merlin Sickness live or age backwards in time. What happens to their memory is highly variable.
Uncoffee: A fictional drink that acts like coffee.
Vigilante Man: A person who isn't a cop decides to pursue and fight criminals, which often involves using illegal methods to do so.
Waif Prophet: A character often, but not exclusively, female who is physically or mentally ill or weak, or at least small in stature (e.g., a child), who possesses knowledge or insight she should not have. Her insight is often ascribed directly to a "debilitation". She tries to keep her differences to herself, as a consequence of (or in fear of) Cassandra Truth (i.e., when a character tries to warn others of some danger, or tell them something incredibly important, but is dismissed out of hand for no good reason due to laziness, prejudice, stubbornness, etc. The reason could also be supernatural, such as the listeners being hypnotized, bewitched, or fooled in some magical manner.), but they can not help but manifest at the worst possible time, until the climax, at which time they are exactly what are needed.
Wandering Wizard: A traveler with magic powers.
When Is Purple: In some works, the lines separating time and space and color and various other abstract concepts sometimes get blurred. This can be done for many reasons, ranging from Faux Symbolism to actual symbolism and from portraying a character as deep and wise to portraying him as weird or outright psychotic.
Woolseyism: A translation alters the work's dialogue so it works better in the new language.
Word Salad Philosophy: A philosophy that is so bizarre, rambling, and insane that no one in their right mind can understand it.
You Keep Using That Word: A character uses a word constantly, but it is apparent that they don't know what the word actually means.
You Say Tomato: More than one accepted way to pronounce a term.
If these writing notes helped with your poem/story, please tag me. Or leave a link in the replies. I'd love to read them!
The above are concepts classified according to subject and usage. It not only helps writers and thinkers to organize their ideas but leads them from those very ideas to the words that can best express them.
It was, in part, created to turn an idea into a specific word. By linking together the main entries that share similar concepts, the index makes possible creative semantic connections between words in our language, stimulating thought and broadening vocabulary.
Assists in establishing both the safety of the scene and guides the remainder of the primary survey.
The seriousness of the mechanism of injury is a significant clue as to the potential seriousness of the patient's actual injuries, be they external or internal.
Relaying the mechanism of injury to downstream care providers early in the course of transport helps them be better prepared and have the necessary resources available for when they are treating the patient in the near future.
A patient with a severe mechanism of injury (MOI) warns providers that they may have a patient who requires many hands/tools/teams for treatment.
Getting those people alerted and organized is a great head start for the patient.
MOIs can be divided into 2 broad categories:
Significant Injuries. Some examples:
Ejection from a vehicle.
Prolonged extrication time.
Multi-system trauma.
Motor vehicle-pedestrian/biker accidents.
Motor vehicle accidents where any occupant of the vehicle was killed.
Any fall over 3 times the patient's height.
Insignificant Injuries. Some examples:
Fights or physical altercations without loss of consciousness.
Minor injuries to isolated body parts.
Car accidents without injury or symptoms of injury to any occupant.
The division between these groups is nothing more than the likelihood that a patient with a certain MOI will present with trauma requiring intensive care. Not all patients with an insignificant MOI are free from severe injuries and vice versa.
More Mechanisms of Injury Categories used to Classify Narratives
Caught accidentally in or between objects
Drowning
Electric currents
Explosive material
Exposure to radiation
Fall
Firearm
Overexertion
Poisoning
Suffocation
Head-on collision frequently results in the rider ejecting or partially ejecting over the handlebars. Common injuries include:
Head and neck injury if no helmet in place
Thoracoabdominal injury from handlebar impact (common in children)
“Open book” pelvic fracture—a splaying open (like a book) of the anterior and posterior pelvis from striking the handlebars
Bilateral femur fracture
Skin abrasions, lacerations
Injuries are decreased when a helmet is in place in proper position and if protective clothing is worn.
Gunshot wounds (GSW) are usually intentional (suicide, homicide) but can be unintentional (hunting, gun not in holster, gun cleaning).
Some mechanisms at work with gunshots include:
Yaw: vertical and horizontal oscillation about the axis of the bullet; can result in a larger surface area on impact with the body depending on the position of the bullet on the axis at time of impact.
Tumbling: rotation of the bullet upon impact resulting in some parts of the cavity larger than others as the bullet rotates along the path.
Rifling: spiraling grooves within the barrel of the weapon put spin on the bullet as it exits the barrel; provides stability in flight along the axis.
Hollow-point bullets: deform on impact causing a larger surface area to inflict damage.
Shotgun: multiple pellets within the cartridge; also possible to have one large projectile, such as a “pumpkin ball,” both air resistance and gravity spread the pellets over distance; closer shotgun wounds result in serious large wounds as the pellets remain clumped together.
The bullet does not usually travel in a straight path. This results in the need for exploration as multiple injuries can occur although the path appears to be in a straight line. Intentional injuries may require either psychiatric support (suicide attempts) or safety (homicide attempts).
Stabbings are also usually intentional (suicide, homicide) but can be unintentional, (eg, a slip on wet floor and landing on open dishwasher with knives pointing upward). A stabbing most often:
follows a direct path,
is low velocity resulting mostly in damage along the line of the path itself, and
are of varying depth.
The type of blade affects the wound inflicted, such as straight blade versus a serrated edge.
From a forensic medicine perspective, a stab is deeper than it is long and a cut is longer than deep.
A cut differs from a blunt laceration in that the edges are clean and the direction of the wound inflicted indicates the direction of the force.
Stabs to the chest and abdomen are particularly important to investigate as the angle of the penetration may indicate that the wound crosses both cavities injuring the diaphragm in between the two.
Sources: 1 2 3 ⚜ Part 1 ⚜ Part 2 ⚜ Part 3 ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs
Here is a brief list of some of the foods that have been considered, at some time or other, to have aphrodisiac qualities.
Almond - As well as being the same shape as the vesica piscis, the sacred doorway through which matter emerges into spirit, the almond is a nut and therefore carries the potential for new life.
Aniseed - Falls into the category of seeds. Also aids digestion and sweetens the breath which could explain why the Romans considered it a useful ingredient for seduction.
Apple - Infamous as the fruit that Eve gave to Adam, a symbol of sexual awakening.
Asafetida - (or Asafoetida) This is the ground root of a fennel-like plant. It has a powerful odor, and despite its folk name, Devil’s Dung, it is used as a sexual stimulant in Ayurvedic medicine.
Avocado - The Mexicans called the avocado tree the “testicle tree,” since the fruit dangles down in pairs. The sensual texture of avocado adds to its reputation.
Banana - The banana flower resembles the phallus. Islamic tales say that Adam and Eve covered their sexual parts with banana leaves rather than the more common fig leaves.
Cherry - Sensuously red and juicy, and containing a potent symbol of new life inside the stone. “Popping the cherry” is a slang term for losing one’s virginity.
Chocolate - The melting point of chocolate is the same as that of blood temperature, and so its mouthfeel alone is a sensual experience. Added to this, chocolate contains mood-lifting substances, including phenylethylamine which, when released into the bloodstream, induce feelings of euphoria. Still arguably the most popular food given as a gesture of love. When the 16th century Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés heard about its reputation as an aphrodisiac, he planted two thousand trees.
Cinnamon - The glorious scent of cinnamon was reputedly used as oil by the Queen of Sheba to help her capture the attention of King Solomon.
Cloves - Because they resemble little phalluses, cloves were considered to enhance male potency. The clove tree was planted to signify the birth of a baby boy in certain parts of Indonesia, the health of the tree reflecting the health of the child as it grew up.
Coriander - Also comes under the category of seeds. Reputed to stimulate appetites of all kinds.
Fennel - The Egyptians who used this as a sexual stimulant cannot have known that it contains plant estrogens that can help balance female hormones. These estrogens also enhance the breasts.
Fig - The plethora of tiny seeds inside the fig is symbolic of fertility, and the moist plumpness of the fruit has a very sensual, feminine element to it.
Ginger and ginseng - Considered to have aphrodisiac powers because of their sharp sensual taste, and because their roots resemble the human form.
Honey - The sweetness of honey made it a rarity for ancient man. It is likely to have given humankind its first instance of alcohol in the form of mead, and its intoxicating effect has distinct aphrodisiac qualities. Bees are themselves symbols of fertility, and honey gives its name to the honeymoon period spent by newlyweds immediately after their marriage.
Mint - A Greek legend says that Menthe, a beautiful nymph, was transformed into the herb because Persephone was jealous of the beautiful scent that captivated her husband, Pluto.
Oyster - The oyster’s resemblance in form, scent, and texture to the female genitalia is renowned. Oysters have had a long history as an aphrodisiac and their reputation is well known. The pearl that is sometimes found inside the oyster was said to increase the powers of arousal, because it resembles the clitoris. Other shellfish, such as mussels, fall into this same category.
Raspberries and strawberries - Libido enhancing because of their color, their many tiny seeds, and their resemblance to nipples.
Star anise - Because of its shape, the star anise was sacred to the Goddess and therefore a potent fertility symbol.
Tomato - Also called the “Love Apple” and is regarded as an
aphrodisiac, because of the prolific number of seeds contained within it. However, the name itself is the result of an accidental misinterpretation. Because they were originally a yellow color they were called “Pomo D’or” in Italy, the Apple of Gold. It was also called the “Pomo d’Moro”—the apple of the Moors, referring to its Spanish origins. From here, it was just a slip of the tongue to the French, “Pomme d’Amour,” or Love Apple.
Four Acts in Fourteen Cards: A Tarot Spread for Writers
I’ve been drafting and writing a lot of stuff using a four-act structure recently, basically what’s used for most serial TV shows (procedurals, monster-of-the-week shows, sitcoms, etc.,) and I’ve found I really enjoy it; the structure makes for a fast pace and plenty of action, with character growth feeding off of and influencing the events. In preparing for NaNoWriMo, I outlined a series of short stories, which I intend to link together like “episodes” into a overarching “season”. The tricky bit is keeping each episode exciting, meaningful, and distinctive despite the formula.
Enter, tarot. If you’ve looked into tarot cards before, you probably know that they’re a wellspring of ideas and inspiration. I don’t use tarot religiously or spiritually, but I own a few decks for self-reflection and, of course, writing. I drafted this spread idea for NaNo, tested it out, and was quite pleased with the results I got: a start-to-finish story outline that feels satisfying and distinct from my other outlined episodes, done in under half an hour.
I’m recording this spread here for my own later reference, and for any other writers who might find it useful. Please feel free to dissect and remix this idea: play around and use whatever parts are helpful to your process :)
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It’s shorter than the usual resource master post, but I found some great resources and I think this is a good jumping-off point for those who are including a royal court in the world building of their story.
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Fantasy Guide to Writing A Royal Family
How to Write A Fictional Royal Court
Writing Royalty and Nobility - Common Mistakes
Creating a Fictional Monarchy
Questions to Ask When Creating a Fictional Monarchy
Writing Royal Characters
Ethics in World Building : Monarchy
Royal Titles Around The World
Regions’ Royal History Broken Down
Early Overall History
East Asia
Medieval and modern Europe
Africa
Positions in A Royal Court
Almoner
Butler
Chamberlain
Chancellor
Chapelmaster
Chaplain
Cofferer
Confessor
Constable
Cup-bearer
Dapifer
Doorward
Eunuch
Falconer
Gentleman of the Bedchamber
Gentleman Usher
Grandmaster
Great officers
Groom of the Stool
Herald
Intendant
The Royal Fool
Keeper of the seal
King of arms
Knight/Earl Marshal
Lady-in-waiting
Maid of Honour
Majordomo
Master of Ceremonies
Master of the Horse
Master of the Hunt
Page
Panter or Grand Panetier
Secretary
Pursuivant
Seneschal
Stolnik
Standard bearer
Steward
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Abeyance: When the audience temporarily suspends their questions about made-up words or worldbuilding details with the implicit understanding that they will be answered later in the story.
Absorption: The two-way street wherein the audience is immersed in the created world and is picking up the author’s metaphoric building blocks to recreate the concept in their head.
Acculturation: When an adult assimilates into another culture.
Additive: When something has been added to a secondary world, usually in the form of magic or fantasy species.
Affinity: A kinship pattern wherein the familial bond is based upon marriage.
Aggregate Inconsistencies: When audiences pick up internal inconsistencies not within the same story but from multiple sources within the shared universe.
Anachronism: Details that do not conform to their time period or culture.
Analogue Culture: Real-life cultures that the creator emulates in their work and then applies their fantasy conceits to.
Ancestor Worship: The belief that deceased ancestors still exist, are still a part of the family, and can intervene within the living world on their descendants’ behalf.
Animism: The belief that all objects, creatures, and places are imbued with a spiritual essence.
Apex Predator: The predator at the top of a food web that no other creature naturally feeds upon. Two apex predators cannot exist in the same niche.
Apologetics: In worldbuilding, the attempt to explain inconsistencies in terms of existing canon.
Appropriated Culture: Using a culture as a whole that the creator is not a member of. Different from an analogue culture in that the analogue is changed by the creator and used respectfully.
Artifacts: In worldbuilding, the observable ways a culture behaves due to their cultural worldview. This can include politics, economics, religion, education, arts, humanities, and linguistics, along with many other cultural norms.
Ascendant: In worldbuilding, a world that the magic is increasing in power and influence.
Assimilation: When an individual rejects their original culture and adopts the cultural norms and beliefs of the dominant culture.
Author Authority: When an author demonstrates expert-level knowledge in a field to their audience.
Author Worldview: What Mark J. P. Wolf calls “not only the ideas and ideologies of the world’s inhabitants, but also those which the author is expressing through the world’s structure of events.”
Autocracy: A government in which supreme power concentrates in the hands of one individual or polity.
Avatar: The embodiment of a deity in another form, usually humanoid.
B-C
Bible: In the field of television writing, a series guidebook that usually includes the pitch, character descriptions, a synopsis, as well as worldbuilding details.
Biome: The vegetation and animals that exists within a region. Terrestrial biomes include: forest (tropical, temperate, or boreal), grassland, desert, and tundra.
Black Box: In information processing, when a system is viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs without any understanding as to its internal workings.
Bottom-Up: In design, where the granular, base elements of the system are created first, then grouping them together into larger constructs over and over until a pattern forms. Also known as “pantsing” in writing and worldbuilding because the creator is building by the seat of their pants.
Callback: From standup comedy where the punchline in a joke used earlier in the set is alluded to again, eliciting another laugh from the reframing of what was already familiar.
Canon: The core doctrine for the world when conflicting information arises. Usually what the original creator made takes canonical precedence over subsequent additions.
Capitalism: The economic system wherein individuals own the means of production.
Chekhov's Gun: Often understood to mean that something must be introduced previously if it will have significance later in a narrative, but meant by the playwright that nothing should be included in the story that is not completely necessary.
Climate: The temperature and rainfall in regions over approximately 30 years. Classified as tropical (high temperature and high precipitation), dry (high temperature and low precipitation), temperate (mid temperature and mid precipitation), continental (in the center of large continents with warm summers and cold winters), and polar (low temperatures and low precipitation).
Commercial Fiction: The style of fiction that includes all genre fiction, the aim of which is entertainment. Often fast-paced and plot-driven.
Compelling: One of the four Cs of worldbuilding, which deals with how well the core concept and subsequent details maintain audience interest.
Complete: One of the four Cs of worldbuilding, which deals with the sense that the world is lived in, has a sense of history, and continues on even when the story ends.
Complexity Creep: When material gradually grows in complexity over its lifetime, raising the bar of entry for new people experiencing the material for the first time.
Conceits: Where a story deviates from reality. Usually the focus of the fiction by being what the author intends on exploring in their works.
Conlanguage: A constructed language created specifically for a story world.
Consanguinity: A kinship pattern wherein the familial bond is based upon a shared genetic lineage.
Consistent: One of the four Cs of worldbuilding, which deals with how well the material maintains its own internal logic as established by the fantasy conceits.
Constructed World: A fictional world that does not exist but was created by someone.
Continuity: A gestalt term for perception where the mind fills in obvious blanks to make a unified whole.
Convergent Evolution: When two or more species develop analogous features to deal with their environment.
Co-Residency: A kinship pattern wherein the familial bond is based upon shared space.
Cosmology: The study of mapping the universe and our place in it.
Cost: In worldbuilding, when a character must risk or sacrifice something for magic to take effect.
Creative: One of the four Cs of worldbuilding, which deals with how and to what extent the constructed world deviates from the real world.
Credibility Threshold: Where worldbuilding details must only appear plausible to a general audience rather than demonstrating expert-level knowledge.
Cultural Identity: An individual’s self-concept as distinct from others based upon nationality, ethnicity, social class, generation, and locality.
Cultural Universals: Traits, patterns, and institutions prevalent throughout humankind.
Customs: Informal rules of behavior that people take part in without thinking about it.
D-F
Deity: The most powerful of metaphysical entities, deities often exist in pantheons, have thematic powers based upon their roles, and few weaknesses or limitations.
Descendent: In terms of magic, the idea that the most powerful magics are from ages past and that magic is on the decline in terms of power and influence.
Despotism: An economic system wherein an individual or institution controls the laws and resources of an area.
Deus Ex Machina: A plot device in which an unexpected power, event, or deity intervenes to save a hopeless situation.
Differentiation: When one culture forms part of their identity by contrasting themselves with another nearby culture.
Divergent: When the creator alters something in the development of the world but it remains very similar to the real world in every detail but this fantasy conceit. For instance, a world that resembles our own but made up of anthropomorphic animals instead of humans.
Divine: The belief that something is of, from, or like a god.
Democracy: A government in which the people elect a governing body in some fashion.
Early Adoption: When an inventor or culture creates a technology long before their analogue culture did in the real world.
Easter Egg: A hidden message, image, or feature that is meant to be hunted for within the material.
Economics: The study of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Education: A form of socialization in which we teach the youth what they need to know to become functioning members of society.
Effective Worldbuilding: When (a) the immersive state is never disrupted for the audience, or when (b) the immersive state is disrupted with a positive result.
Element X: N. K. Jemisin’s concept of when fantasy elements diverge from the real world. Similar to fantasy conceits.
Emic: An account of a cultural idea, concept, behavior, or belief documented as if from within the culture.
Empires: Multinational states with political hegemony over other ethnicities, cultures, or nations.
Encyclopedic Impulse: The consumer’s desire to know everything about the world or the author’s desire to expound upon all the worldbuilding details.
Ephemera: Transitionary materials that are not meant to exist for long term, such as advertisements, diary entries, letters, posters, and the like.
Ethnicity: A group that identifies with each other based on presumed similarities such as a shared language, ancestry, history, society, or social treatment within an area. Ethnicities are not dependent upon, but are often associated with, certain taxonomic traits or physiological similarities within those groups.
Etic: When cultural ideas, concepts, behaviors, or beliefs are documented from outside the cultural milieu as a passive observer with an eye for similarities between all cultures
Exsecting: When the creator removes something that exists in the real world from the created world.
Extrapolation: In worldbuilding, the belief that any fantasy conceit should be followed to its natural conclusion.
Face Validity: When worldbuilding detail appears believable upon immediate examination. See Credibility Threshold.
Fan Service: Material included in a story that serves no narrative purpose other than to please fans.
Fantasy Conceit: What the creator intends to explore in the world, it is where the constructed world deviates from the real world, usually in the form of geography, biology, physics, metaphysics, technology, or culture.
Fantasy Function: When analogue cultures are filtered through fantasy conceits to populate the created world with its output details.
Fetishes: Items imbued with cultural significance and power.
First Principles: Core belief and value systems within a culture that are often unconscious until confronted.
Flavor Text: Texts within stories, video games, role-playing games, and action figures that add depth by providing a sense of history but do not alter the game mechanics or story in a substantial way.
Feudalism: An economic system wherein there is a division between the lords that protect the vassals that work the land in exchange for protection.
Four Cs of Worldbuilding: See Creative, Complete, Consistent, and Compelling.
G-L
Gender: A social construct of how cultures differentiate the sexes.
Generalist: When every individual in a society has the same basic job, which is providing their daily caloric intake. A staple of hunter and gatherers and in contrast to specialists.
Generation: A social cohort group based around the period in which children grow up, become adults, and bear children of their own. Because of this shared timeframe and significant events in their lives, generations often share a similar worldview within the general culture.
Genre Expectation: The qualities audiences expect of their genres to be considered successful, i.e. is the thriller thrilling or the romance romantic. For fantasy and science fiction, the genre expectation is worldbuilding.
Goldilocks Zone: The habitable zone around a star where the temperature is right for water to exist in liquid form.
Group: Two or more individuals who share a collective sense of unity via interacting with each other because of shared similar characteristics.
Habitat: The ecosystem or ecological community creatures exist in.
Handwave: A writing term for explaining crucial events dismissively with minimal details.
Handwavium: As opposed to the handwave, when everything else in the imagined world fits logically together with the exception of the fantasy conceit, which the audience must then accept to continue on with the story.
Hard Deduction: When there is no narrator and no character bringing the worldbuilding details to the audience’s attention, who must then piece together the world rules based upon the provided details alone.
Hard Impart: When information is imparted to the audience through narrative text, usually through the narrator or the internal thoughts of characters.
Hero Props: Items that are necessary for a scene to take place, making them integral to the story.
Heroic Theory of Invention: When inventors and discoverers of scientific developments are treated as solitary geniuses rather than products of good luck or a part of a team.
High-Concept: A term from the film industry meaning an idea needs lots of background details, usually compiled from the worldbuilding, to be explained for the core concept to be compelling.
Hybrid: (a) In biology, a living thing bred together from two different species, which is not able to produce its own viable offspring. (b) A method the author can employ to get details across to the audience in which it appears they are using a hard or soft impart, but the audience deduces are not correct, which then casts provided information into doubt and adds new nuance.
Iceberg Theory: The theory proffered by Hemingway that so long as the author is aware of the underlying ideas, they can cut away anything from the story and it will still make sense. Usually interpreted to mean one only needs to reveal 10% of worldbuilding details or backstory.
Illusion of Completeness: The sense that the world is complete and that all questions can be answered within it rather than the creator explicitly spelling out all the details.
Immersion: The altered state in which the audience feels they are physically present in a non-physical world.
Ineffective Worldbuilding: When worldbuilding details become obvious to the consumer, thus breaking the sense of immersion and reminding them of the real world. This can be caused by internal inconsistencies or from reality incursions.
Info Dump: A sudden overwhelming quantity of backstory or background information supplied in a short timeframe.
Info Dump Equity: The idea that an author should not reveal worldbuilding information until the audience craves it, thus being able to deliver an info dump without anyone complaining.
In-Group: The other people an individual identifies with. While they may not share the exact worldview, they share the same first principles in understanding the world around them.
Innovation: The drive for change, usually technological, but also socially.
Inside-Out: How audiences process worldbuilding details, in that they pertain to the immediate understanding of the scene, which are then pieced together into an understanding of the world.
Inspired Worldbuilding: The top form of worldbuilding, which invites additional audience interaction via their imagination after the story has concluded.
Institutions: Stable organizations of individuals formed for a shared purpose, usually by performing specific, reoccurring patterns of behavior.
Integration: When an individual adopts the cultural norms and beliefs of the dominant culture while still retaining their original culture.
Interconnection: When the threads of worldbuilding are tied together cohesively. Part of Sanderson’s third law of magic systems.
Interquel: Stories set in an existing world but that do not connect with the original story.
Intraquel: Stories set in an existing world that fill in gaps in the existing story.
Kinship: How social relationships organize into groups, roles, and families. Usually consisting of consanguinity, affinity, or co-residency.
Limitations: Checks put upon magical powers, usually in the form of weaknesses and costs. Sanderson maintains in his second law that limitations are more dramatically important than powers.
Linguistics: The study of languages.
Literary Fiction: The style of fiction that aims for awards, considers itself art, focuses on the prose, and is usually slowly paced.
Locality: The small-scale community in which the individuals in a group grew up, usually comprising of a town, neighborhood, or block, which differentiates them from others in the surrounding area.
M-O
Macroworldbuilding: The first of the stages N. K. Jemisin breaks her worldbuilding process into, which consists of planet, continents, climate, and ecology.
Magic: Change wrought through unnatural means.
Magic Point Systems: Magic systems where the casters have a set amount of energy, usually referred to as mana, to spend on their effects.
Magical Thinking: The belief people can affect change the world around them through thoughts and behaviors.
Mana: A frequent generalized term for the finite resource magic users spend on their magical effects.
Marginalization: When an individual rejects both their original culture and the dominant culture.
Mary Sue/ Marty Sue: Originally a created character for fanfic who has no flaws and is inserted into interactions with the canonical characters. Now an insult leveled at characters consumers don’t like, usually claiming they are overly capable and without flaws.
Masquerade: A term taking from the World of Darkness RPG wherein the existence of magic is hidden from the general populous.
Metaphysics: In worldbuilding, dealing with deities, spirits, cosmology, and the afterlife. In essence, creatures and locations that do not abide by understandings of biology or physics.
Microworldbuilding: The second of the stages N. K. Jemisin breaks her worldbuilding process into, which consists of species, morphology, raciation, acculturation, power, and role.
Monotheism: The belief in a single deity only.
Mystery Box: The theory proffered by JJ Abrams that mystery drives audience interest, which will keep them invested in a story so long as they are promised elucidation later.
Mythopeia: Constructed mythologies, lores, and histories within created worlds.
Nationality: How an individual relates to their state. A component of cultural identity.
Nominal Change: A superficial change in the secondary world that contributes nothing to the worldbuilding.
Norms: What is considered acceptable group behavior and what people should and should not do in their social surroundings.
Oligarchy: A government in which power rests in a small group of people like the nobility, wealthy, or religious leaders.
One-Off: An intentional inconsistency meant to highlight the aberration as separate from the established worldbuilding.
Out-Group: Those that do not share the same collective worldview, which are often mistrusted or viewed with outright hostility.
Overlaid Worlds: Constructed worlds with real-world locations but with the addition of fantasy elements.
P-R
Pantheon: A categorization of collected deities based upon the culture that worships them
Pantsers: Creators who build or write without a clear outcome in mind. See Bottom-Up.
Pidgin Language: A grammatically simplified language used for trade that comprises vocabularies drawn from numerous languages.
Planet of Hats: The trope of treating a species or world as monolithic and with one defining trait.
Planners: Worldbuilders or writers who have a clear plan once they start creating. See Top-Down.
Politics: The decision-making process within groups and individuals involving power structures.
Polytheism: The belief of multiple gods, usually inhabiting a pantheon.
Porcelain Argument: In worldbuilding, the belief that technology stagnates at the level at which magic or a fantasy conceit is introduced.
Portal Fantasy: A subgenre in which the characters from the real world travel to a secondary world.
Prequel: Stories set in an existing world that precede the original story. They do not need to connect to the original story but often do.
Primary Sexual Characteristics: The sex organs used in reproduction.
Primary World: The real world in which we all reside and draw our experience from.
Prime Mover: A conceit that cannot be removed without the story world falling apart.
Profane: Something that is religiously blasphemous or obscene.
Prologue: An opening sequence in a narrative that establishes background details to create context, clarification, and miscellaneous information for the audience
Promise of the Premise: The term coined by Blake Snyder for the point in the story when the setup is complete and it examines its core conceits. An author breaks the promise of the premise when the story is not about the promised core concepts.
Pull Factors: Factors that draw immigrants to an area.
Purple Prose: Descriptions that becomes overly ornate and extravagant, to the point they break the sense of immersion by drawing attention to themselves.
Push Factors: Factors that drive immigrants out of an area.
Race: (a) In biology, a grouping of populations below the level of subspecies, and is rather imprecise in distinguishing the differences between them. (b) In the fantasy genre, usually understood to mean “species.”
Racial Attributes: The assumption that any one fantasy race shares not only certain abilities like flight or the capacity to speak with animals, but certain demeanors, temperaments, and biases.
Reality Incursions: When the outside world interjects itself into the created fantasy experience to remind the consumer that this is indeed a made-up world. They usually occur when the consumer has expert knowledge in a field that is not depicted correctly in the narrative.
Reciprocity: When people respond to actions with similar actions. This can be positive, as in the exchanging of gifts, or negative, as with punitive eye-for-an-eye punishments for crimes.
Relativism: The belief there is no real objective universal truth and that we base all understanding upon perception and consideration.
Religion: The cultural system of behaviors, morals, ethics, and worldview in which humans deal with supernatural, metaphysical, and spiritual conceptions.
Retcon: Short for “retroactive continuity,” the term comes from comic books when previous canon or facts are ignored or contradicted so as to assimilate new stories or understandings in current storylines.
Reverberations and Repercussions: The understanding that any change within a world creates many expected and unexpected changes to the whole.
Rituals: Formal customs often involving gestures, words, and objects performed in a traditional sequence.
Rule of Cool: The understanding that the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief for a given element is directly proportional to its level of “coolness.”
Rule of Law: The idea that laws extend to the lawmakers as well as the general populous.
Rule of Three: In worldbuilding, the concept coined by Randy Ellefson in which an author should alter at least three components of a trope to make it their own.
S
Saturation: Mark J. P. Wolf’s term for when there are simply too many details for the audience to fully absorb, which he maintains makes the world stronger since it invites the audience to reexperience the material again and again to glean something new each time.
Scarcity: When people put higher value on rare things and assign lesser value to things in abundance.
Secondary Sexual Characteristics: The distinguishing traits that distinguish the sexes, such as human males’ facial hair or females’ breasts.
Secondary World: A created world that does not exist.
Selection: In biology, the preferential survival and reproduction or elimination of individuals with certain traits. Can be either artificial, natural, positive, or negative.
Separation: When an individual rejects the dominant culture in favor of preserving their original culture, which often leads to minority enclaves within the dominant culture
Sequel: Stories set in an existing world that follow the original story. They do not need to connect to the original story but often do.
Set Piece: An iconic scene that exemplifies the story even though it might not actually be necessary to the story itself.
Shamanism: The belief that specific individuals have access to and influence over the spiritual realm, usually derived by ritual and entering altered states.
Show Don't Tell: The understanding that the audience prefers to experience the worldbuilding details and storytelling events in action rather than having them explained.
Smeerp: Unnecessarily renaming something to make it seem exotic. Derived from James Blish’s sarcastic use of the term when describing rabbits.
Smeerp Hole: When one seemingly minor change contributes to a whole slew of other changes on the author’s part that add little to the audience experience as a whole.
Social Class: The hierarchal social stratification of groups, usually manifesting as upper, middle, and lower classes.
Socialism: The economic system in which the workers or government own and manage the means of production.
Socialization: The process in which a group passes on the worldviews, norms, and customs to their children.
Soft Deduction: When a character with knowledge of the worldbuilding takes action based upon specific information to get the worldbuilding rules across to the audience.
Soft Impart: Information presented to the audience not through narrative text but through a trustworthy side character or source. Can often come about from an overheard conversation or explanation from another character.
Specialization: The divisions of labor and creation of occupations when the population does not individually have to account for their daily caloric intake. As opposed to generalist.
Species: A group of living creatures capable of exchanging genetic material and producing viable offspring.
Speculative Fiction: An umbrella term for fiction that inject elements into the story that do not exist in the real world. Fantasy, science fiction, horror, historical fiction, alternative history, and dystopian and utopian fiction are just a few genres that qualify as speculative fiction.
Spotlighted/Lampshaded: A potentially troublesome concept or idea that is intentionally brought to the audience’s attention before it becomes problematic to highlight that it is intended as a fantasy conceit rather than an accidental anachronism.
Stasis: The drive to maintain the current order, be it social, political, or technological.
States: Organized governments overseeing a specific territory that can interact with other states.
Streamlining: Part of Sanderson’s third law of magic in which worldbuilding details should be accounted for by already existing fantasy conceits instead of creating whole new conceits.
Suspension of Disbelief: When an audience makes a choice to suspend their critical faculties to allow for a patently unreal concept to be considered logical for the sake of entertainment.
T-W
Taming: When an animal has been taught to tolerate human presence. As opposed to domestication.
Technobabble: When a character spouts a number of details to establish their expert credentials in the field. Technobabble is not meant to be understood by either the audience or the other characters, only to establish the character’s authority on the subject.
Terra De Facto: The implicit understanding that anything that is not accounted for by a fantasy conceit must therefore abide by the rules of the primary world.
Terrain: The vertical and horizontal proportions of land masses, which includes how high it is above sea level and at what slope.
Theocracy: A government where the religious leaders and practices control the laws in addition to the religious norms and rituals.
Toehold Details: Descriptors that specifically trigger the assumption of an analogue culture and time period, and therefore help the audience to mentally populate the scene.
Top-Down: In design, when the underlying idea or system is formed on a grand scale, then with all subsequent subsystems being added and refined until everything is mapped out. Also referred to as “planner” or “engineer” when it comes to writing or worldbuilding.
Totems: Imbued emblems representing a group of people tied to a specific spirit.
Transmedial: When a story or world exists in multiple mediums.
Tropes: Reoccurring motifs, images, plots, and characterization that exist within a genre.
Unchanged: When the creator does not use a particular fantasy conceit and leaves their created world the same as the real world in regards to this fantasy conceit. See Terra De Facto.
Unobtanium: In engineering, the term used for materials or technologies that do not yet exist but will one day solve current problems. Frequently used in science fiction worldbuilding.
Upmarket Fiction: The style of fiction that aims for creating discussion. It often blends literary and commercial fiction, deals with universal themes, has accessible language, and is character-driven.
Weakness: Limiting factors that diminish the power or the person using it. Part of Sanderson’s second law of magic.
Worldbuilding Capital: Time and mental energy sunk into a world, which is why authors frequently reuse the existing world instead of forming a new one for subsequent stories.
Worldbuilding Kudzu: When too many worldbuilding choke out the pertinent information by sheer volume, thus disrupting immersion.
Worldview: How a society or individual orients their knowledge and point of view towards the world. This includes philosophy, fundamentals, existential postulates, values and ethics, ideology, and attitude. It encompasses the concept of why the world works the way it does and the “correct” way to act within it.
Worship: The act of religious devotion towards a deity or ideal.
It’s not uncommon for your characters to find themselves stranded somewhere with less than ideal conditions.
Cold
There are the obvious risks of hypothermia and frostbite.
The time for these to set in can vary drastically with temperature and windchill.
In both cases, warming should be done slowly or risk blistering of the skin and other complications such as shock.
Like burns, frostbite is classified into degrees of severity:
First degree frostbite – Numbness and whitening of skin.
Second degree – Outer layer of skin frozen, blistering likely when warmed.
Third degree – Skin is white or blue and blotchy. Skin and the tissue beneath it is hard and cold.
Heat
Risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Heat exhaustion is caused by insufficient water and salt intake. It is easy to develop without realising it.
Heat stroke is more severe and often follows untreated heat exhaustion. It is extremely dangerous and can be fatal.
Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion
Headache
Dizziness, faintness
Confusion and irritability
Thirst
Fast and weak pulse and breathing
Clammy skin and cramps
Additional Symptoms of Heatstroke
Hot, dry, flushed skin
Sweating stops altogether
Nausea
Disorientation up to and including hallucinations
Abnormal blood pressure
Elevated temperature
Unconsciousness
Treatment focuses on lowering the body temperature and rehydrating the person as quickly as possible.
Oxygen Deprivation
Apart from the obvious – lack of oxygen is rather bad for you (6-8 minutes for permanent brain damage) – the reason for the lack can have side effects of its own.
For example smoke, chemical or water inhalation can do physical damage to the lungs making breathing difficult even when the person is removed to a safe place.
Exposure to Vacuum
In short, your major problems would be…
Oxygen deprivation
Exposure to extreme cold
Expansion of gases within the body – meaning that holding your breath would be a Big Mistake, but not one you’d live to regret for very long
In a sudden decompression there would also be the risk of decompression sickness (the bends) and of getting hit by flying debris during the decompression itself.
Assuming you survived the initial decompression you’d have about 10 seconds of consciousness to do something about it and about one and a half minutes to live.
Parts of the body exposed would suffer from swelling, frostbite, and interrupted circulation.
Leaky spaceships
50% atmospheric pressure is enough to have people suffering from hypoxia (oxygen deprivation).
15% and you more or less, may as well be in vacuum.
Source: Leia Fee (with additions by Susannah Shepherd)
More: Part 1 ⚜ Part 2 ⚜ Word Lists (Sick) (Pain) ⚜ Drunkenness ⚜ Autopsy
Writing Templates: Character Sketch & Character Bible
Character sketches - the characters’ biography or CV.
Thanks to these sketches, your characters will have no secrets.
You’ll be clear about their appearance, behavior, past, and above all, about the way they must react under different circumstances.
They can take many forms, but they are usually divided into 2 groups according to their purpose:
Short Sketches: These contain the most basic information about the character. They are perfect for describing minor characters and can also be used as writing prompts. You can store them in a folder and resort to them when you are in need of inspiration. Georges Simenon used to choose two characters (a man and a woman, for example) and ask himself what would take them to the limit. The answer to that question was the beginning of a story.
Character Bible: This document contains a lot of information about each of the protagonists and their relationships with other characters. It’s used during the prewriting stage.
WRITING TEMPLATE: Character Sketch
Short character sketches can be used as writing prompts or as a prewriting strategy. Don’t be too exhaustive; it’s enough to just jot down a few general notes on your characters in order to know at a glance what is unique about each of them.
1. Sketch Number
Organize your sketches by number and add their creation date.
Make note of what story they belong (or could belong) to.
2. Character’s Name or Nickname
3. Type of Character
Role they play in the story (protagonist, antagonist, mentor...).
When a character isn’t part of any story yet, it is not that easy to assign him (or her) to a role.
To solve this problem, ask yourself these questions:
Does (s)he meet the requirements to be classified as a protagonist (or antagonist)?
Should (s)he play a minor role?
Is (s)he a hero or an anti-hero?
There are many possible combinations.
4. General Information
Gender, age, date and place of birth, place of residence, etc.
5. Appearance
In this section, it’s not necessary to go into too much detail.
You just have to consider the features that make a character different from the everyone else (a scar, a limp, unique physique...).
Characters’ height, eye color, and hair color.
6. Personality
Try to focus on what makes each of your characters special.
Is he or she a home-loving introvert or a rather independent and sociable adventurer?
Choose adjectives that best define your characters’ personality.
Take into account their main virtues and shortcomings as well as their hobbies, fears, dreams, and goals (which can be important to define their motivations in the story).
7. Profession/Studies
What do your characters do for a living?
Explain the characters’ frustrated vocations.
The things they have given up can also define them.
Unless your characters are animals/fantastic creatures.
8. Family, Friends, and Acquaintances
Specify the kind of relationship your characters have with their family, friends, and acquaintances.
Who are the most important people in their lives?
9. Personal Motto
A personal motto, slogan, or catchphrase is a sentence or concept that sums up a character’s philosophy and values.
It’s not compulsory to invent it.
You can always use sayings such as “you live and learn” or “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” etc.
You can also use quotes by famous philosophers.
10. Notes
Leave a blank space for other relevant information such as my characters’ biography, a funny anecdote, etc.
Anything that helps you visualize them in more detail will come in handy when you start writing your story.
WRITING TEMPLATE: Character Bible
This must be as detailed as possible. In this way, you’ll be clear about your characters’ appearance, peculiarities, virtues, shortcomings, customs, relationships, etc. Think about actors and actresses who must be very familiar with the characters they play in order to make a good performance. A writer who gathers information about a character faces a similar job.
Feel free to create the type of character sketch that best suits you. If you don’t know where to start, you can use the character sketch outline that I use for my stories. This document covers the most important points of a sketch.
1. General Features
Organize your sketches by number and add their creation date.
Make note of what story they belong to.
Character’s name or nickname (with origin and meaning).
Character’s role in the story (protagonist, antagonist, mentor...); specify in which part of the plot (s)he participates.
Physical features, clothes, gestures, manners, etc.
Pay attention to the features that make a character different from everyone else (a scar on the face, wears glasses, etc.).
3. Personality
Information about their character traits.
Adjectives that best define your character and the way (s)he sees himself/herself; the way others describe him or her.
Hobbies, fears, phobias, fixations, dreams, and goals.
4. Family and Friends
Information about the parents of each characters (names, jobs, ages, and type of relationship with their son or daughter).
Hobbies or events that marked them deeply.
If your main character has siblings, a partner, children, or other intimate acquaintances (name, age, and relationship with the main character, etc.)
5. Biography
6. Relationships and Other Notes
Include the rest of the characters and state how they met your main character, the type of relationship (s)he has with them, and how it affects their life and their actions.
Leave blank space for random notes and observations.
