idk i write here

a blog for crafting fiction from the mind of an autistic. Predominantly a dumping ground for resources and inspiration at the moment.

[conleches]

some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs

body language masterlist

a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does

a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes

550 words to say instead of fuckin said

638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again

some more body language help 

[bellero]

REBLOG TO SAVE A WRITER

[totallynotsarah]

@uncannycookie I saw this and thought of you, I hope this helps!

[uncannycookie]

You taunt me with broken links, you fiend. I shall cry forever now, dreaming of what could have been… T-T

[blackinkedfeather]

@uncannycookie​ Tried fixing these. Hope they work now again

body language masterlist

a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does

a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes

550 words to say instead of fuckin said

638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again

some more body language help

If it still not works then deleting “http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2F“ in front of the page’s actual URL, replacing every 2%F with a slash, and (at the end of the URL) deleting “&t=“ including the string of numbers/letters/signs that follow after that should do the trick.

[headspace-hotel]

No but I have like...thoughts about the ideation process for fantasy

When I first started conceiving ideas for fantasy it was basically possible to just throw them all in the same book, but the more my writing ability developed, the less that was the case. Because you expand your horizons for what’s possible in a fantasy novel, and soon you end up with ideas that aren’t the same TYPE of fantasy and can’t go in the same novel. There are so many axes along which this happens and more and more keep emerging.

Basically, there are a lot of ways in which two ideas for a fantasy novel can just be fundamentally incapable of going in the same book, and thus require the generation of an entire new project to be actually written about. This causes fantasy writing projects to proliferate in number. It’s a fascinating problem.

A rough list of Axes of Fantasy Idea Incompatibility:

Technology level: a long spectrum with several rough “zones” on it. Pre-Iron Age fantasy is something I rarely see, but next you have general “pre-industrial/pre-gunpowder” fantasy that’s most “medieval” fantasy, which usually has islands of higher advancement like glass in windows and printed books. After that’s “gunpowder” fantasy which has guns, which often goes with “industrial revolution era” fantasy that is like...post or during industrial revolution but still usually without things like engines (unless they’re steam, see steampunk) and plastic. Anything more modern than this is usually an alternate universe type thing and/or urban fantasy which has different conventions. Obviously there’s a lot of fuzziness here but it can cause problems when you have ideas that use technology from opposite ends of the spectrum.

Suspension of disbelief “expectation:” There are fantasy worlds where everything is like earth unless proven otherwise except things explicitly explained through magic and there are worlds where cotton candy grows on trees and people walk on clouds. Some ideas fit with a realistic world that may have a strictly defined magic system that provides the only exceptions to that realism, and some ideas need a paintbrush application of Because It’s Fantasy, Things Just Work. This overlaps with the soft/hard fantasy dichotomy but it’s subtler than that: worlds set up different expectations for HOW readers suspend disbelief. In an otherwise very realistically grounded and gritty world, immortals (for instance) are going to need to be clearly explained as magical, whereas in cotton candy tree world no one is going to ask “How is this character immortal?” In lighthearted fun worlds people don’t ask lots of questions, in gritty grimdark “realistic” takes on medieval politics, “just cuz” is not a good enough explanation for why there are horses that can hover or whatever. Rule of Cool MAY provide exceptions (see dragons, usually). I find this most often in creature design: what if I’m grounding all my creatures in realistic biology and making sure they seem like something that could really evolve, and I want to have a butterfly with a 30 foot wingspan, or a ferret that can fly by farting, or something?

Type of Magic System: Object vs. Human Centered Magic: This is a really simple, basic way you can end up with incompatible ideas: is the magic system something like “humans have powers,” or is it “there are objects with powers” or something else? More clearly: Is magic something people have to DO or can you “put” magic in or on something else? If your magic system is basically superpowers, and you have an idea for a magical frying pan or something, that can be an issue. In some magic systems it’s both, e.g. in Harry Potter you can charm objects but also cast spells. But sometimes it’s largely one or the other.

Type of Magic System: Soft vs. Hard: The corollary of suspension of disbelief expectation. Do the rules of magic have to be explained (e.g. this is how we cast the spells to make this hunk of rock float) or is something like a magical floating island just going to be assumed to work because Magic?

Type of Magic System: How Powerful Are People?: In some worlds, there’s no way wizards would be powerful enough to cast a spell on a giant chunk of landscape to make it float in the air permanently. Generally “harder” fantasy limits powers more whereas “softer” fantasy can have godlike individuals running around. If you have a story element in your head that requires incredible magical power, it can end up being impossible to implement in a story where magic users are highly limited.

Type of Magic System: Natural Magic vs. Artificial Magic: Is magic something done by humans (or other intelligent beings) or is magic just naturally inside some living things in nature or natural features of the world? Is it a practice or innovation or is it just a passive quality of the world? I can’t think of a better example than dragons: Is the question of the flying and fire breathing answerable by “they use magic” or not? (This is part of why I separate “level of suspension of disbelief” from hard vs. soft magic systems: dragons can use magic to fly in a “hard” or “soft” fantasy, but the level of suspension of disbelief expected of the reader determines whether dragon flight has to be explained with magic at all. In a situation where creatures aren’t naturally magical, it’s not the presence of magic that lets dragons fly...it’s the reader’s ability to believe that dragons can fly.)

Fun vs. Seriousness: This doesn’t HAVE to be a dichotomy but there’s definitely a difference between “could have been based on a D&D campaign” fantasy where a bunch of adventurers do daring and often goofy exploits and a gritty fantasy that deeply explores the psychological effects of war. “How much do you acknowledge that your character probably has trauma from seeing combat?” is a great litmus test. If you’re trying to write the fun D&D type adventure, deeply exploring trauma is only an option if you go so far to the “fun and lighthearted” side that you loop around into irony.

Connected to Earth or Not: Ideas that involve future versions of Earth, portals to Earth through which protagonists fall, or protagonists that can make pop culture references inhabit a different category than worlds that are truly “alternate” or unconnected to Earth. This is also a spectrum. For example, a world that isn’t Earth, but where gummy worms exist, is committing slightly less wholly to “This Is A Totally Different Thing.” Big problem for fantasy writers that want a pop-culture-referencing, snarky hero.

Earth Species vs. Everything Is Different: The latter type is actually implemented disappointingly seldom. But the question is: Does your fantasy novel have horses, or do they ride something called a Wolorf? Do they eat the eggs of chickens, or some kind of swamp lizard? Again, there are several levels of this: Some fantasy worlds have just Earth species, basically. Wolves. Horses. Oak trees. Some fantasy worlds have these, and a few made-up creatures. Often there is a dichotomy of “made up creatures have magic, vs. normal creatures are mundane.” We see this a lot in YA now where the world will, in a biology sense, be basically Earth with two or three striking exceptions. The intersection of this with how mythological creatures from Earth are used makes things weirder. Sometimes the only non-“real” animals are creatures recognizable from mythology. Sometimes there are “real” animals, mythological ones, and several of the author’s own invention. The question might actually be this: Do your protagonists ride horses, unicorns, or Wolorfs? There are also worlds that, presumably, have had a different evolutionary past and have every animal be a made-up one. Worlds like this more rarely extend this to plants; even in a world where the heroes ride Wolorfs, there still might be “oak trees.” The degree to which everything is different varies, also. Wolorfs might be an as-yet unknown terrestrial reptile with antler-like horns, or they might be basically a wolf scaled up. Likewise, the fantasy world might have special “Fire Oak” trees whose acorns catch fire, or they might be Kyritikkini trees. Or they might be giant club mosses, because “trees” never became a thing here. It’s a really wide spectrum that ends up raising a lot of tiny needling questions: for instance, even in an Everything is the Same world, can I have a breed of dog known as a “pit bull?” Or would lions have become domesticated instead of dogs in this world???

Humans vs. No Humans: Straightforward. The vast majority of fantasies have human main characters, which is somewhat disappointing. A further question might be “what fantasy races do you have?” The presence or nonprescence of humans, elves, or anything else can separate out ideas. This is also a spectrum: are your “nonhumans” basically humans but with pointy ears, or are they intelligent slimes that communicate by flashing colors in the ultraviolet spectrum?

This is not everything; this is just a fraction of the things that can cause ideas to not “fit” together. I’m just wondering if anyone else has the problem of constantly multiplying story ideas that can’t really be reduced into a lower number of projects due to incompatibilities like these. For example, what if you have an idea about a group of half-deer people, but all your other projects are either fantasies with all humans or with fantasy races that aren’t distinguished by animalistic traits? You’ll have that deer-people idea lying around forever because you can’t put it in the books you’re already working on without changing the existing conventions of your world.

[alliaofrph]

[writeinspiration]

WRITING HELP/CHARACTER

writing a bitchy character (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)

writing a cocky character (1,2,3,4)

writing a emotion character (1,2)

How to play a hippie

Playing the quiet character.

Portraying the shopaholic.

Portraying a mute character.

Portraying a kleptomaniac.

How to play the stalker.

Writing distant, indifferent characters.

How to write a character who stutters.

Writing a character who is sassy.

A guide to playing a southern character.

Portraying characters with crushes.

How to portray a teen mom.

How to play a character who is mean.

How to portray a character high on cocaine.

Writing a character who is high on amphetamines.

Playing an efficient male character.

Portraying the asshole.

Playing a character who suffers from shyness.

How to play a mentally ill/insane character.

Writing a character who self-harms.

Writing a happy character.

Writing a character who suffers from night terrors.

Writing a character with paranoid personality disorder.

How to play a victim of rape.

How to RP a blind character.

Writing a leader.

Writing a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Writing a character with depression.

Writing a character who is homosexual.

Writing a character with schizophrenia.

Playing a fe/male character.

Writing a character with Nymphomania.

How to write a worry wart.

How to write a character with HPD.

How to write a bad ass character.

Playing a pansexual.

Tips on writing a drug addict.

Tips on writing the pregnant female.

Writing insane characters.

Playing a character under the influence of marijuana.

Portraying a character with diabetes.

How to play a prankster.

Playing a character who has been adopted.

Portraying a vampire.

Playing a character with an eating disorder.

Portraying a character who is anti-social.

Portraying a character who is depressed.

How to portray someone with dyslexia.

How to portray a character with bipolar disorder.

Portraying a character with severe depression.

How to play a serial killer.

Writing a tomboy.

Playing a pyromaniac.

How to write a mute character.

How to write a character with an OCD.

How to play a stoner.

How to write an asexual character.

How to play a bitchy/vicious character.

How to play a character with HPD.

Playing a pregnant woman.

Playing the burn-out.

Writing a “nice” character.

How to play a gentleman.

How to play a shy/introvert character.

How to play a naive character.

Playing characters with memory loss.

How to write a character who smokes.

How to write pirates.

How to write characters with PTSD.

How to play a character who isn’t ready for sex.

How to play the geek.

Playing the manipulative character.

Portraying a character with borderline personality disorder.

Playing a character with Orthorexia Nervosa.

Writing a character who lost someone important.

Playing the bullies.

Portraying the drug dealer.

Playing a rebellious character.

How to portray a sociopath.

How to play a swimmer.

Portraying a ballerina.

Playing a promiscuous male.

Playing a character with cancer.

How to portray a bubbly character.

How to portray a power driven character.

How to portray the shy character.

Playing a character under the influence of drugs.

Playing a character who struggles with Bulimia.

Portraying a hippie.

Portraying sexually/emotionally abused characters.

Playing a character with asthma.

Portraying characters who have secrets.

Portraying a recovering alcoholic.

Portraying a sex addict.

How to play someone creepy.

Portraying a foreigner.

Portraying an emotionally detached character.

How to play a character with social anxiety.

Portraying a character who is high.

How to play a strong, female character.

Writing a character with a hangover.

Playing angry characters.

Playing a character who is smarter than you.

Playing and writing autistic characters.

Portraying a trans character.

How to portray a dominant character.

Playing a character who is faking a disorder.

Playing a prisoner.

Playing the opposite sex.

Portraying a character who has PTSD.

Playing a character who stutters.

How to play a depressed character who self-harms.

Portraying the “dumb” character.

How to portray a lesbian.

How to play a blind character.

How to play a sexual assault victim.

Writing a compulsive gambler.

Playing a werewolf.

Writing a character who is drunk.

Playing a Brit.

Portraying a character with amnesia.

Playing heroes.

Portraying a witty character.

How to play a vampire.

How to play a character who is manipulative.

Portraying the natural born leader.

Portraying the character who is flirtatious.

Writing a nice character.

How to portray a character who has asthma.

Playing a character with ADHD.

Amnesia

Children

Losing Someone (2)

Physical Injuries (2, 3)

Sexual Abuse (2)

Fight Scenes (2, 3, 4)

Horror

Torture

How to Describe the Body Shape of Female Characters

Character Appearance Help

Words to Describe Voice

Character Development Exercises

Art of Character Development

Introducing Characters

Characters You Need to Reinvent

Making Characters Likable

Heroes and Villains

Understanding Body Language

Mental Illness in Writing

Conflicts and Characters

How about some writing resources for those post-NaNoWriMo blues?

[mikkeneko]

concept: a death god that is actually surprisingly supportive and on the side of the good guys, supporting actions and promoting policies that will lead to the kingdom growing and thriving instead of being destroyed, because the more the kingdom grows, the more people there are, and the more people there are the more people will eventually  die, and when you’re an immortal god of death, you know there’s no need to rush. you’ll get them all in the end

[mikkeneko]

i like how the responses on this post are cleanly split between “hey this is a great story idea i love it” and “this is absolutely terrifying”

[honourablejester]

Yes. A Death that is kind, and patient, and inevitable.

A Death that need not fight against you, that will often fight for you, because why not? It will gather you home eventually. Why not enjoy you first?

A Death that treasures those who fight it most ardently. That loves healers and defenders and survivalists and necromancers and mad scientists and immortal gods. That lets them pour everything they are into fighting it, denying it, adoring every desperate scrap of strength and will and brilliance and raw determination poured out against it. That catches you when your strength is done and all your will and brilliance run out, that gathers you close beneath a warm, dark cloak, and whispers well done, oh child, you were magnificent, well done.

A Death who will not seek to hasten an inevitable end, who will chastise those who seek to hasten it for others in Death’s stead, who will slowly and patiently plot and sow and siphon away from the great monsters of the world. Because who are they to hasten Death’s domain, who are they to deny Death its time and its place, who are they to cut short these vital glories that illuminate it so? Who are they to presume upon its will, that is so much larger and so much longer than theirs?

Who are they to call, and presume that Death, of all beings, should obey?

A Death that is not a hunter but a gatherer, who is always and eternal, who loves you, and can afford to wait. A Death who will fight for you and defend you, who will place its hand upon those who would speed you to its embrace, who has no need to rush you, only to greet you when you call.

A Death who is kind.

And patient.

And, before all and above all,

inevitable.

[movieaddictdoctor]

Me writing a very niche au, that caters to mostly me(and possibly eight other people)

[maenaart]

Path of the Old Ones

[crtter]

Brazilian cherries aren’t related to common cherries at all! They look like this and taste rather sour:

Also, if you’re not used to them, Brazilian grapetrees look really alien:

The fruit is formed in the trunk, not the branches!

[artistic-izzy-gd]

The brazilian cherries and are actually called “pitangas”, they’re pretty good! And the grapetrees are “jabuticabeiras” (fruit’s called jabuticaba)

Just some trivia info from a brazilian~

[interadulation]

Shiny pumpkin fruit!

TERRIFYING NIGHTMARE TREE!

[femaleheroes]

I need for this book to come true!

And it is close to reality more than ever, it was chosen in a competition into final round. Please, go to @satine-zillah blog and see how you can vote.

[misskassycollins]

Like Who tf…. Like my God, Why tf?… How tf!!? … I love everything about this💛💛💛 Everything I didn’t know I needed. Jus say'n.

[tenderbeasts-deactivated2019101]

Those links for all asking Deadly history of women using perfume as poison -Girlhood, medusa and female rage -The allure of gothic horror -Essays and thoughts on girls in horror -Why girls get hungry in horror -Mothers and witches -Women in horror -The female poisoner -female werewolves -Monstrous women - Catherine Lundoff -Female cannibals and consumptive horror -Horror films directed by women -Women, killer plants and annihilation -Female identity within the gothic genre -Women in horror - the vvitch -the vvitch, female sexuality in horror -Angela Carter - The beast is female sexuality -Body horror/monster reading list -Consumptive horror

[sixpenceee]

The polar vortex has kept Lake Michigan frozen for the most part of winter. For example, in Chicago, Illinois, temperatures reached -30C (-23F) during the peak of the cold, causing ice shelves to form on the lake – hills formed from waves crashing over existing ice piles. Moving water underneath the ice is pushing the sheets to the surface, shattering them into mesmerizing patterns, visible along South Haven’s pier. (Source)

[kiintsugi]

“Love must be allowed to flow both ways—if it is not, then it is not truly love, I think.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn Trilogy

Clexa Mistborn AU — Moodboard

Following the collapse of the Final Empire, a rebel leader and hero of the Skaa is crowned Queen of the new government. In a show of good faith to the once powerful noble houses, Clarke of House Griffin has been invited to live with the rebel Queen to foster unity and trust between Nobleman and Skaa. Only Clarke knows nothing about the Queen. She hardly knows anything about Skaa.  But Lexa, the Survivor of Hathsin, is no ordinary Skaa. She is mistborn. She is hope to a people who had nothing to hope for. And until very recently, she wanted every last noble dead.

Progress: 50% finished with first draft

[igotablankpage]

Writing quick tip- magic systems

Let’s be honest, magic systems are hard. And complicated, and often difficult to get write. But if you’re dying to start writing and don’t want to spend ages creating a magic system before you start, answer these quick questions to act as a foundation.

Where does it come from? 

Does it come from nature, the users energy, items? How does it manifest, what does it look like? Is it a Sabrina Spellman finger point, or a Claudia chant?

Who uses it?

Is it prominent in your society or reserved for special individuals? Are you born with magic, is it taught, or gifted?

What are the limitations?

Is magic limited, or everlasting? Can you steal it or create it? Does is have an effect on the magic user? Are there some things magic can’t do?

What is the culture?

Is it a secret society, or well known? Is there a specific community or religion tied to it? Can you spot a magic user in the crowd, or do they blend in?

[writingadvice1]

60 Awesome Search Engines for Serious Writers

[referenceforwriters]

Finding the information you need as a writer shouldn’t be a chore. Luckily, there are plenty of search engines out there that are designed to help you at any stage of the process, from coming up with great ideas to finding a publisher to get your work into print. Both writers still in college and those on their way to professional success will appreciate this list of useful search applications that are great from making writing a little easier and more efficient.

Professional

Find other writers, publishers and ways to market your work through these searchable databases and search engines.

Litscene: Use this search engine to search through thousands of writers and literary projects, and add your own as well.

Thinkers.net: Get a boost in your creativity with some assistance from this site.

PoeWar: Whether you need help with your career or your writing, this site is full of great searchable articles.

Publisher’s Catalogues: Try out this site to search through the catalogs and names of thousands of publishers.

Edit Red: Through this site you can showcase your own work and search through work by others, as well as find helpful FAQ’s on writing.

Writersdock: Search through this site for help with your writing, find jobs and join other writers in discussions.

PoetrySoup: If you want to find some inspirational poetry, this site is a great resource.

Booksie.com: Here, you can search through a wide range of self-published books.

One Stop Write Shop: Use this tool to search through the writings of hundreds of other amateur writers.

Writer’s Cafe: Check out this online writer’s forum to find and share creative works.

Literary Marketplace: Need to know something about the publishing industry? Use this search tool to find the information you need now.

Writing

These helpful tools will help you along in the writing process.

WriteSearch: This search engine focuses exclusively on sites devoted to reading and writing to deliver its results.

The Burry Man Writers Center: Find a wealth of writing resources on this searchable site.

Writing.com: This fully-featured site makes it possible to find information both fun and serious about the craft of writing.

Purdue OWL: Need a little instruction on your writing? This tool from Purdue University can help.

Writing Forums: Search through these writing forums to find answers to your writing issues.

Research

Try out these tools to get your writing research done in a snap.

Google Scholar: With this specialized search engine from Google, you’ll only get reliable, academic results for your searches.

WorldCat: If you need a book from the library, try out this tool. It’ll search and find the closest location.

Scirus: Find great scientific articles and publications through this search engine.

OpenLibrary: If you don’t have time to run to a brick-and-mortar library, this online tool can still help you find books you can use.

Online Journals Search Engine: Try out this search engine to find free online journal articles.

All Academic: This search engine focuses on returning highly academic, reliable resources.

LOC Ask a Librarian: Search through the questions on this site to find helpful answers about the holdings at the Library of Congress.

Encylcopedia.com: This search engine can help you find basic encyclopedia articles.

Clusty: If you’re searching for a topic to write on, this search engine with clustered results can help get your creative juices flowing.

Intute: Here you’ll find a British search engine that delivers carefully chosen results from academia.

AllExperts: Have a question? Ask the experts on this site or search through the existing answers.

Reference

Need to look up a quote or a fact? These search tools make it simple.

Writer’s Web Search Engine: This search engine is a great place to find reference information on how to write well.

Bloomsbury Magazine Research Centre: You’ll find numerous resources on publications, authors and more through this search engine.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus: Make sure you’re using words correctly and can come up with alternatives with the help of this tool.

References.net: Find all the reference material you could ever need through this search engine.

Quotes.net: If you need a quote, try searching for one by topic or by author on this site.

Literary Encyclopedia: Look up any famous book or author in this search tool.

Acronym Finder: Not sure what a particular acronym means? Look it up here.

Bartleby: Through Bartleby, you can find a wide range of quotes from famous thinkers, writers and celebrities.

Wikipedia.com: Just about anything and everything you could want to look up is found on this site.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Find all the great philosophers you could want to reference in this online tool.

Niche Writers

If you’re focusing on writing in a particular niche, these tools can be a big help.

PubGene: Those working in sci-fi or medical writing will appreciate this database of genes, biological terms and organisms.

GoPubMd: You’ll find all kinds of science and medical search results here.

Jayde: Looking for a business? Try out this search tool.

Zibb: No matter what kind of business you need to find out more about, this tool will find the information.

TechWeb: Do a little tech research using this news site and search engine.

Google Trends: Try out this tool to find out what people are talking about.

Godchecker: Doing a little work on ancient gods and goddesses? This tool can help you make sure you have your information straight.

Healia: Find a wide range of health topics and information by using this site.

Sci-Fi Search: Those working on sci-fi can search through relevant sites to make sure their ideas are original.

Books

Find your own work and inspirational tomes from others by using these search engines.

Literature Classics: This search tool makes it easy to find the free and famous books you want to look through.

InLibris: This search engine provides one of the largest directories of literary resources on the web.

SHARP Web: Using this tool, you can search through the information on the history of reading and publishing.

AllReaders: See what kind of reviews books you admire got with this search engine.

BookFinder: No matter what book you’re looking for you’re bound to find it here.

ReadPrint: Search through this site for access to thousands of free books.

Google Book Search: Search through the content of thousands upon thousands of books here, some of which is free to use.

Indie Store Finder: If you want to support the little guy, this tool makes it simple to find an independent bookseller in your neck of the woods.

Blogging

For web writing, these tools can be a big help.

Technorati: This site makes it possible to search through millions of blogs for both larger topics and individual posts.

Google Blog Search: Using this specialized Google search engine, you can search through the content of blogs all over the web.

Domain Search: Looking for a place to start your own blog? This search tool will let you know what’s out there.

OpinMind: Try out this blog search tool to find opinion focused blogs.

IceRocket: Here you’ll find a real-time blog search engine so you’ll get the latest news and posts out there.

PubSub: This search tool scours sites like Twitter and Friendfeed to find the topics people are talking about most every day.

[nicayal]

“The best words you will ever write … are hiding behind crappy words you haven’t written yet.”

— Writing Excuses Podcast (Season 12, Episode 44)

[e-seal-deactivated20210319]

Every piece of technology is ultimately a stone with some magic in it

[hardtosaythesethings-deactivate]

Well no. We know how it works and can reliably reproduce it. There isn’t magic inside but science.

[e-seal-deactivated20210319]

I’m a computer scientist so I know what I’m talking about, it’s magic

[bookeworm94-deactivated20200223]

Me, on a day when I absolutely cannot write: What a perfect writing day.

[justgottafinishthischapter]

Worldbuilding Tips: The Five Visitors

You’ve done it. You’ve come up with an idea for your fantasy world, but right now it’s mostly curb appeal and decorations without much else. So, you have the skin and flavor of your fictional world, but what if you’re having a bit of trouble coming up with the meat needed to make your world juicy and delicious? Well, I have a little game that can help flesh out your world.

Imagine a ship or whatever other kind of vehicle arriving on the shores or outskirts of your fantasy land and from that vehicle emerges 5 people from our own mundane world: a historian, an economist, an anthropologist, a diplomat, and a cartographer. There are some other visitors, but these are going to be the most universally beneficial.

The Historian:

This person is going to be interested in the backstory of your world. They don’t need to know every minuscule detail (though they wouldn’t turn that much information down) and just a general overview would be much obliged. Many fantasy worlds such as Tolkien’s Middle Earth and Martin’s Westeros are far more rich and interesting due to the amount of effort put into crafting their world’s histories. If you’re stumped, look to real world history for inspiration. It doesn’t even need to come from the middle ages so long as it works for your story. You should be able to answer questions like: How long has the dominant civilization been around? What are the biggest defining moments in your world’s history? What things are common knowledge that every child is expected to learn (such as George Washington being the first president of the USA) and which stuff is known more by historians and social studies teachers? And as you’re discussing the rest of the visitors, think back on how the answers you give would impact the historical aspect.

The Economist:

You don’t have to know the exact cost of every single thing in your world, but have a good guess. Be able to at least have a scale of price. If someone can buy a loaf of bread for 13 of your world’s currency, but a house costs 17, that would mean that either that bread is very expensive, that house is very cheap, or each unit of your currency is equal to a lot of real world money. Whatever you use to refer to your currency, keep not only price scaling in mind, but economics. If you have a port city, there’s going to be a lot of merchants in that area. The first primary export you’re likely to see in such a port town would be seafood, but also keep in mind the things that are closet to that port, as well as the climate. Greece for instance is a very rocky and mountainous country, so while they can grow crops, they would not have been any match for medieval French Aquitaine, the crown jewel of medieval farming territory. It’s also worth remembering that food in the middle ages was far more valuable than it is today. There was an old saying that wheat is worth its weight in gold. It was southern France’s bountiful soil that caused it to become one of the richest and most coveted territories in medieval Europe.  So, keep in mind where resources would come from and where they would need to go, as well as trade that would be useful. A seaside farming town might not have any good access to raw minerals, while a city in the frozen mountainous north might not be able to grow crops, but are bountiful in minerals. The correlation of supply and demand now opens a vital trade route between them. This becomes more complex when the topic of war comes into play. The kingdom that supplies your crops and food is at war with your oldest ally. Now there’s a dilemma between having enough food to feed your people, or betraying the trust of a long time friend. Now your world building can be used as a part of your drama and narrative tension. The economy also impacts culture. What is considered a display of wealth, or is a common status symbol? What are the living conditions of the poor, the working class, the rich, and the aristocrats? Is there upward mobility? In the middle ages, you were what you were for the most part, especially serfs: peasants tied to their land. It was illegal to leave your territory, but there was a saying in the middle ages that “city air makes you free” that once a serf made it to a city, they’d be free of the life they’ve escaped.

The Anthropologist:

Every society has a culture. The way they act, think, dress, believe, talk. It’s all impacted by culture. Beliefs tend to be tied either to what has come before, or based on the world as observed. While many modern fantasy pantheons are based on ancient Greece, it’s not the only model to live by. In a loose interpretation, religion in it’s earliest stages was a rudimentary science used to explain why things happened. A culture that developed along rivers, sea coasts, and other popular trade routes are far more likely to be diverse melting pots due to the frequent traffic of people coming and going, and the common sight of foreigners choosing to set down roots. Meanwhile, a more out of the way and isolated culture is far less likely to have widespread cultural diversity. Tying back into history, a country that has experienced a number of successful wars may tend to think of themselves as invincible, or may try to police the issues of other countries, assuming they’re always on the right side, or that they can’t be defeated. The same culture may ask a high price of any other culture that asks them for militaristic support. Ask what things your people value, be they material or abstract ideals. However, try to refrain from creating a Planet of Hats, a trope often seen in Star Trek and similar Sci-Fi shows and even some Fantasy stories where everyone of a single race all have mostly the same skills, interests, personalities, and roles in the global culture. This is also the time to start thinking about myths, legends, folk heroes, and historical people and events worth celebrating, as this may be when you start to craft holidays or celebrations. This could also lead into discussing religion, and the gods or lack there of that might be celebrated by your culture. How does your society reflect itself in art, music, literature, dance. Does the way someone dresses tell you something about their place in society? Some taboos come from simple logic. The reason it’s frowned upon to eat a cow in India is the same reason it’s immoral to eat horse in western culture. Both are beast of burden livestock worth a lot more alive than dead. Cows produce milk, a source of nutrients and health. Horses are strong and were used in just about everything from plowing fields to pulling entire families or communities a great distance. Horses even became status symbols, as even in modern culture, owning a horse or pony is still considered to be (largely) a snobby rich person thing. Understanding not only what your people believe, but even just a vague idea why they would believe it is a vital aspect.

The Diplomat:

As this landing party is your fantasy world’s first contact with our own reality. How would they react to the newcomers? If there’s more than one society in your world, how would each society, country, kingdom, race, etc. react to something completely foreign? Would they try to forge an alliance? Open trade negotiations? Declare war? Prepare a feast? How would they feel about the way we dress? act? talk? How would they react to different levels of progression in technology? Could an unbiased third party from our world help two feuding sides come to peace with one another? How would they feel about knowing of a world beyond their own? Are there actions or behaviors acceptable in our own society that are considered offensive to them?

The Cartographer:

Although it’s not necessary that all fantasy worlds have a fully designed map, it is a good idea to have at least a rough idea of where things are in relation to one another. This can tell you about climate, resources, wildlife, natural borders, natural disasters, food chains, and more. It’s worth at least taking a crash course in understanding how geographical biomes tend to be laid out in order to make your world feel more real. Some authors claim that a world map is the single most important feature, others say it’s not that important. Frankly, trust your gut based on the kind of world you have. You may need a map, you may not. It really depends on the size and scope of your world. For instance, with Disney’s

Zootopia

, the entire world doesn’t matter. The audience doesn’t need to know where in the world Zootopia is, or what climate or biome it’s in. Zootopia itself is the world being built, and the separate districts and biomes of the city explain the world that’s being focused on.

Secondary Visitors:

They may still be important to your world, but are less likely to be universally helpful to all people.

Biologist: if your world has creatures beyond those found in our real world, it may be worth exploring how their bodies work on a more scientific level in order to give more realistic weight to their supernatural abilities.

Linguist/Translator: If you feel compelled to come up with a language no matter how basic or complex, it may be worth while to consider the problems with communication. this may also extend to unique idioms, colloquialisms, and slang native to your fantasy world.

Teacher/Scholar: Regardless of whether or not there is a formal education system in place in your world, a teacher may be interested in how knowledge is passed down, and what information the culture might have that would be unknown to people of our world. Whether that’s how to keep a wild animal from charging you, to knowing how to forge a mineral that exists only in your world, being able to readily answer questions is generally considered to be a good thing.

Healer: There may be healing spells in your world, there may not, but most fantasy stories tend to involve either action or adventure, both of which tend to cause fights. And since fights tend to lead to injuries, it’s important to know what can and cannot be treated, and how readily available these healing abilities are to the public.