Worldbuilding: Cultures
August 2nd 2008 05:36
Cultures can be incredibly fun to build. And, to tell the truth, I could (just from stuff I've been reading lately), write numerous entries about them. I probably will start up a series of writings about Fantasy Cultures and other fantasy things, eventually, but not right now. I'd feel too much like I'm ripping someone else off.
Who might that someone be, you ask? Probably one of the most brilliant writers I've ever read, and I've only read her rants. She's got a good brain and knows good books when she sees them. I really like her work. There will be a link posted at the end.
When creating cultures, usually they just come to me. But here are some questions you can ask yourself if Nothing Comes:
~What makes this culture different from ours?
~What makes this culture different from other fantasy cultures?
~Why is the culture this way?
~Is there classism? Racism? Sexism?
~How governmentally controlled are the cultures? (And various cultures in one world can have it widely varied. The example that pops into my head at the moment is in the Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory.)
~How popular is the government?
~How much of the truth about the government do the citizens know? (Some really deceitful pricks run the one city in the aforementioned trilogy)
~What are the biggest differences between the richer classes and the poorer classes?
Now, if you want to read 380 rants about Writing Good Fantasy, the link is below. I'll probably write a number of my own eventually, but for now, I recommend these:
Really Long Link rants&filter=all
Who might that someone be, you ask? Probably one of the most brilliant writers I've ever read, and I've only read her rants. She's got a good brain and knows good books when she sees them. I really like her work. There will be a link posted at the end.
When creating cultures, usually they just come to me. But here are some questions you can ask yourself if Nothing Comes:
~What makes this culture different from ours?
~What makes this culture different from other fantasy cultures?
~Why is the culture this way?
~Is there classism? Racism? Sexism?
~How governmentally controlled are the cultures? (And various cultures in one world can have it widely varied. The example that pops into my head at the moment is in the Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory.)
~How popular is the government?
~How much of the truth about the government do the citizens know? (Some really deceitful pricks run the one city in the aforementioned trilogy)
~What are the biggest differences between the richer classes and the poorer classes?
Now, if you want to read 380 rants about Writing Good Fantasy, the link is below. I'll probably write a number of my own eventually, but for now, I recommend these:
Really Long Link rants&filter=all
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