NaNoWriMo Prep: Worldbuilding - We Built this City...

If you've been around my blog, or have been unfortunate enough to endure a lengthy period of exposure to me, you likely know that I'm pretty keen on the process of worldbuilding. It is incredibly fun and occasionally stressful. But it's great! You get to create your very own world! Past, present, future, another planet, another universe, something in between... It's your decision.

Villarian Chronicle (shameless plug) is not my first worldbuilding project, but to date its the most in-depth (and only one I'm sharing... so far). As with many creative projects, it has been both rewarding and frustrating. 

With November coming up, my writing group is focusing on topics to prepare for NaNoWriMo. Last month it was character development and our October meeting will be focused on worldbuilding. So it is a topic I have been thinking about lately (as if I need an excuse to think about it). I wanted to make a very basic post about the idea and give you a shove into this rabbit hole by setting up a prompt to keep you busy while you fall for hours through the abyss. 

When writing Villarian Chronicles, I started big. I drew a map and started filling it in as I went; naming continents then areas, designing cities and settlements, placing landmarks and determining geographical features all came with time. This method happens over an extended period of time and usually builds off the foundation set by the story.

Don't forget to name all the trees too! I named this birch Brian.

But it can start from the other direction. Two other projects I have started with singular cities and grew from there. One city is a drop in the ocean of your world (yes you should name the oceans too).

Have you read High Rise by J.G. Ballard? That book is guano crazy, but in retrospect, it is an amazing example of worldbuilding on a smaller scale.

I'm not going to say I recommend it because like I said: crazytown. (Think about all the terrible things in this world. Rape, animal cruelty, cannibalism... Do they bother you? If you answered yes, you may want to pass on the book.) It does an amazing job of creating a society and world within a single apartment building, though.

Side Note: There is a movie based on it coming out soon in case you'd like to watch the horror unfold instead of read about it. While I will likely be traumatized, Tom Hiddleston and Luke Evans star in it (along side Jeremy Irons) and I can't pass up that much sexy talent in one movie.

Fun Fact: The very first line of the book has the character portrayed by the adorable T-Hiddles eating a dog. Actually, that fact is not very fun.

Where was I going with this? OH! Worldbuilding. Here, have a writing prompt. I'll just be over here... mesmerized by his charming smile. Watching that Adam's apple bob up and-

Writing Prompt: Create a City

Just as an exercise, sit down and create a fictional town. Don't just tell me that it's surrounded by purple walls. Tell me why they are there. In fact, don't tell me about it at all. Make me see it. 

Maybe Jorge is new in town and Guy is showing him around. 

An inspector from the capital comes to collect taxes for the first time and she thinks it's amazing. 

Or a bandit is choosing the best neighborhood for his cut-purses to raid. 

Tell me a story.

Think about the city you live in. Every aspect of it. The alleys, the buildings, the parks, the state of the neighborhoods. These are what make it rich and believable. Your city is a character all on its own. It has traits and a personality that you establish for it. Below is a list of questions to ask and features you might want to include to get you started. Feel free to comment on this post with more ideas (apparently Blogger was broken and allowing only Google members to comment, but I think I have fixed that now).

Where is the city? 

• Our world or another? 
• On a mountain, in a valley or a desert?
• Far from civilization or in a busy country?
• In the future, the past?

How's it laid out? 

• Is it rich, poor, or a mix? 
• Are there slums?
• Do people live in their shops or is the shopping district separate?
• Think of key buildings and features: banks, grocers, water source...
• Are the houses tall or short? Skyscrapers or houses with land? Trees or concrete jungle?

What about the culture? 

• Is there a class system? Is one group snubbed or bullied? Racism? Sexism?
• Language, traditions, rituals, ceremonies, curfews, occupations, law enforcement...
• How is disease treated? What are diseases like?
• What's the government like? 
• Do they have a unique currency? Maybe they barter instead.

Hey, whoa that's a lot of stuff... If this list freaks you out, take a minute to blink and chill for a second (Maybe scroll back up to that picture of Thomas). These are considerations, not requirements. Thoughts and ideas to push around in that brilliant bit of gray matter you carry around. 

That's your homework, folks. Have fun, go nuts! Leave some feedback and tell a friend. Draw a map or a picture. 

While you do that, I'll be watching that gif. So many adorable wrinkles....