Hey, it’s Emily!
As I’ve been working on my new novel this year, I have discovered the importance of worldbuilding but especially of being able to trace worldbuilding principles to their source. While inventing cultures, unique creatures, and magical landscapes is super fun and definitely part of the process, worldbuilding is not complete without knowing the origin of these interesting details of your world. Where did the world come from? Why does that matter? How does the world function? What has changed over time? These questions will root your world in reality, even if you write unreality. So today, for our second blog post in our worldbuilding series, we’ll be talking about History and Government!
In the Beginning
Every world has a beginning, whether it’s the ancient civilization where magic was born or the small midwestern town where cars always seem to seem to stall. Even if the history of your world doesn’t receive a spotlight in the narrative, all writers should understand how their worlds came to be so that they can create a rich location readers will believe. Following are some helpful steps for learning the history of your world:
Step #1: Areas of Focus
The first step is pinpointing the places that will be important for your story. On a broader scale, this may include an entire country or kingdom or maybe a big city. On a smaller scale, your characters may frequent an academy, a secret hideout, or a national park. You don’t need to know every detail about every place, but for each location that is central to your story you should know its basic origins. Who discovered and built this place? Why did they? How long ago? What did it look like then? If your story takes place in a real location, such as Victorian London or modern-day Maine, this will require research, but if your world is of your own invention, then you’ll have more flexibility to come with material from scratch!
Step #2: Defining the Moments
The next step is figuring out what significant events have occurred in your world and its locations. This could be wars, revolutions, natural disasters, discoveries, or coronations. These events will provide a backdrop for your narrative, explain the way your world is, and influence the beliefs of your characters. For example, in Marissa Meyer’s Renegades, the past victory of the Renegades (the superheroes) over the Anarchists (the supervillains) has greatly affected the world. Now the original members of the Renegades are the city’s rulers while the Anarchists are subject to hiding out in the abandoned subway tunnels, and this apparent injustice fuels the Anarchist protagonist’s actions as she wants to knock the Renegades down a peg and pave the way for the Anarchists’ return.
Step #3: Lining it Up
The next step is to put all your significant events in order! You’ll thank yourself later when you have a timeline to reference as you write, and your readers will thank you as they read, because if the writer is able to keep track of events better, so will the readers. Without a timeline, you risk creating plot holes or inconsistent histories. You can make a timeline through many methods, whether putting each key event on a notecard and arranging them, making a bullet point list in chronological order, or using a timeline software on your computer!
Step #4: Considering the Consequences
After you know your story’s key locations, events, and timeline, you can now discover how each of these elements together has affected your world. When looking at your timeline, how do you get from point A to point B? How did one ruler replace another? How has your world, its cultures, its technology, its inhabitants, evolved over time? Perhaps most importantly, how do these details affect your characters? Especially if your book has to do with your world’s current events, it will be so important to know what your characters think about history and who they support.
Life Goes On
As you consider the evolution of your world and its history, you’re bound to delve into the realm of government as well. Who was in charge when this world began? How did they set up their ruling structure? Who is in charge now? How did they gain their leadership position? How do they maintain order? Does everyone comply? Who doesn’t, and why don’t they? Depending on the genre and plot of your story, your world’s government will affect many facets of the narrative. Government is a big element in many fantasy, sci-fi, and dystopian novels for example, which are some of the most popular genres to read and write nowadays. Here are some steps of elements to consider when working on your world’s government:
Step #1: The Layouts
This step may require some research into what political systems exist and how they function. The well-known ones in our own world include constitutional federal republics (like America), constitutional monarchies (like England), authoritarian communism (like China), parliamentary republics (like Italy), and totalitarian dictatorships (North Korea). But there are many other political systems, including those in our world today as well as invented political systems in fiction. It is important to know not only what political systems govern your world and its territories, but also if this was always the case or if the significant events in history have established new systems.
Step #2: The Leaders
Similarly, as you’re worldbuilding, you should take special note of who is in charge of your world and its territories. Is there one ruler or a council of rulers? How did they come to power? Are they only figureheads and someone else behind the scenes pulls the strings? Learning about the authority of your world, its limits, and who supports or opposes it will be important as you give your story depth and realism.
Step #3: The Laws
Now knowing the details of the first two steps, who rules your world and how, you can develop the legal framework of your world. What laws exist in this world? Why? Who obeys and disobeys? Who enforces these laws? What are the punishments for failing to comply? These questions will likely interact more closely with your plot as well and determine where characters fall into different groups, cultures, and belief systems.
The World of Today
Of course, your history and government will affect the world your characters live in now. Everything from the economy, to transportation, to education, to careers, to entertainment will revolve around the origins of the world and who runs it. Other questions you can ask include: What currency does your world use? Do people have to pay taxes? How do people get around town? What areas are off limits and why? What do schools teach and who can attend them? Are the curriculums honest and the history books factual? Does the government spread any propaganda? Does anyone know this? What careers are most and least important? Does the government value some over others? What do people do for fun? Does the government encourage or discourage leisure?
Consider weaving your characters’ and their family’s backgrounds with elements of your world’s history as well. This will provide context for your characters’ motivations and actions and will give your world a sense of interconnectedness. It would also be helpful to note what your characters would know about your world’s history and how much of what they know is true or false, as well as if any information about the history or government of your world could be helpful as they follow the plot, solve a mystery, or save the day. How the past affects the present and future may materialize in subtle ways, but knowing your world will give you tools that will in turn give you options as you form your story.
Many Wide Worlds
As always, I recommend looking to other sources for inspiration, especially if you’re stuck. Look to your favorite worlds from your favorite books and assess how those writers have incorporated worldbuilding principles and introduced historical details. You can also look to real life examples, including the history and structures of various countries, small towns, and everything in between.
If you would like someone to analyze the worldbuilding in your finished manuscript and give detailed feedback, consider booking developmental editing from us here at Honeycomb! Or, if you’d rather meet with one of our editors briefly to brainstorm some ideas, then you can schedule a consultation call! We would love to help in any way we can and encourage your writing process.
Till then, bee brilliant!
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