What's Missing and a few questions

[JBryden88]

So... as I get deeper and deeper into my writing, as I often do, I am forced to stop and re-evaluate my world to make sure it's as finely detailed as one should be to be as realistic as possible.

What's missing from this list?

- Cultures
- Civilizations
- Geography
- Cities, towns, villages
- Kings, nobles, etc.
- Religions, theologies
- Myth and legend
- History, historical battles

I know there's a lot to cover, I'm aiming to do this with one primary culture.

That said, I need some tips. I'm confident in my ability as a writer, even as coming up with some background information. But what about place names? I am... quite honestly, horrible at coming up with place names. I need a little bit of advice for how to decide names for both geography and towns/villages/etc.

Thanks!

 

[Ireth]

I think the place names you come up with should reflect the sort of culture you're using. It's probably easier if your culture is based on a real-world one rather than entirely made up from scratch. It might help us help you if you were to provide that information for us.

 

[JBryden88]

Yeah I definitely base things off of the real world cultures.

Just to give an idea, here are my main "cultures" and their inspirations:

Batukhan - Mongolian, barbarian type nomadic people
Broan - Romans (circa the height of their strength)
Caelish - Celtic. Some Scottish, some Irish, some Welsh
Lochinion - Feudal European. Nine different kingdoms. Some of them are more based on England, others on France, Spain, Germany, and Italy
Norscarii - Norse, Viking
Rohabian - A mixture of the middle eastern and egyptian
Talonian - Greek/Roman mix

 

[Saigonnus]

Other important aspects for a culture may not be that important to the story specifically, but could help in your own mind.

Transportation: everything from what farmers use to take their produce to market to what a noble may use to get around in a crowded city.

Trade: Who trades what with whom, trade often dictates routes of travel, costs of living and availability of rare goods.

Military: How many soldiers each country has at their disposal, how they are trained and what types of armaments they use; this is especially important if you are planning to have mass combat/battles.

Creatures/Races: are important if you have other sentient creatures aside from humans. what is their societal structure? How do they survive and thrive?

Those are the ones that come off the top of my head, undoubtedly, you are probably just fine with the information you have.

 

[Mindfire]

Have you given any thought to ecology and zoology?

Surely your world is inhabited by more than just humans? If not, then it will seem rather lifeless.

With plants, it's not really a big deal because you can pretty much just appropriate real world species with no problem (provided you make sure to put them in the right regions. Ferns don't grow in the desert. Cactus does not flourish in the tundra.) If you want to get creative with your plants, you can, but it probably won't figure into your story much unless you have more "animated" plants, like Ents and Huorns.

With animals however, you can and (I think) should put in a bit more effort. Unique and interesting fantasy creatures can really breathe life into a fictional world. Half the fun of Narnia comes from its talking beasts, dryads, and flying horses and so on. And where would Middle Earth be without its fell beasts, Eagles, spiders, and dragons?

I personally prefer to make up my own creatures or use some lesser known creatures of myth, but there's nothing wrong with using time-honored favorites like dragons, griffins, and unicorns as long as you find a way to give them some freshness. And don't forget to consider details about how these creatures might behave, how they're affected by their environment and how they affect their environment in turn. Play around with it and have fun.

 

[ThinkerX]

Resources, trade, and daily life.

Any area noted for its metal working? Needed then are coal and ore mines, smelters, foundaries, and lots of skilled artisans - as well as a good network of roads, rivers, or canals to move all this about. What sort of fabrics are common? Where do they come from? How about orchards? Ship building? Are there unique plants and animals that are cultivated or raised?

What foods are the most common for the majority of people? Bread and cheese? Stew? Fruit? Do these change from one region of the nation to another? How educated are the people? Is there only a tiny handful of literates who actively discourage literacy elsewhere? Or is there some sort of religious/guild school network? Most of the populace probably works on a farm - but do they own it, or till one of the fields of a tiny handful of autocratic landowners? What about legal protections? Can a commoner be slain out of hand by a member of the upper class without consequence - or would that member of the upper crust be up on murder charges?

 

[JBryden88]

Regarding zoology, I simply had regular animals and species, with a few fantasy elements thrown in: the setting I'm using is for the most part, very low in magic, and very low in the fantastic.

 

[Devor]

Ecology - Geography, Climate, Fauna, Flora, Natural Resources, etc.

Magic - Sources, Wielders, Gods, Items, Creatures, etc.

Government - Leadership, Subdivisions, Extent of Control, Shared Power, Politics, etc.

Culture - Clothes, Mannerisms, Religion, Cuisine, etc.

Economics - Currency, Trade Routes, Percentage of Population in Agriculture v. Cities, Wealth, Merchants, etc.

Military - Weapons, Armor, Size, Full Time, Part Time, Command Structure, Navy, Guards, Highwaymen, Piracy, etc.

As for names, pick a word that you think sounds like your character and twist it up a little.

Boring Man
Bording Man
Bordan < - I like it, Bordan it is.

 

[JBryden88]

Character names I usually have no problem with.
I tend to hold true to cultural naming sites. The culture my story is based in is primarily in a culture that is a mixture of irish, scottish, and welsh, so they often have a variety of those names.

Naming places is the part I'm having the most difficulty with. As of right now?

My main "jarldoms" of the realm have names that are essentially a butchering of Gaelic.
Carraigbaile for example is one of the highland jarldoms, but I know that's sort of a sloppy way of having it called "rock city." The problem is coming up with suitable names.

 

[Mindfire]

Of course, while you're doing all this, remember that depending on your story and the type of world you have, you'll put more emphasis and effort into one area than another. For example, if your world is at war and battle dominates your plot, then things like economics and farming will be slightly less important (unless they become targets for the enemy), whereas military aspects, magic, governments, and culture will be dominant elements. Terrain, weather, and ecology may also be important on occasion, because they change the battlefield.

 

[JBryden88]

A lot of the details I've already got ironed out, specifically with the culture I'm head deep in.

The military is broken down for instance, into so many things. Since it has a High King, and each "Jarl" may as well be a king in their own right (each jarldom has its own rules and traditions so long as they obey the high king's law.)

So we've got the standing armies -> soldiers from each jarldom who essentially are the bread and butter, yet usually have a second trade in times of peace. So while they might train (it is a warlike culture after all) they might double as a butcher or a baker or a smithy. When called to war, they are essentially the bannermen of the jarl they serve. So if you are in the capitol of the realm, your standing army is directly under the king.

Then there's the field companies. These soldiers are sort of like the military combined with police. Always on duty. They deal with things like brigands, patrolling the borders, keeping an eye on thing. Usually, they deal with skirmishes, and could be seen as a vanguard of sorts. They are used to prevent the need for the standing armies to be called to duty. Each jarldom has five, the capitol has five.

Obviously, there's the militias and so on. Knights, companies that serve the realm but hold no particular jarldom as their master, etc.

The problem I keep having, as I keep saying, has nothing to do with these kinds of details. It's the naming.

Naming rivers, or naming villages, or towns.

 

[Queshire]

er.... I'd rethink calling them Jarls.... Skyrim's still too new that you will not be able to avoid getting accused of copying 'em.

 

[JBryden88]

They were jarls long before Skyrim, since that's a traditional nordic title.

 

[Mindfire]

er.... I'd rethink calling them Jarls.... Skyrim's still too new that you will not be able to avoid getting accused of copying 'em.

They were jarls long before Skyrim, since that's a traditional nordic title.

Simple solution: use the anglicized version- Earl, instead of Jarl. It'll be easier for an English-speaking audience to pronounce anyway.

 

[JBryden88]

I used Jarl for this country because other kingdoms of the more dominant culture use "earl."

Honestly, if I had a reliable translator and/or dictionary, I'd find some way to have "jarl" or "earl" be translated into Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

 

[Mindfire]

I used Jarl for this country because other kingdoms of the more dominant culture use "earl."

Honestly, if I had a reliable translator and/or dictionary, I'd find some way to have "jarl" or "earl" be translated into Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

I would advise against using two different names for what is essentially the same title. You might confuse readers. Some (like me) might even think it was the result of a typo. I don't think using the Scandinavian version adds enough to warrant inclusion. I'd call them all earls. But if you really want to stress the difference between two cultures, have the other culture give its nobles a different title altogether. One culture can have "earls" and the other culture can have "barons" or "lords". I think the Scots and Irish did have barons at one time.

 

[Butterfly]

It depends on your era - the ancient Brits had Chieftains under a King.

 

[JBryden88]

I never thought about using Chieftains.

Hm. Now I need to rethink a couple things there

... I'll probably continue the draft referring to them as jarls though for now, that, or go back when I have a chance and rename them with word checker.

Which reforms the government a bit.

High King
High Thane or Thronewarden
3 Lords Steward (Guard, Coin, Alliance)

5 Chieftains
- Thanes

9 Lairds (Scottish term for lords, undecided yet)
- Stewards

Local Government: Village elders, etc.