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 Worldbuilding Checklist for <Title> by <Author>Culture: <Name of people>ElementConsider …LocationPick the place that best suits the conflict. E.g. a horror story is most effective if it takes place somewhere that's supposed to be comfortable.ClimateHow the air feels. Weather patterns. If it rains a lot there, many scenes will need to take place in the rain or mist.TerrainHow it affects movement and structures. Types of vegetation. Rocks, dust storms. Natural landmarks. Swamps, rivers, lakes.Sustaining the cityWater, sewage, electricity, roads, trading / currency, agriculture.FoodNeeds to be consistent with the times and location. Food culture.AppearancesRaces and the relationships between races. Distinguishing features.AnimalsDomesticated, wild, working, raised for food, natural predators / prey.PoliticsStructure, elections, parties, monarchs, etc. How it divides or unites people. How just or corrupt the leadership is.RecreationHobbies, sports, games.Standards of beautyInside and out. Status.Building materialsWhat's available and how it might indicate your status.Art and architecturePopular styles.TransportationGetting from one place to another. How long it takes. (Books that use horses can be notorious for failing to take into account that horses cannot gallop at full speed for 8 hours straight.)ClothingBased on temperature. How/when they do laundry. Fashion.Magic and supernatural elementsDefine what these can and cannot do. Research this—entire books have been written about defining laws of magic.If you have supernatural creatures, consider their biology.WeaponsResearch these. Get them right.Dates / timeframeIf you're writing in the past, make sure the characters use words and objects that have been invented at this point in time!NamesNaming conventions. Multicultural? E.g. in my series, merpeople have names based on actual Greek sea nymphs, while most natives of Eriana Kwai have names that follow a similar convention to the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest.LanguageAny multilingualism. Slang terms. Insults. Potentially replacing swear words with something YA-friendly like “shuck-face”.Influences from other societiesE.g. the island is located in the North Pacific Ocean so probably has influences from Haida Gwaii / Canada, Japan, and Alaska.Core valuesE.g. “Blood must have blood” defines much of the Grounders’ actions in The 100.Units of measurementBe careful using expressions like “inched along” if your culture does not actually use this unit of measurement!Education systemHow many years, what they learn, what the grading system is like.Gender rolesDistinguishing between masculine and feminine tasks or not.Pop cultureSongs, celebrities, etc.OccupationsShop owners, police officers, news anchors, blue and white collar jobs, teachers… Any dominant industries that create a lot of jobs.Calendars, timeWatches and wall calendars, or sun, moon, tides.Means of communicationPhones, internet, carrier pigeons.HistoryRecent or ancient events / wars / leaders that are pertinent to the story.SexTaboo or celebrated. Marriage, rituals, family structure. Feelings about birth control, abortion, LGBTQ+, arranged marriages, polyamory.Social classesWealthy and poor, and how they interact.TechnologyDo people have TVs, cars, cell phones, internet. How accessible is technology. How connected are they with the world.HealthcareThe state of medicine, treatments, hospitals.Legal systemCrime rates. Punishments. Police officers. Courts, judges, and juries.Mythos and ReligionElementConsider …Creation mythsExplain the creation and destruction of the world.MoralsDefine what is good and bad.AfterlifeWhat happens when you die.MeaningWhy we're alive.Supernatural beliefsWitchcraft, ghosts, etc. Superstitions.RitualsDaily, weekly commitments. Rites and ceremonies.Sacred placesChurches, landmarks, places of worship. People will build an altar to whatever the source of power is, whether it's God, the universe, the sun, or an all-knowing AI.God(s)How many, gender, form, sentience, ground or sky, amount of power, our relationship to them.The form gods take depend on what these people see every day. E.g. South Asian cultures have monkey gods; indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast have raven gods.EvilWhy evil exists.Myths and legendsThemes, morals to be taught, emotions to incite. How they are passed along. Bibles or scriptures.RealnessHow real the belief system is. Whether it has been correctly interpreted. Whether the gods are ever seen or met. E.g. in Avatar, we get a few indications that Eywa actually exists, like when Dr. Grace Augustine is dying and sees her.Adoption of beliefsIn every culture, some are religious and some are not. Some are agnostic. Who are these in your story, and how does it affect their relationships with each other?Clergy and other rolesFormal leaders. Monks and nuns.AgeHow old the religion is and how it has evolved. Maybe it was introduced by a monarch or government, or maybe it has always existed.HolidaysWhen and why. Traditions. ................
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