While creating a fictional world much thought must be given. What is needed to make the world or town complete? You may find yourself at the table with paper spewed out. Rulers and pencils within you reach. You may be making a grid or already have a grid, you will use this to map out your world.
If you are building a world, (I have yet to build a world, forgive me if I lack in my details). You must decide on the climate, landscaping, and bodies of water. Countries, States, and towns are created and labeled. You’ll have to name all of these countries, states, cities, and towns.
If you are building a city or town, you begin naming roads, deciding what building and offices you need and where they should be. How many schools do you need? Do you have enough residents to need a hospital or will you have an on call doctor. Is your town close enough to get to another city with a hospital?
Most of this has to be done before you start writing. I have to know my characters and a little about them before I could start to build the town of Sathan. I’m still not sure about it; I keep adding some things and moving others to make the story work the way I want it to.
Some of it is just strange. I need things that my own small town doesn’t have. I am the person who questions everything. Therefore, I have to stop and really decide if my made up town has to follow the rules of my local town. I search to find town with similar populations to see if they have hospitals, or separate middle and high schools.
When we build our world settings, I think the most important thing to do is think about what world we are working with. If we are building a normal Earth town, I really don’t think it’s necessary to freak out so much about the size of your town and what buildings, stores, or schools you have. If you’re building a foreign world, I think you have to go into extreme detail. It might not all be written in your story but YOU as the author have to know everything there is to your world.
We as writers will be able to make our readers believe what we right only if we ourselves believe what we write.
Did I leave anything out? Do you have something to share? Have you built a town, city, or world?
Mari Wells 