Hello again!

https://www.novel-software.com/theultimateworldbuildingquestionnaire

*AMAZING video by Jenna Moreci above*

Worldbuilding is by far my favorite part of the fantasy writing process. Just the idea of making an entirely new world from scratch where you literally control every little detail is incredible.

Anytime I make a new world, I LOVE to use Novel Factory's Ultimate World Building Questionnaire to get me started.

Below I have the entire questionnaire and have bolded questions I think are crucial for the basis of world-building. You can write them down in a journal or document and fill out as much as you deem necessary. You can also go into as little or as much detail as you wish.

*also you can fill every single question if you want, I just bolded ones that personally are important to me*

Physics/Nature

Are the laws of nature/physics different from earth? Elaborate.
Are there multiple suns/moons?
Describe the sky during the day.
Describe the night sky.
What is the climate like? <— only fill this out for the places your characters are going to visit. And when writing, don't just say what the climate is, describe it 😉
What is the weather like?
What are the seasons like? How many / how long?
What are the birds like?
What are the small animals like?
What are the large animals like?

Geography and Natural Resources

How are the continents laid out?
How are the countries laid out?
How much land is temperate, equatorial, or polar?
Are there forests?
Are there tropical areas? Are there grasslands/plains?
What natural resources are available in different regions?
Which natural resources are scarce? <— this is very important if in your story your characters have to trade.

Magic and Religion

Does magic exist?
What constrains it?
What can magic not do?
Do people believe in one God, many or none?
Is there more than one religion?
Do people make sacrifices to the gods?
Do an elite control religion/magic or is it accessible to all?
Are there any magical creatures? Describe them.
To what extent is magic a learned skill or an innate talent?
Is magic a specialist, elite skill or is it used easily by commoners?
What is the price/cost of using magic?
Do magicians need to meet any specific criteria? Be celibate? Go through a ritual?
Does magic require tools and props? (Wands, staffs, etc. or can people just use their hands)
How is one magician stronger than another?
Can magic be combined to increase its strength?
What defeats magic?
Is magic admired/respected/feared/something else?
Is any magic illegal?
What is magic generally used for?
What are temples like? <— if your story revolves around gods

Population

Are there non-human sentient species? Describe them.
Did the people evolve on this planet or come from elsewhere?
What is the relationship between the different species?
Where and when did civilization begin? (Only answer this if it is integral to the story and your characters need to travel to this place where civilization began)
What is the total population (of the planet / the country / the city, etc.)
What is the level of technology (stone age, hi tech)?

Language and Gestures
(Use this section to play around with different languages to create something new! My favorites to combine are Latin, Gaelic, Irish, and Galician)

What languages do people speak?
Do most people speak more than one language?
Is there a common language for trade?
How do people greet each other?
What is considered a rude gesture?
How do they curse? by saying a god's name? By saying explicit body parts?
What titles/formalities are used?
What is a gesture of respect (bowing, saluting)?

Work and Culture

Do people live in happiness or fear? (You can stretch this out to different points in your story)
Does the culture value strength or compassion more highly?
Does the culture value wealth or generosity more highly?
What are the common superstitions?
Are people diverse or uniform?
How big is the gap between rich and poor?
What do people wear?
What is in fashion this year?
What was in fashion last year?
What topics of conversation are controversial?
Which topics of conversation are safe?
What constitutes a social faux pas?
What forms of art are there?
Is there theatre?
Is art common or reserved for the wealthy?
What is a highly desirable job?
What is a lowly job?
What are the cities like, if any?
What are the houses like?
Do most people live in rural or urban areas?
Are there any domesticated animals?
Are there professional guilds/institutes/etc?
How do you get into a professional guild?
What benefits do you gain from being a member of a guild?
Are criminals common or rare?
What calendar is used?

Celebrations

What are the major festivals?
Describe a wedding.
Describe a funeral.
What are special celebratory foods?
What sort of clothes do people wear on special occasions?

Education

Is there any formal education?
At what age do children start school?
Is education available to all or only certain groups?
Are different groups of people educated separately?
Is there a written language?
Are most people literate or illiterate?
What are schools like?
What are the different types of schools for?

Family

What is a normal family unit?
Do people marry for love or other reasons? What reasons?
Are the genders treated differently?
Who raises the children?

Trade and Conflict

What is the monetary system?
Are there multiple currencies?
Is there widespread trade?
Is there widespread conflict?
How long ago was the most recent war?
How damaging was the most recent war?
What was the cause of the most recent war?

Governance

What is the system of government? Democracy? Dictatorship? Administration?
Is it a matriarchy or patriarchy?
Does the leader have special protection (Kingsguard, secret service)?
How long has the system of government been in place?
Is there a class system?
Different levels of citizenship? Is there slavery?
Is there a form of police?
Is there a formal army?
How are wrongdoers tried and punished?
Does the government provide social assistance?
Is there any centralized healthcare?
Is there public transport?
Are there publicly run communications systems?
Do people trust the government?
Do the majority of people approve of or disapprove of the government?
Is social mobility easy or hard?
What is the system of taxation?
Does the government spy on its enemies? Its people?

Food and Dining

What does a feast look like?
What does a basic pauper's meal look like?
Do people mostly eat meat, fish, or vegetables?
Do people eat plain or heavily flavored food?
Do people eat together or separately?
Do people eat in small or large groups?
What utensils do people use to eat?
Are there many restaurants? Who goes to them?
Are there street food sellers?
What do people drink?
Is the water generally clean enough to drink?
Are some foods poisonous to certain people?
What are the tables like? Shape? High or low?

I personally think that figuring out your world's religion and "layout" are the most important aspects of world-building. They give you a good foundation to work with and elaborate upon.

However, I must warn to world build at your own risk. I say this because, especially if this applies to your first book of a series, if your characters don't travel outside of the kingdom, PLEASE do not spend all of your precious writing time figuring out the sewage system of a region that the readers aren't going to even know exist until book 5. Please only fill out what is needed for your plot.

SPEAKING of sewage systems of a region— unless it is integral to your story's plot (aka the characters need to escape via the sewage system or that's where the villain's lair is) do not spend paragraph after paragraph explaining it among other useless facts (i.e. imports and exports, the current fashion in comparison to the trends of 20 years prior) because you will bore your readers and they will click off of your story. Trust me, I have been that reader so many times.

Hopefully, this helps a lot! I know that when my co-writer and I were creating the world for Fairytale Fate, this was my best friend and helped me really understand what my world was like.

Thanks again for reading and I will see you in the next tip!
🤍 Melody