The Tiny Seed Knew That In Order To Grow, It Needed To Be Dropped In Dirt, Covered In Darkness, Struggle

World Building

Creating Land

❂

⥇ agriculture

⟿ what is grown in abundance? how common is farmland? where is the farmland?

⥇ architecture

⟿ what kind of buildings? how tall/spacious? what are they made of? how well made? how well planned?

⥇ animals

⟿ what wild animals are lurking in the area? hunting? any animals affecting the livestock or agriculture?

⥇ biomes

⟿ desert? tundra? grassland? forest? savanna?

⥇ bodies of water

⟿ seas? lake? ponds? rivers? fresh water/salt water? fishing? keep in mind, settlements are often built near bodies of water

⥇ climate

⟿ dry? rainy? temperate? tropical? polar? how have people adjusted to this climate?

⥇ elevation

⟿ altitude? how does the altitude affect lifestyle?

⥇ geology

⟿ rocky? types of rocks?

⥇ landforms

⟿ mountains? valleys? plateaus? plains? hills? glaciers? peninsulas? volcanos? canyons?

⥇ latitude / longitude

⟿ location on planet? how does it affect other elements of land?

⥇ livestock

⟿ common domesticated animals? common animal usages?

⥇ minerals

⟿ any valuable minerals / metals? are they mined regularly? how are they used?

⥇ natural disasters

⟿ earthquake? tornado? volcano? duststorm? flood? hurricane? tsunami? how often do these occur? protocols?

⥇ population

⟿ how many people? how dense is the population? how does the population affect surrounding nature?

⥇ resources

⟿ what is abundant? scarce? how are they used? how available are they?

⥇ sacred land

⟿ religiously important land? historical importance? widely accepted as sacred? how is it honored?

⥇ soil

⟿ good or bad for vegetation? rocky?

⥇ tectonic activity

⟿ earthquake frequency? volcano frequency? trenches?

⥇ topography

⟿ how common are maps? how accurate? how long have they been around? who makes them?

⥇ vegetation

⟿ what is abundant? scarce? what grows easily? with difficulty? what is commonly foraged? who forages? plant types? tree types?

La Pregunta Existencial

-      Que usted piensa… Existo o no existo?

-      Por que la pregunta?

-      BUENO, SI PIENSO, LUEGO EXISTO, VERDAD? Siendo Descartes; es decir, no tengo que tener un atributo que otros me otorgan para existir. No va de acuerdo?

-      No entiendo!

-      Si!, a lo que me refiero es que mi existencia no esta condicionada a lo que usted pueda pensar de mi, porque aunque pensara de mi, de manera diferente, y digamos que pudiera en algun momento ocultarme tras bambalinas, aun con ello, yo existo!

Me sigue?

-      Correcto!

-      Entonces la existencia no esta condicionada a otros, sino la existencia viene de la presencia, de ser o no ser, esa es la cuestion! Yo existo porque soy lo que soy como soy porque soy como soy, es decir, soy real, palpable, tengo una voz, expreso lo que pienso, no utilizo geroglificos ni dibujos ni imagenes porque tengo una presencia real, no soy fake, yo soy yo.

-      Oiga y yo existo si tengo una audiencia?

-      Que usted piensa?

-      Existo porque me hacen, o existo porque soy? Dependeria mi valor, del valor que otros me den o del valor que yo mismo me otorgo porque soy? Es decir, yo tengo una expression, yo tengo una serie de trabajos que hablan de mi y lo que soy, entonces existo.

Y la verdad de las cosas es que no hace un trabajo por el reconocimiento de las gentes, lo hace pork le gusta hacer lo que hace, le gusta perfeccionar lo que hace, los retos son con uno mismo y no contra otros, y en ello encuentra gusto y gozo.

Usrted dejaria de hacer algo que le agrada por circunstancias ajenas a usted?

Dejaria de ser maestro porque no tiene ninos?

Dejaria de ser doctor porque no tiene pacientes?

Dejaria de ser mecanico porque no existe carro que arreglar?

Que ustred piensa?

How To Write Friendships

🦢        ―        &. FRIENDSHIPS . ( steps to develop friendships )

Good friendships can turn a decent story into a memorable one as, it not only does it make the reader care more about the story, it adds emotional weight to the story.

But there's one problem. Good relationships are difficult to write. You thought writing romance was difficult? Well, writing friendships is a whole new level of difficulty.

Romances normally rely on professions of love and staring into one's eyes for lengthy periods of time. But, how do you develop friendships?

1) Make Each Character Their Own Person.

If a character's only purpose in the story is to act as "the friend", then it's guaranteed that they will be a flat and uninteresting character. This will lead to a friendship that no reader will be invested in.

Unfortunately, a lot of stories are like this ― you have your main character, and then their 1-dimensional friend who might crack a joke every once in a while. 

We have some good examples from movies like Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings. He isn't just "Frodo's friend" who tags along. He's a gardener and a cook. He has a fascination with elves, a crush on Rosie, and a bad habit of eavesdropping. He is loyal, brave, and can persevere even when there is seemingly no hope.

You see this is in Toy Story as well. Even though Woody and Buzz both have the same goal ― to escape Sid's house ― they both have different journeys. The story means different things to each of them .Woody learns to not be as selfish and Buzz struggles with accepting that he is just a toy.

2) Give Them Something In Common.

Once you have fleshed out your characters, you need a reason for them to be friends. What brought them together? What gives them the reason to hang out? You need to give them similarities.

This can be a number of different things, like:

Status

Hobbies

Struggles

History

Background

Interests

Enemy

Goals

Dreams

3) Give Them Meaningful Differences.

Once you've established their similarities, it's time to dig deeper and create their meaningful differences. Don't just make your characters different. Give them meaningful differences that can build off of each other.

With those differences, your characters can help support their strengths and build them up during their times of weakness. This can lead to a strong friendship.

Here are some great ways to give them differences:

1) Skills.

One of the friend can be smart in terms of intelligence while the other is good at using her hands and inventing stuff.

One might be good at coming up with plans, while the other might be good at improvising when the plan goes awry.

2) Conflict Resolution.

If there is a bully bothering them, one might want to go and blow up at the bully, while the other chooses to ignore it.

If they are having an argument, one friend would want to talk it out maturely, while the other just likes to play devil's advocate and throw more heat into the argument.

3) Personalities.

One is confident and sly while the other is shy and awkward.

A is cold and determined while B is relaxed and compassionate.

B is an easy-going pleasure seeker, and B is a serious planner.

4) Method of Action.

Both friends are trying to break into a house. One will look up videos on YouTube about how to pick a lock. The other friend will just break the window with a rock.

The two friends are trying to persuade someone to do something. One friend uses bribing techniques, and the other friend uses a more passive-aggressive approach.

5) Reaction.

One friend with freak out and the other friend will stay calm.

A will get discouraged and want to give up, and B will encourage them to keep going.

One person is terrified out of their mind, while the other tries to stay positive.

Sweet!

Writing is not a fanciful venture. It is the most meaningful, purest step forward in your own personal art. Do not diminish the importance and power in your own fingers tapping at your keyboard or wrapped around a pencil. This is the moment in which you embrace the might of your creation.

Karuna Riazi is an online diversity advocate, essayist and overwhelmed undergrad student. Her debut novel, The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand, will be released in 2017 under Simon and Schuster’s new Salaam Reads imprint.

Writer’s Care Packages from Camp NaNoWriMo and We Need Diverse Books.

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Worldbuilding Questions: Other* Cultures - a handy list for writers with little time

(*not the main characters')

After my extensive [list of questions for towns and cities] for your main setting, there will also be many countries, regions and cultures mentioned in your project, that aren't central to the plot, that you don't have time to delve into detail about, but that still should feel 'real'.

For this use (or, really, in general, if you don't have much time to worldbuild before you start your first draft), I prepared a list with 10 very rough, basic questions to make your world feel alive:

What is their most important export good or economy?

What was the most important event in their recent history, and how long ago did it happen?

What do people from that place wear and how do they style? Are they distinguishable in a crowd?

What is their language, and is it understandable for your narrator? Do they have an accent?

What are they famous for? (People from there, their humor, their food, their skills at something...)?

Are or were they at war / at the brink of war with other people; esp. with those at the center of your story?

What is their most important difference to your "main" / narrator's culture? (Religion, society, economy...?)

Are representatives of that culture seen often in your setting?

What is something outsiders say about them?

What do they say about themselves?

I recommend thinking about these for your side character's home cultures, as well as for your setting's most important regions and neighboring countries. Five or so might even be enough, just as a handy ressource to make your setting feel alive and real.