We all have a history, a background story. Every character has a background story, whether your readers discover it all or not. This goes for your fictional world as well.
We all have history classes in our school learning about our country, world, and its geography. Whether your characters attend school or not, there should be a few history lessons poking through your words for both them and your readers.
- Have there been any wars in the past? Who fought, who won, and why were they fighting?
- Have there been any significant natural disasters? Have they changed certain areas of the world, is it a big part of a character’s past?
- Are there any rulers? Is there a government? How did they come to be and what’s their purpose?
- How were certain areas of your world built? Who built them and why?
- Are there different countries? Are there borders? Why were they put up?
- Are there any myths or legends that float around in your world?
- How did your world come to be in the first place? (For example, do your characters believe a God create it?) Do they all believe the same religion? Maybe no one knows how the world came to be.
Ask yourself:
What would my characters learn in a history class?
The questions listed above should be in your answer. I’m sure there are other questions I’ve missed.
How do you create a history for your world? What are some other things you think about? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to chat! If you enjoyed this post, please share it around.
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