World Building - How To Create A Believable World - Part Two...

Social World Building. Call me a nerd, yeah, yeah, but social world-building is probably my favorite aspect of writing. Perhaps this is because I'm a dystopian fanatic (yep, totally admitting it, as if you didn't already know 😉) or perhaps this is because, in school, I was extremely fascinated by the social governments and progressions in different countries, as well as the strength and weakness of all. And I'm not just talking about the "definition" of government. I mean the philosophies, virtues, beliefs and reasoning behind it all. Okay... so I'm a bit of a nerd.

Even if you don't share the same interest in social studies, building up your society is extremely important in your book. A lot of the time, I'll read something that will say this aspect of writing or that aspect of writing is the most important. That simply is not true, whatever it is. Every aspect and tool of writing is related in a way that, if you under-develop one, all aspects are lacking. There is no one most important part of writing - it's all important, and all for different reasons.

So, while it's important to build up and develop your characters and physical world, it is equally as important to develop the society belonging to said world.

I've got my feet propped up, my music playing, and my adorable little siblings both attempting their first books (One about unicorns, the other about a missing treasure ship - I love 'em!), so I'm ready! Hope you are, too!

And, one thing to remember: ADVICE IS SIMPLY ADVICE!: Find your own way, and if this works for you, then great! But, if it isn't, then go with what feels most comfortable. I'm no expert, but I hope this helps!

.........................................................

Government -

Unless your literally writing about a world of total anarchy, chances are, your story is going to have some definitive, easily-recognizable form of government that, well, governs over the majority of the population. Whether this government is large scale, say for an whole country, or rather small, for a village or settlement, is entirely up to you and what is necessary for your story.

There is an overwhelming amount of forms of government and I could get pretty technical with everything out there, but here, I'm only going to talk about a few forms of government that you can get ideas from! Each government that I list is a rather broad form and there are a lot that I'm leaving out, so those below might not exactly fit to what you have. Make sure you do your research to figure out the specifics of your form of government, and don't be scared to experiment and mix them.

For example, my work-in-progress follows a more oligarchic government, with a small group of people controlling the entirety of the country. This rule is passed down from generation to generation (like a multi-faceted monarchy), but it does have some republican government aspects in the case that Regents (e.g., Rory Stockholm from my short story, "Snow War,") go to the ruling oligarchs and act as representatives for the individual city-states within my book, like what is common in a republic. Regents are not elected by the people (so there are no true democratic-government aspects) but are appointed by the oligarchs. Great power cycle, am I right??? Okay... Maybe it's just me!

Anyways - back to the subject at hand!

Monarchy:

I think of monarchs, and I think of old Britain, Spain, and France, with their kings' and queens' ornate clothing, opulent jewels in their even more luxurious palaces. The thing about monarchy is that the monarch could be a tyrant and have unlimited power, or it could be just a role filled because of tradition, thus the "monarch" has little to no power whatsoever. It really depends on how ambitious your monarch is, and how ambitious they are allowed to be by secondary government rulers (e.g. parliamentary associations).

Democracy:

A democratic government is a government in which the people rule. Whether all voting people rule (solely Democratic) or the voting people elect representatives who make laws and rule (Republican), or it is a mix of both (Democratic-republic), the whole idea of a Democracy is that the people have a voice.

Now, I know that the Republican and Democratic governments aren't the same thing, but I grouped them together because they are fairly similar.

Tyranny:

Think of the reign Napoleon Bonaparte of France. Think of the reign Adolf Hitler of Germany, Coriolanus Snow of "The Hunger Games," or the Lord Sauron of "The Lord of The Rings."

Tyranny can occur in many forms of government. A tyrant's reign is often marked by explosive conflict, inflation of poverty and crime, and, more often than not, death - both inside of their territories and out. They often assume power by illicit means and rule with (at the risk of sounding cliché) an iron fist. They can be one person (President Snow) or they can be many people (the Council in Laura Frances' Slave.) The people often have no say in who assumes power, nor do they support the tyrant(s). (And, yes - there are exceptions for all.) But, tyrants are very bad rulers whose own goals are regarded as more important than the needs and wellbeing of the common people.

The one good thing about tyrants is the fact that they make excellent antagonists for our stories, and tyranny is an excellent force for our protagonist to fight against!

"Wait - why do I need to know what kind of government is in my book?"

Ah, wonderful question!

Knowing the kind of government will help you remain consistent with the rank of your character, the kind of people they're fighting for/with, and determine what level of political influence your protagonist has.

All of this can be also defined with the structure and economic state of your society. Hey! That brings me to my next categories! (It's almost like it was planned like that, huh? Clever, eh, eh... No? Okay... 😕)

Structure:

The structure of your society is quite similar and very dependent on the type of government you use, but right here, we'll be focusing on the people within your society and the ranks they have within their government. It might be easy to move from one social status to the next, or be very difficult to advance in society, like a caste system. Marriage within these "castes" might be forbidden. In the case of my book, there are arranged marriages that are decided by a completely unpersonal, automated system that goes off of occupations, genetics, and family social-status history. My people are divided into the leaders, the elites, the middle-class) and, the "outcasts." Marriage between these classes does not occur, EVER, and even certain occupations within same classes are not allowed (e.g., gov. agents can't marry other gov. agents, even though they're both elites.) Fun stuff, right???

Will your form of government will have some sort of authority figure or figures that the common people listen to or are under control of? Most likely, although, if it doesn't, I'd love to hear how your story works without an authority figure!

Next, do you have elites, the wealthy dignitaries often loyal to your authority figure? A lot of the time, your "elites" will have some major influence over the decisions your head-of-society makes. So, how are they necessary to your plot? What conflict or help do they offer for your story? Are they even an integral part of the story? That's perfectly fine if they aren't - sometimes, they aren't needed, but most of the time, they are.

Then, who is below your elites? Is there a middle-class or does it jump straight into the poverty-stricken lower-class? Or, is there just a middle class, and no lower? Or, are there no classes at all???? What if there is wide-spread equality beneath the authority rank - with everyone having the same income, resources, services available? How does your protagonist react to this? (I'm just helping you come up with ideas!)

MOST IMPORTANTLY: What class is your main character in? Are they the authority figure and everyone below them hangs on to their every word? Or, are they a poor, outcast "nobody" who is snubbed by all supposedly "better than them?"

Knowing the level of influence your main character can have on their society can affect the way you build your story. If they have power, change might not be so difficult, but if they're outcast, the struggle might be getting the higher-ups to listen to them. Yes - YES - it can be so much more complex than this! No story is as clear as day and night, but knowing this information will help the way your story goes!

Economics -

This is pretty fun (I despise math, but love economy and learning about money.) So, what kind of economy will be in your story?

I've read books where there is no physical money - it's all electronic.

*Raises hand erratically and screams "ME! ME! THAT'S ME!" at the computer screen.

Okay, so now you know - my book is based on an electric economy. There are "credits" rather than dollars, all taken or deposited into an electronic amount. That's it. I'm done! No more hints about my work-in-progress for you! (Great. Now I'm thinking of the Hobbit's "...you've had plenty." Great. Now, I'm embarrassedly shaking my head. Ugggggh!)

Anywaaaays... maybe your world isn't modern, so the whole e-commerce thing isn't doable. Maybe, your people still use gold, silver, etc. coins. Or, maybe there is no numismatic/paper money. Maybe, your economy is based on trade or another type of currency, say rare gems or plants (still sort of trading, huh?)

You're probably wanting to grab me through the screen and give me a violent shake, huh? "Why does it matter what the economy is?!?"

If you're still reading, here's what I have to say: knowing the kind of economy will help you determine the resources available to your main character. It all comes back to the main character. If your MC is poor, because of the structure of the society, because of the form of government he/she lives in, then their ability to get the necessary resources to fight the bad guy, rescue the princess or whatever they have to do, might be a bit harder. It might influence their self-esteem and their confidence in their beliefs. Their job might give them certain skills that will become vital to the plot later on. These are very important things to think about. It will most certainly determine what they wear, their education, their housing - I could go on and on about how government, social structure and economy can affect your main character!

But, I can't ramble on forever, unfortunately. Once again, this post has been a bit longer than I intended it to be, but I hope you find these tips inspirational and helpful! There's certainly more to come with next and final World Building: Part Three, which is going to dive into the philosophies, religion, and principles of your society and, in turn, your character!

Until Next Time!

-Elizabeth Mae Wolfram