By: Darby
Karchut
Which book was
it? The book that first captured you with its world building? The book that
made you look up and look around. Hoping for a glimpse of the Misty Mountains
or the walls of Hogwarts. Listening for the crack of dragon wings, or the ring
of a sword being drawn.
For me, it was
J.R.R. Tolkien and his creation of Middle-earth. Certainly, other authors helped
forge who I am, both as writer and reader: Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain
Chronicles, C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books, and later, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter
novels and John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series. Most recently, I’ve
added Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles and Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series
to my list. Fine company, to be sure, and I learn something new every time I
read these books.
How can I hope
to match these authors and their skill in crafting such universes? One of the
best ways I’ve found to approach world building in my books is to think like a
cultural anthropologist.
So, here is an
Anthropology 101, Introduction to Culture mini-lesson:
*Ahem. Clicks
on powerpoint*
Every culture has
eight essential components or elements. No exceptions. If a group does not have
all eight elements, then it is probably a social group, not a culture (as an
anthropologist would define it.)
The Eight
Elements of Culture
(in no particular order)
• Language
• Religion
• History
• Daily Life (Food, Clothing, Shelter,
Technology)
• Social Groups
• Arts & Crafts
• Government
• Economy
Depending on
what the story needs, authors may focus on some elements more than others.
That’s fine, as long as you give a nod to all of them.
RELIGION
• Answers the basic meaning about life
• Can be formal and elaborate, or informal
and peripheral to your culture
• Can include science
LANGUAGE
• One of the strongest unifying forces of
a culture
• Variation of a language is called a
dialect (local form of a language that may have a distinct vocabulary and
pronunciation)
• Idioms, sayings, and cuss words are a
great way to enrich your world
HISTORY
• Actual as well as myths
• Shapes how a culture views itself and
the world, especially stories about a people’s challenges and successes. Helps people
develop cultural pride and unity
• Cultural holidays mark important events
and enable people to celebrate their heritage
DAILY LIFE
• Food, clothing, shelter
• Think about special foods or drinks your
characters enjoy or ones they avoid
• Clothes and weapons or tools can really
“mark” a culture
• Housing, including the building,
furniture, gardens, technology
SOCIAL GROUPS
• People can belong to more than one
social group based on age, gender, interests, and more
• The family is the most important social
group
• Your characters should act differently
in different social groups
• Ethnic group: a group that shares a
language, history, or religion, and sometimes, physical traits
ARTS
• Expresses what your characters think is
beautiful and meaningful
• Can also tells stories about important
figures and events in the culture
• music
• visual arts (both two dimensional and
three dimensional)
• dance
• performing arts
• literature
GOVERNMENT
• Your characters need rules in order to
live together without conflict
• Limited Governments (restricts the power
of its leaders)
- Examples: democracy, representative democracy,
constitutional monarchy
• Unlimited Governments: (leaders are
all-powerful)
- Examples: dictatorship, absolute
monarchy, theocracy
ECONOMY
• A system that determines what goods and
services are produced, how to produce them, and who will receive them
• Four main types of economic systems:
– Traditional: barter and trade
– Market: capitalism
– Command: communism (written with a small
c means an economic system; written with a capital C means a form of
government)
– Mix: a blend of several. Many developed
countries have this. For example, China has a command economy, but allows some
features of a market economy
By embedding
these eight elements of culture in your world building (even if your characters
are non-human), you create a depth that the reader will consciously or
subconsciously pick up on. And, by making each element logical to your creation,
it makes your world more “real”.
Thus endeth the
lesson.
About the
Author: Darby Karchut is a
best-selling author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter. She's been known to
run in blizzards and bike in lightning storms. When not dodging death by
Colorado, Darby is busy writing urban fantasy for tweens, teens, and adults,
and she is now dipping the toe of her running shoe into contemporary fiction.
Her debut YA novel, GRIFFIN RISING, was recently optioned for film. Darby’s
other books include THE HOUND AT THE GATE, THE STAG LORD, and coming in
December, UNHOLY BLUE. Visit her at www.darbykarchut.com
