30 Days of World-Building - Day 30 - Last Day

Exercise 30 - Today's exercise is to NOT exercise. Give yourself a break from world-building to let the ideas sift themselves out in your mind before you start writing like a fiend tomorrow.

Today's post will be simple. No worries about anything, just like the prompt said. Instead, I'm just going to relax and enjoy the company of my girlfriend tonight. Then after I take her home, and the clock strikes midnight, I will begin to write like the proverbial fiend that the above exercise believes I am.

30 Days of World-Building - Day 29 - Character II

Exercise 29 - Look in your social and cultural world for not just the places where your character doesn't fit in, but also the places where he or she does, and note them in your character notes. Make sure that, by the end of today, you can name your character's parents and siblings, the town where they grew up, their age and any training they've had, and the three most influential people in their lives.

Places Hadrian DOESN'T fit in:

• The northern tundra cities, due to his upbringing in a temperate zone. On a physical scale, Hadrian would not be able to survive as well as people naturally born there. Also, despite his actions to dodge his lessons, Hadrian truly loves his grandparents, and wishes the best for them. Once in a blue moon, he'll even offer to help them. And as noted yesterday, the elders of the north wouldn't be too accepting.
• The marshland and jungles in the southwest, again because of his physical upbringing. Also, while he may be self-sufficient, the flora and fauna of the jungles differ greatly from those of the woods, and he wouldn't know the difference between poisonous or safe, hostile or docile

Places Hadrian DOES fit in:

• While he was raised in a small trade-village, Hadrian finds early on that he is easily accustomed to the winding streets of the cities. Among the people, he is able to satiate his curiousness without having to subject himself to the elements of the forests. It is, in a sense, his own concrete jungle.
• There is nowhere that Hadrian feels more at home than in the shrouded forests of Kasova. Particularly in the forests surrounding Coppervale, he has explored everywhere he can imagine. He has drawn countless maps that nobody but him can read, written in scrawls about the wonderful things he has found, and spent his days dreaming of the world beyond the confines of his grandparent's home.   

Other facts:

• Hadrian's parents, ____________________________ , raised him in the small village of Kern. However, they sent him to Coppervale to live with his grandparents when he was five years old, following a vicious blight that swept across the crops for miles around. It has been eight years since he has seen them.
• Apart from parents, Hadrian holds very few people as high as he does the heroes of the realm. He admires their bravery, and wishes that he possessed the courage that they had. However, as the story progresses, Tomas Gerridon III, Professor Drevan, Headmaster Grecian, and the other strong characters he meets will shape his destiny in ways that he couldn't imagine. In addition to teaching him magic and aiding him in his endeavors, they also teach him morals and values that his parents and grandparents never got the chance to teach him themselves.  

30 Days of World-Building - Day 28 - Left Out

Exercise 28 - Spend 15 minutes thinking about two or three of any left over topics that haven't been covered in any of the previous exercises.

Clothing - Most common people who work for their living do so in semi-comfortable breeches and tunics, with belts, hats, cloaks, and other accessories as necessary. Seldom do they attempt to woo anybody with their clothing. In higher societies such as Valthiem, Aloren, and Brel, the upper class take to adorning their already high-style clothing with numerous gemstones, both practical and impractical. If overdone, this can make them seem prideful, no matter how important they truly are. However, apart from a few exceptions, the typical formula is: More gemstones = More influence and power.

Disease Treatment & Medicine - Touched on briefly during the recent history post, the main source of medicine and healing comes from the Church of Elohim, the goddess of healing and good fortune. Most cities and villages, especially those west of the Chador mountains, have access to a shrine/church of Elohim. Clerics and medicine men work out of these establishments, and use both mixtures of potions and salves as well as magic to heal injuries. As part of their code, they only use their magic when people are severely injured, and would not be able to live properly otherwise.

Clerics and the Shadow-Taint - A modern phenomenon among the realm of Cordaire, these few men and women are sorcerers who have somehow severed their ties to the Shadow Realm. For those afflicted with the taint, this often results in death, as the taint infects an entire body, and in a sick twist of fate, is the only thing keeping the afflicted alive. However, for the few that survive, the process is truly life changing. If the once-afflicted person worshiped a particular deity, that deity would accordingly appear to them in a vision, and instead of carrying them over, blesses them and names them an emissary of their faith. Additionally, the person is blessed with certain abilities given to them by the deity. Thus, the clerics of Elohim being able to heal injuries with a simple touch.

Treatment of Elderly - In most societies, the elderly are held in high respects. Their family and friends are deemed socially responsible for their well-being, and must tend to them, or be regarded as heartless and cruel. For the most part, the elderly appreciate this treatment, and do their best to return the favor. But in the cold northern mountains, the elderly are not so accepting of the aid. For them, growing up in the harsh world was a part of life, and in a society where personal merit and pride are readily prevalent, bowing out and letting the younger generation take over is considered weak. In fact, it is considered to be an insult to ask an elderly person if they need help.

30 Days of World-Building - Day 27 - Plot Hooks III

Exercise 27 - You may or may not have an outline of your actual whole-novel plot yet. If you do, read through your list of plot hooks and your outline, and match the hooks to wherever they might fit into the story. Next month, when you get to that part of your story, you’ll decide if you need to throw the plot hook or device into the story, or if it’s superfluous.

Basic Outline is as follows:

• Prior to the start of the story, Hadrian discovers a small sapphire buried in the earth under a tree
• Tomas takes Hadrian as his apprentice, after realizing the true potential the boy possesses.
• While journeying back to Brel, the two encounter the dark creatures mentioned earlier (Hadrian's first experience with the gemstones).
• Narrowly avoiding capture, the two hastily make towards Brel.
• They are hunted all the way back to the city, and they catch wind of a bigger plot festering in the dark woods of the north (Hadrian learns of his innate magical abilities).
• While Tomas is seeking aid from the University, Hadrian meets his future love interest. Interestingly enough, she too bears the taint, but uses its power for very different reasons than most would suspect.
• Tomas returns, bearing a summons from the headmaster himself. Aware of Hadrian's talent, Tomas sought for him to be able to hone it, by taking proper magic lessons in the University.
• Hadrian's first lessons in magic, and witnessing the true power of the taint. He also gets to witness the process through which the gemstones are made.
• More to come . . . (Watch this post for edits)

30 Days of World-Building - Day 26 - Anti-What If

Exercise 26 - Look at your "mood words" list and then at your notes and outlines and ideas. Put anything that doesn’t match at least one mood word (or a synonym of a mood word) onto a separate page or in a separate file. You may end up putting your misfits into this novel when you're stuck or need some inspiration or when there's an opportunity for them to fit in. You may even, when you get tired of the main storyline, decide that you want a subplot of Misfits, something to give a little comic relief, perhaps, or just an alternative tone to your main story-line.

Not to brag, but after looking through all my outlines, lists and notes, I wasn't able to find anything that didn't readily fit into any of my mood categories. Now, this isn't necessarily a good thing. Any good story needs a break from the intensity of the main story-line.

Therefore, I may add in the start of a romantic character arc. When Tomas and Hadrian finally reach the city of Brel, Tomas has to acquire some information from the college. Hadrian is denied entry, despite Tomas' attempts to let him in. As Hadrian is waiting outside, he runs into his future love interest. At first, the attraction is simply physical. However, as they begin to talk more, they both become aware of their innate connection (Could she also be afflicted with the taint? The odds of that? Duh. High. This is a fantasy story, after all).

30 Days of World-Building - Day 25 - Sky

Exercise 25 - Read this article and then figure out: how many moons does your world have? How long is a month for each of them? What are they named? Do you have any scenes already plotted in which moonlight is absolutely necessary? If so, be sure to write down the phase of the moon you need on that date, and use that date as your "touchstone" for what phase the moon will be in on other days. If you need to, write out the moon's calendar and as scenes happen when you write them in November, jot them into your calendar so you know what kind of moon your folks might encounter at those times.

To be honest, I fell victim to what that article described. Typically, I never really regard the sky in my stories, and I've never thought of how the stars, suns, and moons can affect the daily lives of the characters.

Therefore, in my story, there will be a singular moon (name pending), with phases that correspond to the day within a set month. More research on moon phases will be coming soon . . .

Also, might experiment with a little tribal worship centered around the moons (inspiration from the Khajiit of Elder Scrolls lore?).

30 Days of World-Building - Day 24 - Mood III

Exercise 24 - Go through your notes and make a "m?" note next to anything that doesn't actively fit into the mood you want to convey. It's all right to have mismatched moods, of course; in many ways, it's crucial to have a variety. But you want to know, when you write your novel, if a particular element is going to dilute the mood or not.

For the most part, my mood remains constant through the entirety of the plot. At some moments, there are areas that allow for humor, and others that allow for a love interest to grow. But for the most part, the suspense-filled area of the plot dominates the novel. This may cause the novel itself to seem dark, but I hope that will not be the case. There will be moments where the protagonist, for a little while, forgets all about the dark and dangerous future ahead of him. Those will be the moments he lives for. The reader may enjoy the suspenseful events that he finds himself in, but they will also relish in the opportunity to lay back and enjoy the good aspects of life. 

30 Days of World-Building - Day 23 - Culture II

Exercise 23 - Spend fifteen minutes or so revisiting your culture notes, filling in any gaps, and changing any major or minor details if necessary. This will make everything more consistent, and help with the flow of your novel.

Major Change -
- Revamped each society to include their differing views on magic. For example, some may use magic freely, whereas others might see magic as volatile and dangerous if used for evil.

Minor Changes -
- Included details about the evolution of the train in my novel, which societies have access to it, what it used to transport, etc.
- Included possible plot hooks via. magic fearing fanatics attack the protagonist
- Included rumors and myths about the Gem-Scale dragons, which are prominently worshiped in some areas in the South-Western jungles. Also included notes about the first Gem-Scales, and their immense size.
- Included possible uses of the gemstones. Options include, but aren't limited to: increased speed, strength, improved eye sight, minor magic control, magical protection & shields, and control of fire and electricity (if mounted on a staff or other focus). These gemstones are common among the upper class, and can make them difficult to fight if they are trained in the used of their gemstones.
- Included more common-place uses for the gemstones. For example, gem-stones that produce light, gems that can record a telepathic message, glow different colors for silent messaging, etc.

30 Days of World-Building - Day 22 - Geography

Exercise 22 - Redraw the map if you need to. It doesn’t need to be exact—when they put the map at the front of your beautiful book, the publisher will hire an artist to re-do it anyway. If you have no idea how to re-draw your map, get out a black marker and go over any pencil marks from your original that you will be keeping (like contours of the coast)-- leave out any lettering, as they won't show through well anyway. Put a second piece of paper over the first and trace over the black lines in pencil. Write in place names and any additional map key icons (little trees for forests, upside-down V's for mountains, etc.). Draw in your roads and rivers (remember: blue is always water on a map), and your cities, towns, and settlements.

Similar to Day 5, you're going to have to take it on good faith that I finished today's exercise. I don't want to subject the internet to my terrible drawing skills quite yet. Thanks again for having patience with me.