A World Building Checklist

05/15/2024

I've recently come across the World Building Checklist. I really want to work on building out the world my series (Codename: Wolf & Red) takes place in. I've decided to try and write some micro essays about each of the questions on the list. Do I expect to get through all of them? No freaking way. But I do want to try and address one or two each day. And even that sounds ambitious.

To start, I'll only list out the main topics of the world and then add on as I get to refining each section. I really want Silobe' to feel like a real place. I want to make each character have a rich background. Every time I have a background character I can't help but imagine the world they come from. I try to keep their descriptions short in the novel itself, but I've always had a thing for side characters.

The same goes for aspects of world building. I love figuring out how a fantasy economy would work or how a common language would develope. I'm getting really stoked about my development of the series I'm writing. Wolf & Red is a multi-book series with a plan for a novella duology prequal and a companion trilogy, but we shall see if my ambition is indeed hubris in disguise.

A World Building Checklist

Economy

Government

Crime & Legal System

Foreign Relations

Politics

War

The Land

Physical & Historical Features

Climate & Geography

Natural Resources

Population

Rural Factors

Urban Factors

Society & Culture

Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation

Architecture

Calendar

Daily Life

Diet

Dining Customs

Education

Ethics & Values

Fashion & Dress

History

Language

Gestures

Manners

Meeting & Greeting

Religion & Philosophy

Social Organization

Specific Countries

Visits

Magic & Science

Magic & Magicians

Magic & Technology
Rules of Magic
Wizards

Medicine

Science & Technology

Transportation & Communication

Join My Newsletter

* indicates required