By Patricia C. Wrede

The following list of questions is meant to aid authors of fantasy fiction who are seeking to create believable imaginary settings for their stories. While many of these questions may be helpful or crucial to certain stories, they will not all apply to every story. It is not necessary for an author to answer all, or even any, of the questions in order to start writing, (or to finish writing, either). The idea is simply to provoke people into thinking about the ways their settings and backgrounds hang together … or don’t. If it’s useful, use it. If not, don’t.

Some questions apply to more than one topic, and have been duplicated under more than one heading. This should not be considered as an exhaustive and final list, but as a beginning point from which each individual writer can compile a personal list.

The Questions

• The World
  • Basics
  • Alternate Earth
  • Not Earth at All
• Physical and Historical Features
  • General
  • Climate and Geography
  • Natural Resources
  • World History
  • Specific Country(s) History
• Magic and Magicians
  • Rules of Magic
  • Wizards
  • Magic and Technology
  • Miscellaneous Magic Questions
• Peoples and Customs
  • General
  • Customs
  • Eating
  • Greeting and Meeting
  • Gestures
  • Visits
  • Language
  • Ethics and Values
  • Religion and the Gods
  • Population
• Social Organization
  • General
  • Government
  • Politics
  • Crime and the Legal System
  • Foreign Relations
  • Waging War
  • Weapons
• Commerce, Trade, and Public Life
  • General
  • Business and Industry
  • Transportation and Communication
  • Science and Technology
  • Medicine
  • Arts and Entertainment
  • Architecture
  • Urban Factors
  • Rural Factors
• Daily Life
  • General
  • Fashion and Dress
  • Manners
  • Diet
  • Education
  • Calendar

  Copyright © 1996 Patricia C. Wrede. Reproduction and distribution specifically prohibited. All rights reserved. Reprinted here with the author’s permission.