I want to start with a disclaimer. Please understand anyone or any post I mention are only those I intend to mention, and agreement on one point does not constitute agreement on all points. I also do not, of necessity, agree with other blogs that are promoted on the blogs I mention. If I promote or agree with them, I will mention them when I am ready.
I want to discuss worldbuilding worksheets. First, let me mention the things I have trouble with. Some worksheets want to ask vague questions like “What makes your world unique.” That is like asking what makes the West Coast unique from the East Coast. These are things that I don’t see making a huge difference in the story because there are more similarities than differences.
That is only the skin of the avocado, however. A meatier portion of my problem with a question like that comes from the concept of, “What if I am dealing with a world like Earth?” What makes this world unique? That isn’t the point.
Let’s go deeper, to the huge seed in the middle. As a person that has had a strong tendency to focus on the internal state of the characters and the action, and let the outer world exist as the backdrop, this sort of question is difficult. I am studying worldbuilding because I wanted to get stronger on the aspect of painting the backdrop vividly. How do you answer this question when you have only a vague understanding of the question because it is not your forte?
It has made me wonder if I need something to help me understand this worldbuilding on the most basic level. To me, as I was teaching myself how to write, the world my characters were in was always a backdrop, the scenery that they went about in. It was hardly something to spend hours or a great deal of thought on.
Having said all that, there were other questions that I have found helpful.
First, however, let us consider; why is this world building so important? The world might be a backdrop but it is not just a backdrop. It is where everything happens. It is like the camera for a movie. You may hardly think about it but the movie does not exist without it.
Saying all this, I will now talk about how questionnaires help with a story; how they have helped with my story.
Questions of this sort force me to consider these things, even though it is a struggle. This is a good thing because I have learned much more about the setting my characters have to interact with and move about in. This contributes to the natural progression of a story because the characters can only do what is reasonable in their setting. It is the same as when the players in the story can only do what they would normally do in any given situation because they must act in character. Characters wouldn’t, or at the very least shouldn’t, waste water when they are in a desert. Neither should characters turn on multiple unneeded systems on a spaceship when they barely have enough power for life support.
Questions about flora and fauna have helped considerably. I found out about a plant that might be featured in my stories, might not. I don’t know yet because my characters haven’t gotten to a point where the plant would be important. However, I have it in reserve should it come up and if it does, I have a new scene. Yes, you can write a new scene based on a plant. This is because the plant has certain properties that can make how the characters come across it of vital importance. Tolkien knew that plants could be important, as shown when he introduced a whole portion of the story where the Athelas plant was played a pivotal role.
What part can an animal play? That depends. Is the animal a pet? Is the animal a danger that is encountered during travels? Can the animal be a benefit? There are many possibilities. For those who have read “Julie of the Wolves” or other books by Jean Craighead George, the idea of animals having even a main role in the story is no surprise.
In my case, in “The Holders of…,” because I explored a little into the idea of adding an animal or animals into my story, something that I hadn’t really bothered to think about in this story, I realized there was an animal that lived in the mountains, which might be able to play an interesting part. This means that I have a scene to play out in the mountains. This is intriguing. It is a whole dramatic scene that I would not have had otherwise. Will I be able to pull it off? Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on how things play out as I fill in the gaps of my outline, but I am glad to have more possibilities.
Are there questions on some of the worldbuilding worksheets that seem to be a little “Why do I need to know that?” Yes. Do you absolutely have to fill in all the questions? No. I do recommend answering a few of the questions you’re not sure if you will need because even those could give you that tiny spark you need for inspiration. However, don’t beat your brain against these worksheets for questions you know have no bearing on your story. That will wear you out and take up time and energy that could be used for building other aspects of your story.
Just remember, the more you know about your world and characters, the more immersive you can make your writing. We are supposed to write what we know, and asking ourselves some of these questions help us know.
Don’t skimp and don’t go overboard. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. It is how we grow and learn.
I am providing you with a link, https://www.eadeverell.com/forwriters/, where you can find a rather exhaustive array of worksheets on this subject. You might have to search around for some that are free, so you can try them out before you decide if you want to buy. Those available for free also tend to change from time to time.
You are not likely to need every question on every worksheet, but you are likely to find many questions, answers to which help you understand your world and characters better, as well as provide inspiration. Of course, I do not align myself with the subject of every worksheet, but consider what is useful for you. Pick and choose what you need.
As you go through your journey of discovery, it could very well be difficult, but remember, as always, enjoy the wonder.