Welcome to another day in the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Find the entire list here. My theme this year is world-building.
Mostly I’m asking questions that I believe need to be considered whether you
creating a medieval fantasy world, a science fiction story or even a
contemporary novel. The ideas I present aren’t in a particular order as I had
to fit them into the alphabetical order needed. And don’t forget to visit the
other blog I’m part of during the A to Z Challenge over at the IWSG. Now onto
your world.
Does it get cold in your world? What is the climate
like? Will there be seasons? Is it dry, rainy or tropical? Are your characters
going to have to camp out? Does the wind blow all the time? Snow? Will a sunny,
moderate climate be boring?
Going along with the climate, what clothing are your
characters sporting? Start with the material. Wool? Cotton? Hides? Synthetics?
Are social classes distinguishable by their clothing? Hand-stitched? What are
they using for needles and thread? Are they wearing hose? What about
undergarments? Belts or suspenders? Buttons or zippers? Hats or helmets? Will
you spend many of your words on clothing at all?
Can you see how climate could play a role in your book? Do you find clothing an essential part of your book or something forgotten in the background?
How about the climate in your worlds? Do you have a least or most favorite to write about?
ReplyDeleteI love choosing the climate in my worlds, it really does make a big difference. Clothing, not so much.
ReplyDeleteI had fun with climate in my fourth fiction book since it was set in ABQ, NM. ABQ can be very hot in the summer and very cold and snowy in the winter. And there's wind. All The Time. (Helped that I used to live there, too.)
ReplyDeleteI love thinking about the clothing characters wear. It was fun to explore 19th century clothes and styles for my recent book.
ReplyDeleteSince my novel is contemporary... clothing is something I like to think about at length. However, readers don't want to know what every person is wearing on any given day. Sometimes just a detail now and then paints the picture. Less is more. Now in fantasy or historical works... I think readers want more of that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteI don't put a lot into clothing. Working on that. Climate played a big role in my second and third books.
ReplyDeleteClimate I've used a time or two, but clothing I mention once and that is it usually, hmm lol
ReplyDeleteI don't think too much about clothing in real life let alone in what I write about. But I guess it's not something that has come up so far. I do consider climate though. Especially when it comes to specific weather events. Climate can be a big influence on a setting and what happens in that setting.
ReplyDeleteLee
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog
Examine the world is an inner and outer event/s.
ReplyDeleteWe are also Susans at the a to z Challenge:
Garden of Eden Blog
Regards,
Susan
Cool topic ;-)
ReplyDeleteAlways very important elements. More often times than not there's no mention of the climate, or the geography, for that matter. I makes me all lost. Excellent post! :)
ReplyDeleteI love to dress my characters and have to careful not to overdo the description because I kind of fall in love with the garments.
ReplyDeleteClimate and clothing really are important when you're building a world. When I was doing research for a future project where I had to create a whole world including new plants, trees and flowers, I also tried to re-imagine my character's clothing. I couldn't just let them wear jeans and t'shirts in a futuristic world.
ReplyDeleteI think, even though I do not write books, but as a reader both climate and clothes, make the imagination go wild :)
ReplyDeleteGreat questions, as always Susan! :)
ReplyDeleteAnother great point Susan, thank you.
ReplyDeleteYikes! Climate makes ALL the difference in a story world. Entire cultures and ways of life are built around climate.
ReplyDelete--Great prompt.
It's these kinds of details that make your story and characters more real! Thanks for your post!
ReplyDeleteGreat questions about the clothes. I really am keeping track for myself, here. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDue to the fact I live around Buffalo, climate always plays a major factor. And clothing as well. I incorporate them into my books.
ReplyDeleteMostly, I have just played with the weather in my stuff, but the Garden (in Shadow Spinner) does have a special climate.
ReplyDeleteIt's exciting to find another writer doing worldbuilding for A-Z!
ReplyDeleteClimate is a lot of fun to toy with, and I do have it as a plot point in a fantasy series I'm working on. Lightning can be a pretty crazy omen!
Clothing was my topic of choice for today over on my blog, and it definitely plays a role in all my stories!
~Rebekah Loper
Fantastical Ponderings - The A-Zs of Worldbuilding
The Rabid Rainbow Ferret Society
This part reminds me a bit of writing a historical novel. You need to build that world, but the writer draws on historical research instead of imagination.
ReplyDeleteA lot of my clothing is the same as most of the medieval history and sword and sorcery fantasies. And some of it is my own. I mean, really, a female assassin in a long, leather skirt with slits up to the thighs and a leather corset? Well, she's got to be able to move, for one, but she also has to use her feminine wiles. ;) I have seaons, I have long winters and blistering summers. I even made up my own calendar and holidays. I love world building!
ReplyDeleteSometimes, climate can be a character in itself! Actually, that's the same with clothing when people are forced to wear specific clothes. Great ideas, thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteRandom Musings from the KristenHead — C is for 'Copper' and Cats (and More Cats)