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.
What kind of vocations do people pursue in your world? Carpenters? Soldiers? Teachers? Are they born into careers? Do they have to be tested or apprenticed to enter a profession? Magicians? What do your characters consider valuable? Land ownership? Gold? Jewels? The number of men in their army? Something less tangible such as personal freedom or independence? Will your characters change their idea of what is valuable as the story progresses?
What interesting vocation would you pick for your characters? Do you think precious metals and gemstones will always be valuable in human societies?
25 comments:
Vocations are tricky for me, to be honest. I have a hard time figuring out what some of my characters do, or will do, for a career sometimes!
it's amazing the things you dont think about when writing a new world - i chose some stereotypical vocations for the characters in my fantasy to emphasize how traditional their stations were and how even when kids grow up they can choose to do whatever they want... like ogres are "dumb" and have a limited sense of smell so they are the garbage men, they dont have a choice. and i love technology - its magic that's possible!
only 4 letters to go!
I never really explored things of value or even what would constitute as money. Just didn't factor into my stories.
Oh yes, jobs are very important because it's all part of who the people are and what the society is like.
I'm in the midst of trying to land on a specific vocation for a possible new MC...I like it better when it just comes to me instead of having to think abou tit.
valuable are usually each other, other than that, never really went into it
I think gemstones and precious metals will always be valuable. It's human nature to want/like pretty/interesting things.
Do I think precious metals will always be valuable in human societies? Yes and no. Did you watch the TV show Jericho back when it was on? If not, I highly recommend getting it on Netflix or however you watch stuff.
That show reminded me that if Some Big Event happened that cut off all communication. We no longer had TV, cell phones, any way to communicate other than talking to our neighbor... it would change things radically. If you knew that the country had been attacked (but not by who)... a community would tend to insulate itself as best it could. And what becomes valuable are the things that we need to survive. Salt, crops, water, fuel, and guns/ammo.
Precious gems only have value as much as we give them value. A dollar bill only has value because we all accept the notion that it is worth a certain amount. If something were to happen that changed that... it would just be another piece of paper. And you can't eat gold. If no one sees value in something, then it ceases to be valuable.
Good questions!
I haven't written about adults in a while--and my teens are usually too busy to have a job! So I'd have to say "student" is the vocation of choice for all of my characters.
I'm actually touching on vocations in my WIP right now. Amazing things happen when there's a new kingdom in the land. :)
Both great points! I had to create new jobs (magical jobs) for my world and it was a lot of fun. :)
I've been writing about young adults and middle graders in my novels right now, but some of my short stories have adults, and I always try to figure out what they do for her career, even if they never need to go to work during the life of the story. It still helps me understand who they are.
Nice to be following you.
Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
Way back when I wrote fiction, both were kid's books. Their only job was to get into trouble and then have fun.
Great points to ponder, as always, Susan. Hard to believe April's almost over! Kudos on keeping these posts interesting.
It's hard to imagine a society that doesn't set value on some tangible stone or object. I think we will always find something of beauty of value. I can think of hundreds of plots around just this.
At one time salt was highly valuable and now...who cares? I think if something is in abundance we do not put such a high value on it-think of the spice world of yesteryear. I do not write novels but i would think I want some kick-ass Valkyre come to our earth and not recall who she is but still has her same personality
It's surprising we stereo type people in different professions in the real world, estate agents, salespeople, HR
Nice to meet and connect through atozchallenge. http://aimingforapublishingdeal.blogspot.co.uk/
Vocations + valuables = very thought-provoking V-Day concepts! Thanks.
I think that figuring out what characters value is important for all stories, fantasy or not. It's one of the things I always ask myself when I'm working on characters!
In my fiction world, the society is advanced, and humanoid. Occupations range from scientist to space engineer, etc.
It does depend on which world you are on, however.
I've never really understood how gemstones have such a strong value. It's interesting to see what humans - or other characters - value!
I always try to pick unusual vocations for my protagonists. My latest one works in a funeral home. I think there could be other valuable things in society. Maybe worlds where books are rare or a song.
I suspect gold will always be valuable on this plane5t, but in another world, it might be something else that's very rare.
I like the question about what characters consider valuable. That's important to consider.
Hi, Susan. I'm here thanks to Robin. Looking forward to more visits.
I keep forgetting to do this exercise. I keep forgetting to lay out the details of what each of my characters values, what they may compromise their beliefs for, and why.
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