Guide to Fantasy Writing - Culture

In every fantasy novel you may need to consider the culture of the people in your world. If your world resembles our own then traditions and way of life may already exist and research might be needed. However, if your story does not take place on our world then you may need to come up with a culture.

You may want to consider the ten aspects of culture:

1.   Food
2.   Language
3.   Religion
4.   Entertainment
5.   Clothing

6.   Ethnic
7.   Tradition
8.   Standard of Living
9.   Government
10.  Education

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I will outline a few of the above which I think are worth covering in this post but when considering your own story you should attempt to describe each one of these elements.

Religion

Religion is a subject that can be interesting to imagine and write. Just as in our own world, religion can have a major influence on your people. It can instigate war or bring people together. It is up to you how much religion impacts your world.

If you decide to form a fictional religion you will then need to decide on the belief of the people. Is it a single god/goddess or are there multiple deities? What do these deities represent? Do people live in awe or fear of the deities? How do people show their loyalty if at all? And finally, do we know whether they are real? In my own novel, Sky Stone, I have two deities, the White Maiden and Crimson Knight, and they play a major part in why my world operates the way it does.

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Clothing/Food

Clothing and Food are two items which may differ due to the environment. If you have set your novel in an ice laden wasteland then food may be scarce and the clothing made of thick furs. What grows or lives in your environment? Food taste will depend on what is available for flavour and any meat can only be of animals that exist in the area.

Clothing will depend on temperature, time period (if this is relevant) and tradition. If it is cold then thicker clothing, coats and cloaks for example. Hot, then perhaps lighter clothing or sun-protective garments. If your story is set in the middle ages then you could expect tunics and hosen on men and long flowing dresses for women, this obviously being altered by social standing. Tradition can affect clothing as by the types of colours, cuts of dresses, accessories etc. that may be worn by different groups of people.

Standard of Living/Government 

Standard of living can have a major impact on your people. What ranks exist? How widely do the less privileged people differ from the wealthier? How is rank and power determined? By magical power? By wealth? By blood? Or by deeds completed? Rank can go hand in hand with what type of government exists. Are your people governed by a monarchy, some type of council, or both? When a monarchy is involved there may be nobles who are vying among themselves for the throne. These people may not care for the lives of mere peasants.

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Culture is composed of many aspects that need to be investigated to bring your fictional world to life. If you are having difficulty with this part of world creation (and you have time) then I suggest you read Robert Jordan's 'Wheel of Time' series. He creates an extraordinary world with multiple cultures vividly described.

Scarlett Van Dijk

Share a little about the culture you have created in the comments section below.