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30 exercises to help you outline the setting for your novel |
Exercise 8 : Hierarchy Societies function and thrive through a diversity of roles and delegation of efforts. Farmers, soldiers, craftsmen, merchants ... each contributes something to the whole, but co-operation needs organisation and that means some form of hierarchy. Outline one of the hierarchies in your world. Things to consider: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Exercise 9 : Travel Different environments, different levels of technology, different resources, different purposes, come together in the development of a mode of travel. Even if the answer to this question is obvious, take a moment to think and understand why your mode of travel is the inevitable solution. Things to consider: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Exercise 10 : Education Education is the process of teaching or learning. A 'formal' education is one earned in a school, college, or other institute dedicated specifically to the purpose. Informal learning refers to learning that occurs away from a structured, formal classroom environment. Things to consider: ![]() ![]() ![]() Exercise 11 : Sickness Mortals are plagued with a number of problems in their lifetimes, including literal plagues. Today, I’m not after a lethal outbreak of infectious disease, but something endemic. Decide on a common illness and how the condition is treated. This might be a simple cold or something more serious, but it should be curable (whether your character has access to the cure or not). It shouldn’t be a total surprise to the character: instances of people contracting it should be fairly normal. On top of deciding what this illness is, consider what healthcare is available in your world. Things to consider: ![]() ![]() ![]() Exercise 12 : Crime Laws come into being as a matter of necessity to protect a society and keep it functioning. What constitutes a crime, what motivates one, and how crime is combated are your questions for today. Things to consider: ![]() ![]() ![]() Exercise 13 : Slums Scavenging a living on the fringes of society are the denizens of the slums. The unwanted and unwashed, clawing a living from the mire. Poverty comes in many forms, but slums house the utterly destitute. ![]() ![]() ![]() Exercise 14 : Review Day Go back over your notes from the past week. Do any further research, add to your notes, and make any adjustments or corrections. If you have any other ideas that you want to get down at this point, submit those too. |