Category: From the Author’s Desk

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From the Author’s Desk: Worldbuilding 101: Get an Education

It may seem like education is something you only need to think about if you’re writing a dark academy romance or a story set at a conventional school, but the concept of knowledge acquisition is much more than a setting. Knowing how education works in your world forms a solid backdrop to conversations that rub up against the edges of character background (“So, where did you go to school?” your main character asks the love interest. “I didn’t,” she snaps. “Not all of us hit the lottery by being born.”)

Consider the following questions for the world of your story: 

  • What does it mean to be educated in your world? What would an educated person know about that an uneducated one would not?
  • Are there public schools?  Is school compulsory? Does everyone have to go to school? Are there private schools (religious schools)? How does a person learn things in your world? Are they trained at home by family? Who can go to school? Who cannot? Is it reserved for certain classes/people/families/locations?
  • How is the education system organized? How many levels of schooling are there? Who oversees this system? Is it specific to parts of the world or standardized everywhere (Common Core?)?
  • Are there lifelong scholars? How does the rest of society view them? What do they study for a lifetime? Do they write down their findings or lecture to crowds? Or do they hoard their knowledge?
  • Are there trade schools, or do people learn from an individual tradesperson? What are considered desirable trades? Why? What are undesirable trades?
  • How are educators viewed by the general public? Is teaching an honorable profession? Are educators paid well? What is required for one to become a teacher? Are there schools that train educators? Or is just having knowledge/skills enough? Can anyone become a teacher?
  • What do students learn in school—skills or facts or both? How are they assessed (OWLs, SATs, Divergence testing, trial by fire)?
  • Does graduation have any significance? How do people view this milestone? When does it happen (elementary school, middle school, high school, college, post-grad)?
  • Do inhabitants need official paperwork to prove their education, or do others trust their word? How is the paperwork stored or shared if it is required? Do people forge these?
  • Where is the knowledge in your world kept? Are libraries a thing? Is knowledge hoarded or shared with the people? How is information stored–books, data drives, communal memories?
  • Are there major schools that everyone knows about? Are there secret schools that only certain people know about? Why? What are they?
  • What does an average school day look like in your world? Break this down by age if that’s how your world works. Do people stay at home and attend school during the day or do they go away to school for months at a time (or both, depending on economic situation)?
  • What are the requirements to get into certain schools? How are students assessed and on what grounds? What is a “good” school?
  •  How do people view the educated? How do they view the uneducated?
  •  How much does the average person know about the educational system in your world?

And some bonus questions to think about:

  • How much of our familiar systems of education are featured in your world? Why did you choose to keep these elements in your story?
  • What style of knowledge keeping did you incorporate into your story? Is information kept in books or on computers or in someone’s memory? How does this affect your storyline?
  • How relevant to your own educational experience are the details in your world? Does the education of your characters reflect the one you received? Why or why not?
  • Is your story following a popular trope (academy, magic school, etc.)? How much of the real-world is folded into your version of this common story? What aspects of the school experience have you altered and why?
  • How important is the idea of education in your story? How important is the idea of education to you?

Even if your story doesn’t focus on education or take place at a school, knowing how this fundamental experience works in your world will lend depth to your conversations and context to your conflicts. 

More in The General Worldbuilding Guide, available wherever books are sold!

The General Worldbuilding Guide (The World Building Guide Book 1)
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From the Author’s Desk – Worldbuilding 101: Mapmaking

Readers love maps. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing fantasy, thriller, or romance, whether your story takes place in the real world, your version of the real world, or a completely invented world. Readers enjoy pinpointing locations on a map and visualizing the spaces between events and locations. Taking the time to create one is general worth it–both for your readers and for you as the author. 

Maps keep you honest and lock in your world details–if the hero’s apartment is at Point A and the murder occurs at Point B and you said those points are 30 minutes apart in book one, having it visualized on a map helps you maintain that distance for the other books in the series. 

There are plenty of ways to create a map. Many apps will do it for you if you aren’t artistically talented (I really like Wonderdraft!). 

If you want a more old-school approach to mapmaking–with a dash of roleplaying games and fate–consider the following method:

Shameless Self-Promotion Time: Did you enjoy these kinds of activities? Check out more in The General Worldbuilding Guide, available wherever books are sold!

The General Worldbuilding Guide (The World Building Guide Book 1)
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From the Author’s Desk: Worldbuilding 101: Consider Your World’s Cultures

Thinking about the way different people behave is an integral part of worldbuilding. Often it impacts your story, but sometimes, it’s just background that gives readers the feeling that there is a lot more below the water’s surface–that the iceberg is indeed quite deep. One way to do that is to flesh out small details as well as the big picture ideas. 

When it’s time to build the cultural practices of the people in your world, consider the following questions: 

  1. What are the cultural practices of the people in your world? How are the cultural guidelines unique? Are they specific to different groups? In what way? (Do they brush their teeth with their toes? Do they leave their babies with strangers? Do they shave their heads before childbirth? Do they use distilled human remains to lengthen their lives like in Jupiter Ascending?)
  2. How do different groups of people view one another and why? What is the power dynamic between different groups (gender, race, country, etc.)? Are men in charge of women or vice versa or are they equal? Are certain races or nationalities seen in specific ways? (Women are subservient, Vikings are wild men, orcs are evil, Native Americans are noble savages, etc.).
  3. What religions exist in your world? How do they function and who follows them? How important is religion in this world—enough to fight wars over? 
  4. Does slavery exist in your world? How does it work? Which group enslaves what other group? How do people become slaves and how can they be freed? How do other cultures view those who practice slavery?
  5. What is considered a family unit in this world? How does the average person define “family”? What determines who runs a family unit? Is it the breadwinner, the oldest, the one born under a good sign?
  6. Are small or big families common in your world? At what point has one reached a “big” family? Is this a social status thing—do lower classes have fewer children while higher classes have many?
  7. What is the general attitude toward birth control in your world? Is it available? Is it encouraged or frowned upon? Does abortion exist as a medical procedure or a concoction of plants? How do people view single parents?
  8. At what age is an inhabitant considered an adult? What is the average life expectancy for your people? How does social status affect that projection? Do wealthier people live longer?
  9. How is adulthood different from childhood? Is “childhood” a thing in your world or are children expected to behave like little adults from the time they can walk and communicate?
  10. What are common child rearing practices among inhabitants? How are children treated in your world? How do parents discipline their children? Are children expected to work right away or can they wait until they are older?
  11. What kind of stories are told to the children of your world? Is there a boogeyman? What are children taught to fear? To respect? Why?
  12. What kind of games do children play? Where do those games come from?
  13. What are some of the sports in your world? How are they played?
  14. What is considered art in your world? Is it the traditional Humanities (painting, sculpture, music, literature, etc.) or is there more to it? Do people argue about what is “art”? Is art valued in this world or seen as a waste of time and energy? Is reading stories or listening to music a treasured moment or a lazy indulgence?
  15.   Can the average person in this world read? Are fiction/non-fiction books a thing, or are they oral stories, or both? How many books does the typical person in the world have at home? What kind of books would a person read—fiction, history, science?
  16. How do people relax in your world? What are some common hobbies? What activities would the average person do at home after the “major” work of the day is over—needlecraft, painting, sculpting, cooking, watching television?
  17. Is the schedule of the average person set by sunlight and everyone goes to sleep at sunset, or do people stay up after dark to do things? Is non-natural light available? How is the average day divided into work and play? 
  18. Are there major holidays in your world? What are they? Where did they come from?  How do inhabitants celebrate important days throughout the year? Do people celebrate equinoxes/solstices? Are certain days more important than others? 
  19. How do inhabitants keep track of birthdays? Are they celebrated? Do birthdays involve cake and presents or something else? (Hobbits give away presents on their birthday.)
  20. What are common hygiene practices for the people? Do they bathe every day, wear perfume, wash their clothes often? Is there an industry of products around hygiene (hair, body wash, soap, make-up, etc.)?
  21. How much food does the average person have in their home? Is it common for people to make dinner at home, or do they grab food elsewhere? Is food delivery a thing in this world (Doordash, Uber eats, etc.)?
  22. What are some popular foods that are unique to your world? What is considered a lavish meal, an afternoon snack, a poor-man’s-breakfast?
  23. Is food preserved in some way, or is it all fresh? Do people store food for the winter because they must supply it themselves, or is it always available?
  24. What do the inhabitants of your world celebrate (birth, graduation, new cars)?
  25. What do they grieve (war, famine, death of a loved one)? What do they fear (spiders, zombies, pandemic)?
  26. What do they love (other people, satisfying pens, great advice)?
  27. Do people have pets? What is considered a normal pet in your world? Where is the line between a pet and a food source?
  28. What do people value? What is considered beautiful or handsome? What facial/body features are prized right now?
  29. Are certain traditions prized more than others? What practices are looked down on by most people?
  30. How much does the average person know about the cultural practices of other people?

Considering the answers to some of these questions when you aren’t writing will allow you to continue writing when you reach the moment when you need to insert a detail about one of these beliefs or behaviors or practices. Like thinking this way? Check out The General Worldbuilding Guide for more questions and fun activities!

The General Worldbuilding Guide (The World Building Guide Book 1)
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From the Author’s Desk: Worldbuilding 101: Let’s Talk about the Weather

An often overlooked element in worldbuilding, the weather is more than just background noise. Tiny details here and there–along with a reliable and consistent system–can bridge the gap between a fun read in an interesting world and a fascinating read in a richly developed world that lingers long after the last page is completed. 

Here are some questions to consider when planning the weather for your world (and story): 

  • What is the typical weather in your world? Are there seasonal changes? Describe these shifts.
  • Is your world big enough to have different seasons at the same time (winter in North and summer in South)?
  • What are some typical weather patterns in your world? Is it the stuff we know: snowstorms, rain, humidity, sunshine, and clouds?
  • Do you have weather phenomena unique to your world? Does it occasionally rain shells in the mountains, or does sand show up over the ocean?
  • How do people respond to the weather in your world? Can they affect it at all (weather machines, magic, or just wear a warmer coat)?
  • What kind of natural disasters are a result of the weather in your world? Do people freeze to death in blizzards, drown in tsunamis, suffocate in mudslides?
  • Do people study the weather in this world? Is there an understanding of weather patterns, or is it just angry gods playing in the sky? Is meteorology a thing in this world or do people guess (“My hip aches—snow’s coming”)? How trusted are meteorologists?
  • Is the weather changing, or has it always been this way? Are the inhabitants of the world affecting the weather patterns (climate change)?
  • Do people have special names for different seasons in your world? What are they?
  • How much does the average person know about the weather in your world?

Bonus questions to ponder:

  • What weather events from our world will you incorporate in your world? Why those and not others?
  • Describing the weather in our world is easy enough based on the location of the situation: it’s colder in the North and warmer in the South. Does your world have such distinctions?
  • In our world, science explains natural phenomena (thunderstorms, hurricanes, blizzards, etc.). How do the inhabitants of your world explain why natural events happen?
  • In our world, we are often at the mercy of the weather. How much agency do the inhabitants of your world have when it comes to the weather? Can they make it rain?
  • How much personal experience do you have with certain weather phenomena and what will you have to research?

When worldbuilding, a good habit is to create a weather tracker for your world (or at least one location in your world—pick the dominant one in your story). You should know the answers to the following questions without interrupting the writing process: What are the seasons of the year? What is the weather like during those seasons? How will the weather impact your story? 
For more Worldbuilding Questions, check out The General Worldbuilding Guide!

The General Worldbuilding Guide (The World Building Guide Book 1)
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From the Author’s Desk: Calling all English Teachers!

Looking for a new composition book for your class? The faculty at Hillsborough Community College decided that none of the publishers had what our students needed, so we wrote our own book that meets the needs of today’s students. 

Composition & Grammar is an easy to use, ADA-compliant textbook that includes useful overviews, practice exercises, and student samples. 

Take a look at the Table of Contents to see what is included in the textbook:

  • Part 1: Reading
    • Ch 1 Active Reading Techniques 
    • Ch 2 Reading Comprehension Strategies
  • Part 2: Writing Process
    • Ch 3 Writing Situation 
    • Ch 4 Writing as Exploration 
    • Ch 5 Planning/ Prewriting
    • Ch 6 Outlines 
    • Ch 7 Thesis Statements 
    • Ch 8 Introductions 
    • Ch 9 Conclusions 
    • Ch 10 Organization
    • Ch 11 Drafting, Revising, & Editing 
  • Part 3: Modes and Types of Writing
    • Ch 12 Writing Modes
    • Ch 12.1 Narration 
    • Ch 12.2 Description 
    • Ch 12.3 Exemplification
    • Ch 12.4 Definition 
    • Ch 12.5 Classification/Division 
    • Ch 12.6 Process 
    • Ch 12.8 Cause & Effect 
    • Ch 12.9 Argumentation 
    • Ch 13 Types of Writing 
  • Part 4: Grammar
    • Ch 14 Parts of Speech 
    • Ch 14.1 Nouns
    • Ch 14.2 Verbs
    • Ch 14.3 Adjectives 
    • Ch 14.4 Adverbs
    • Ch 14.5 Prepositions 
    • Ch 14.6 Pronouns 
    • Ch 14.7 Conjunctions 
    • Ch 14.8 Interjections 
    • Ch 15 Sentence Structure
    • Ch 15.1 Parts of a Sentence
    • Ch 15.2 Types, Patterns, & Structure 
    • Ch 15.3 Coordination & Subordination 
    • Ch 15.4 Modifiers 
    • Ch 15.5 Parallelism 
    • Ch 16 Punctuation 
    • Ch 16.1 End Punctuation 
    • Ch 16.2 Commas 
    • Ch 16.3 Semicolons 
    • Ch 16.4 Colons 
    • Ch 16.5 Apostrophes 
    • Ch 16.6 Hyphens 
    • Ch 16.7 Dashes & Parentheses 
    • Ch 16.8 Ellipses & Brackets 
    • Ch 16.9 Quotation Marks & Italics 
    • Ch 17 Common Errors
    • Ch 17.1 Verb Errors 
    • Ch 17.2 Pronoun Problems 
    • Ch 17.3 Run-on/Fused Sentences
    • Ch 17.4 Comma Splices 
    • Ch 17.5 Sentence Fragments s
    • Ch 17.6 Mixed Sentences 
    • Ch 17.7 Commonly Confused Words 
    • Ch 18 Style 
    • Ch 18.1 Person
    • Ch 18.2 Voice
    • Ch 18.3 Diction 
    • Ch 18.4 Clarity & Conciseness 
    • Ch 18.5 Tone 
    • Ch 19 Reference Overview
    • Ch 19.1 Numbers 
    • Ch 19.2 Abbreviations 
    • Ch 19.3 Capitalization 
  • Part 5: Research
    • Ch 20 Plagiarism 
    • Ch 21 The Research Process 
    • Ch 22 Finding Sources 
    • Ch 23 Integrating Sources 
    • Ch 24 MLA Format 
    • Ch 25 APA Format 

We live in a world of words.

The way we interact with our fellow humans is very often based on the language that always surrounds us, whether it be the messages we send, the news we read, or the assignments we complete in classes that give us the education intended to lead us to success.

What might be the best way to navigate the complexity of language, especially in a first-year composition course? This book addresses these issues by presenting lessons, examples, and student samples through an approach that is friendly, conversational, and realistic.

Created by actual instructors of composition at HCC, this book includes many resources to guide composition students of different skill levels:

  • In-depth overviews of reading, writing, and revising
  • Engaging exercises that anticipate and address the most common errors of writers
  • Actual student samples that provide the basis of class discussions and analysis

With guidance that includes both theory and practice, Composition and Grammar for HCC by HCC provides students with the skills they need for their educational goals, their careers, and their lives.

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From the Author’s Desk: Worldbuilding 101: Diversity in Relationships

An important aspect to consider any time you are creating your world is how the inhabitants there interact with one another. You don’t need to be writing a romance to have relationships between characters, and those parameters should be clear to your readers. 

Here are some questions to consider when building the relationships in your world:

  1. What does the average relationship look like in your world? Describe the typical romantic relationship.
  2. What does an atypical romantic relationship in your world look like? Describe a relationship that exists but would surprise others.
  3. Is gender the deciding factor for one’s role in the relationship? How does gender present in your world? How are genders defined in your world (if gender is the social expectations associated with one’s assumed sex while sex is the biological determination using physical attributes)?
  4. How many sexes exist in your world? Are there same-sex relationships? How does society view same-sex couples? In Prince’s Priest by VC Willis, the scandal is that the relationship is between a vampire prince and a human priest. The fact that they are both men is an expected option in that world.
  5. How do people feel about relationships between classes? What about relationships between races? How does the average person feel about people from different places being in a relationship?
  6. How does a typical relationship progress? Describe the usual steps of a courtship (meeting, wooing, dating, flowers, sex, meeting families, moving in together, proposal, marriage, family, children, etc.).
  7. Do people choose their partners, or are relationships arranged by family members? Are arranged marriages the norm? Are they outdated or outlawed? If they are a thing, how do families determine a fitting suitor?
  8. How do couples introduce prospective partners to their families? Is this an important step in the courtship process or just a casual affair?
  9. Do couples live together (before/after marriage)? How does society feel about those who break this expectation one way or another?
  10. Do couples get married, or does cohabitation mean they are an official relationship? Which relationships are recognized as official by the government? Does marriage matter, or is it just a minor bit of paperwork?
  11. What does a typical wedding ceremony look like? Who attends? Who speaks and what do they say? Does someone need to vouch for the couple or forever hold their peace?
  12. Do couples need permission to marry? From whom? Is there a waiting period, or can people get married right away?
  13. Do people elope to Vegas or run away to be together? How does society feel about this behavior? Is it cute or romantic, juvenile or crazy?
  14. Do people change their name when they get married? Is the new member fully embraced by the partner’s family? (You’re a Jones now!)
  15. Is there a physical sign that shows a person is married (ring, hairstyle, article of clothing, etc.)? Can someone tell at a glance if a person is in a committed relationship or not?
  16. Do couples marry for love? Convenience? A combination of both? Why do most couples pair up?
  17. Can anyone marry anyone, or are there rules? Who establishes these rules? What happens to those who break the rules? Are they ostracized like Anna Karenina or forgiven like Count Vronsky?
  18.  What are the rules regarding marriage? Who established them? Why?
  19.  Is marriage about procreation and children and continuing the family name? How does society feel about childless couples? What is the general view on couples having children?
  20. In terms of children, do couples value one sex over another (boys over girls)? How about twins or triplets, etc.? Are such children a blessing by the gods or a curse?
  21. Consider the maternal mortality rate during childbirth in your world. Is childbirth a dangerous proposition for women in your world? (If only women can give birth.)  
  22. Are relationships limited to two people, or do people support multiple partners in relationships? How does society view thruples/poly-groups? In Signs of Affection by Lynn Chantale, the main character courts a love interest who practices polyamory.
  23. How does the average person define love in your world?
  24. Is love something that happens to a person (over which there is no control)? Do people fall in love like they fall off a cliff? Is love a conscious decision made by a person? Can a person choose to fall in love?
  25. Is love an expectation in relationships? Or is being part of a relationship more commonly a matter of convenience and love is found elsewhere?
  26. How do people view adultery? How do people view emotional affairs? Physical affairs? Where is the line when a relationship has become adulterous (a glance, a stolen kiss, a long hug, sex)?
  27. Are there established punishments for breaking a vow to a partner? How are they enforced? Are they different depending on who has committed the offense (women are killed while men are chastised)?
  28. Is love predetermined by an outside force? By what/whom? Are certain lovers fated to be together in your world?
  29. Is there a deity of love? Who is it? What powers do they have? How do people view this deity? How much control does a love deity have over the inhabitants?
  30. Are there love potions/love spells in your world? How do such things work? How long does a love potion/spell last? What are the long-term effects of a love potion? (Are the children of such unions born unable to love like Voldemort?)
  31. Do people believe in love at first sight? How do people feel about such relationships?
  32. Is love an acceptable excuse for irrational behavior? Do people excuse “crazy” behavior on account of love?
  33. Does love have physical symptoms? Can others see that a person is in love?
  34. Are the majority of the inhabitants romantics or cynics when it comes to love? What do your characters think about this?
  35. What does the average person think about relationships in your world?

Bonus Questions: 

  1. What kinds of familiar relationships are you featuring in your story? Why did you choose those and not others?
  2. What new types of relationships appear in your story? How are they different from traditional real-world connections?
  3. How much of the relationships depicted in your story are a reflection of your own experiences? What elements did you add to the relationships and why?
  4. How important are relationships in your story? Do they reflect real-world behavior, or are they exaggerated in some way? If so, how and why?
  5. If your story were turned into a film, what category would Netflix put it under: romance, romantic comedy, drama, horror, etc.? How much of the distinction is based on the types of relationships you include in your story?

Thinking more broadly about how relationships work beyond the scope of the story you’re telling allows you to write a story in a well-developed world, something readers will appreciate as they get to know your characters and the world they inhabit. For more Worldbuilding Questions, check out The General Worldbuilding Guide!

The General Worldbuilding Guide (The World Building Guide Book 1)