Worldbuilding: Climate & Weather

What is the atmosphere like on earth, your fantasy world, or distant planet? Is it a heat wave, an ice age, stable, or unstable?

Do they need special equipment or adaptations to live there?

What is the climate zone: subtropical, tropical, temperate, equatorial, or polar?

What are the average temperatures for the different times of year? Do they have seasons?

How clean is their air, water, and land? 

How safe is their natural world overall? 

How safe is their ten-mile radius?

What weather do they experience?

What is their ecosystem : aquatic, marine, large marine, freshwater, lake, river, wetlands, rain Forest, swamp, terrestrial, forest, seaside, riverbank zone, urban, suburban, rural, desert, bio dome, space station, space outpost, or magical kingdom with other unique features? It could be above ground, underground, or floating in the sky.

What is the topography: craters, deserts, forests, mountains, plains, savannas, tundra, valleys, canyons, volcanoes, caves, caverns, lava tubes, lava flows, waterfalls, unique rock formations, sandy beaches, rocky beaches, cliffs, rolling hills, hot springs, geysers, rain forest, glaciers, ice caves, ice floes, or permafrost?

 What natural resources do they have?

Do they have easy access to drinkable water?

Do they trade or travel via water?

How easy is it for them to leave their area?

How easy is it for other people to reach their area?

Next week, we will explore flora and fauna.

For advanced world-building, the SBB Build A World Workbook is available in print and e-book.

Other titles in the series:

Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict available in print and e-book takes you from story seed to conflict outline. The fourteen companion Build A Plot Workbooks, in print and e-book, offer step by step development prompts: Comedy, Con, Heist & Prison Break, Fantasy, Gothic, Historical, Horror, Literary
(Drama),  Mystery, Road Trip, Romance, Science Fiction, Team Victory, Thriller & Suspense, Western.

SBB II Crafting Believable Conflict in print and e-book and the Build A Cast Workbook in print and e-book help you build a believable cast and add conflict based on the sixteen personality types.

SBB III The Revision Layers in print and e-book helps you self-edit your manuscript.

Free story building tools are available at www.dianahurwitz.com.