Geography in Nation-Building

It would be a stretch to say that there are strict rules on how nations are formed. However, there are some factors that influence how they will identify themselves. A seafaring nation will pride itself on their sailors, their proud fisherman tradition, a mountainous country will pride itself on the strength of its people who endure the hard life style. The borders we draw for groups of people living in a certain area is affected by the same thing that affects their identities. The rivers, mountains, planes and seascapes are what involuntarily influence the history of a certain group. In fantasy this set of factors are all the same. Dwarves living in mountains are small and hardy, Elves living in forests are calm and collected. The peoples of the world you are creating are affected by their surroundings just as the people living in the real world are.

This is what we should look out for when we create nations and kingdoms in our world building. Heavily forested areas will tend to have mysteries concerning the woods that play a pivotal role in their lives. A seafaring nation will tell tales of krakens and haunting beasts from the deep seas. All these little factors tend to give your world flavor.

Making a Map

Starting out with a rough draft of a map can give you more of a sense of what kinds of climates your story will take the readers through. What kinds of people they will encounter, what kinds of warfare will they be using and most importantly how they will react to your characters. A people bred in swamps will act differently than a people which live in splendor. Mistrust and folktales will have a distinctive flavor to them. Starting with a map can help you see clearly where you are going and what you will encounter, it is no different with your characters.

Creating Cultures

Poets and artists are more often than naught inspired by their surroundings, the people and what they have on a daily basis. A culture derives itself from its people and the artists that notice the intricacies of daily life. The language will be different from region to region, the manner in which people conduct themselves will differ also. Good world-building entails a good look at how our world functions, and then seeing how it can be recreated or replicated in our fictional world. For instance in my novel I have a person living in a mountainous region, it is hard to get them to trust you because of the horrors they encounter in their everyday lives. However, those people can become stall-worth allies in times of trouble and loyal friends for your characters. They are completely different from people living on the seaside in big trading cities, always looking to trick you and get a better deal. Where people live and how they live will give you a good idea of what their culture and their nature will be like.

How Your Story Influences Nations

The story you are creating will have a pivotal influence on the nations and peoples you have put into the world. It might be worth figuring out how exactly it will affect them, would they really support your character or do they have better things to do. Maybe a nation will feel threatened by your character's quest. Maybe they will see a guiding light and support you, it depends on how the nations you party encounters are living. As an example, one of the nations in my novel has been the mockery of other allied nations for a long time, a series of unambitious leaders has led them to stray. After a while they got a leader that is ruthless and ambitious and this has led the impoverished people of that nation to support their leader wholeheartedly. Different geographical conditions will breed different economical and cultural tendencies. It is because of this that nation-builder is so much fun, we have to imagine the lives of these people and give them meaning just as much as our characters. You wouldn’t be mistaken if you take the nations in your story as a kind of secondary character. There is no better way of giving the world flavor.

Nation building, like world building, is a daunting task, but it is enamoring most of the time. This addictive experience will quite quickly make you add more and more to the world, maybe even adding languages and sayings. There is no other experience like it, and I hope this set of tips can help you out.