In my last post I discussed the second draft and suggested that people use it to flesh out the world of their story. Here are a few areas in which you can expand upon your first draft.
Physical descriptions
- The appearance of characters
- The geography and landscape of the settings
- The general climate and the day’s weather
- Plants and animals in the area
- Descriptions of the buildings, streets and other manmade structures
- Description of decorations and other character-based changes to setting
Cultural / environmental descriptions
- Types of people
- Shared values
- Conflicting values
- Political climate
- Economic status
- Class / social status
- Educational status
- Employment status
- Religion
- Local customs and quirks
- Time of year / seasonal events
Character / psychological descriptions
- Character’s strengths
- Character’s fears
- Character’s faults
- Character’s normal behavior
- Character’s behavior under stress
- Character’s personality / quirks
- Character’s past
- Character’s values
If you can think of any additional ways in which to flesh out the world of your story, please leave a comment.
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