New prompt list!

[magibrain]

Just in time for June, I've whipped up a prompt list full of culturebuilding considerations.

ysabetwordsmith compiled a list of worldbuilding topics a while ago, which is quite handy for getting a feel of the world in which your story takes place; it's got topics like Continents, Nations, Atmosphere, Orbit, Climate, Precious Metals, etc. But while I was playing around with it, I realized I wanted something with a different focus: something that would help me figure out the day-to-day experience of walking around or living in a location.

So, on my Bingo generator, under the Community-Contributed Lists section, I've got a new Culturebuilding Considerations (by An) list. With it, you can generate a card like this one, which you're free to use as a public card:

Talents / Aptitudes / Abilities	Attitude Toward Religion	Daily Worship	Climate	Fashion - Clothes
Population Density	Family Structure	Celebrations	Population Diversity	Major Cultural Figures
Fashion - Hair	Literacy	Trade	Inheritance	Crime
Taboo	Technology and Invention	Body Language and Gestures	Wealth and Poverty	Daily Schedules
Idioms and Proverbs	Art	Governance	Timekeeping and Punctuality	Attitude Toward Science and Education

I hope it'll be complimentary to existing lists on there. For example, you might use Ysabet's list to develop the world in which your story takes place, and then increase the magnification and work through the culturebuilding to help you inhabit the world.

Enjoy!

Comments

[samuraiter]

*hat*

Thank you for the list upgrade, as well as the Bingo Generator in general!

[magibrain]

You are very welcome!

Ooo ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

SHINY. :D You are made of so much win.

Might you consider hosting a bingo fest here? World/culture building would make an awesome theme. September and December are still open, although it's also acceptable to stack overlapping fests into the same time period.

[magibrain]

Hmm! This would be a really cool bingo fest – actually, it might be really cool to do a set of, say, three bingo fests, one after another: one for worldbuilding, one for culturebuilding, one for characterbuilding or castbuilding.

What does running a fest entail? I'm pretty overcommitted at the moment and wary of adding anything else on, even late in the year, but it's definitely something I'd be interested in once life settles down a little.

Okay...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Hmm! This would be a really cool bingo fest – actually, it might be really cool to do a set of, say, three bingo fests, one after another: one for worldbuilding, one for culturebuilding, one for characterbuilding or castbuilding. <<

Running sequential fests would be one good option. Another would be to run a single fest with separate prompt categories to mix or match as desired. I did that with Valentine's Day this year -- like having one for romance, one for heartbreak, etc.

>> What does running a fest entail? I'm pretty overcommitted at the moment and wary of adding anything else on, even late in the year, but it's definitely something I'd be interested in once life settles down a little. <<

* Make or choose the prompt list(s).

* Post a description of the fest, either a couple weeks in advance or the first day, with the prompt list(s) and any special instructions.

* It's not required, but is nice to cheer for anyone who posts a claim during the fest.

* Post a wrapup at the end.

For examples, just browse the community, we've had lots of fests. The guidelines are not rigid, so there's plenty of variation. For more detailed directions, see the Community Calendar page.

Ideas!

[magibrain]

Hmm. I may be able to take September with a Flesh Out Your World Fest, which could optionally run for 2 months to get people ready for NaNoWriMo.

I'm thinking about trying a "4 stories, 4 themes, 4 prompts each" schema. So:

Fest-goers would decide whether they wanted creative choice or creative constraint. Then they'd generate 4 cards, and try to write one story or prompt response based on each of those cards – 4 stories in total.

One card would use the worldbuilding list, one would use the culturebuilding list, one would use a cast/groupbuilding list, and one would use a character-building list.

For fest-goers who wanted creative choices, they'd generate a 4x4 list. For those who wanted constraint, they'd generate a 2x2 postage stamp. Regardless of which way they chose, their goal would be to write a prompt response that illustrated 4 prompts at once: a bingo on the 4x4, or a blackout on the 2x2.

It'd only be 4 fills overall (unless people wanted to do repeats), but it'd stretch the mental muscles involving building relations between these elements and finding their intersections. And it'd help people get a feel for their world on multiple levels.

Re: Ideas!

[ysabetwordsmith]

That sounds fantastic. People seem to like having options for different types of cards or bingo plays.

Shall I pencil you in for September-October?

Re: Ideas!

[magibrain]

Sure! Pencil me in.

Re: Ideas!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Done! Thank you for volunteering.

Re: Ideas!

[clare_dragonfly]

That sounds FABULOUS.