Build-A-World

Since creating a language is not a little task, I am extending this challenge to include March as well. We will have on main challenge and two minor ones.

During these months we will be focusing on creating a usable language for your world. I will also provide notes on creating a language for just names. Creating the basic language has three steps:

1. Sound
2. Vocabulary
3. Grammar

I will divide my link list (to be posted later this afternoon) accordingly.

::The Challenges::

Main Challenge: Translate either the Babel text (Genesis 11:1-9) or "The Wind and the Sun" by Aesop into your conlang. I chose the Babel text because its use among parts of the conlang community. I chose the "The Wind and the Sun" since the the Langmaker website identifies it as a text some others in the community use.

Secondary Challenge A: Create a writing system for your language.
ETA: I changed 'alphabet' to 'writing system.' I had intended alphabet as a catch-all term, but alerted that it might not come across as such.

Secondary Challenge B: Label your map with your language. (You do not need to use the special writing system, especially if you did not create one.)

Quick Mod Note

I apologize for how long this is taking for me to put together. Last Tuesday, about an hour after posting on this community, I was offered a job that requires re-location. (Interviewing for this job, while also starting a new and temporary teaching job are what occupied me in January). The job starts next week. I have been scrambling to find a place to live, obtain furniture, kitchen supplies, and so on (due to how my roommate relationships worked out, I never needed to buy pots/pans/bowls/etc before). This is another reason why the challenge has been extended. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I have not forgotten this community. It is just that real life is a bit chaotic right now.

Welcome to the third month of build_a_world!

Originally this month was to be the design of intelligent life. However, given how busy last month was and this month will be for people, December will be a catch-up month instead.

If you've not completed any of the monthly challenge posts yet, this is your chance. The primary challenges for October and November are tagged here, while the secondary challenges are here.

Also, in addition to this being a catch-up month, I'll be posting a couple resource list posts as well. If there is a topic for which you'd like an annotated link list, please reply here. We'll also be trying out discussion posts later this month as well.

January will be a combination of intelligent species design and population density/distribution. That way we'll still be on track for constructed languages in February.

From reading over some of the comments in the talk posts over the past month, it seems that the size of the challenge may be a bit unwieldy or intimidating, especially during busy months.

For those that feel this way, would an optional weekly mini-challenge be helpful? The mini-challenges would be designed that accomplishing each would ensure finishing the monthly challenge on time.

Another idea is to make the monthly challenge smaller in scope.

If either of these options appeal to you, or if you have another idea, please comment below. Please also comment if you feel that such measures are unneeded.

Thank you.

World-building, as a creative endeavor, ignores traditional boundaries between art, math, writing, science, and more. The challenge is inherent in the task; can we overcome the same divisions? This comm will not be perfect, but it will strive to approach world-building from a variety of perspectives and challenge all of us to reach beyond our comfort zones.

Welcome, everyone, to build_a_world. If you haven't already, please introduce yourself over at the Meet & Greet.

October kicks off the first monthly challenge.

The task for October is to create our playground in the form of what will, for most of us, look like a map*. You do not have to draw. If you'd rather mold your world from clay or piece it together from legos, that's good too. As long as you have a scale and you can make sense of what you've made.

A world is not merely a collection of land and water (or steel and glass or so on). It is a collection of land, water, etc governed by rules. Before you start your map, you should understand these rules.

Do not yet place cities or countries. We'll do that after we make our intelligent species and figure out the population. If all you finish is a map of landmasses, mountains, rivers, and notes for where various biomes will go, that is fine as well. You can finish next month when we work out ecosystems.

I realize that not everyone is creating a planet. In that case, you need to think through what your playground will entail. If this includes mapping a star system, then map the star system. If you've a space station, then start mapping that.

The secondary challenge for this month is a writing one. Some of you are working in others' playgrounds or have already finished designing your own. In such cases, the challenge is to describe important natural landmarks, views, and so forth. Do not write as a native to the world. Instead, write like an Earthling from our time who has been transported to your world. What are three to five things they notice? What is most remarkable?

*As with any person-created representation of a thing, a map is only one view fraught with compromises, assumptions, arguments, and prejudice. That is why the challenge is to create your playground, rather than your map.

Maps

If you glance at the topics for October and November you'll see that both deal with creating a map for your world. Besides being a physical representation of your world, a map can help you keep track of distances, directions, and important locations. It is one of the fundamentals of worldbuilding.

It is also more difficult than it looks. Below is a list of resources that may help you create your map, even if, like me, you lack all artistic skills.

ETA: If you do not want to make a map, no worries!! If the primary challenge is remotely artistic, the secondary challenge will not be. Also, in this case, the below listed software and tutorials can make the process a lot easier. Before you balk, read through the 'Creating Your Map' section below.

( Things to Consider, Creating Your Map, and See Also )
tl:dr?

Check out the Cartographers' Guild. They've got you covered.

Month	Topics for Challenges
Sept	Set-up, FAQ, Meet & Greet
Oct	Creating your playground
Nov	Ecosystem
Dec	Intelligent life
Jan	Population density and distribution, political map
Feb	Language construction
Mar	Magic (maybe)
Apr	TBA
May	TBA
Jun	TBA
Jul	TBA
Aug	TBA
Sept	TBA