Build-A-World

I know-- an April challenge now? When the month is so nearly over? Yeah...

Alright, two things:

(1) for the past two months we have been working on creating a language; and
(2) April is poetry month.

The challenge is, using your world and/or language, create poetry. Not the poetic kind? No matter, there are options.

Choose one of the following:
(1) Write a poem in your conlang.
(2) Write a poem in your native language that is translated from a language within your world.
(2a) Include translator's notes.
(3) Translate a poem from an Earth language into your conlang.
(4) Write up a short paragraph discussing the difficulties of translating an Earth poem into a language from your world.

And, if you really, really don't want anything to do with poetry:
(5) Write 3-5 idioms used somewhere on your world. These can be translated into an Earth language, in your conlang, or both.

The reasoning behind this activity is not only to get a better grasp of your conlang, but to get an idea of how your world sounds, even if you didn't create a conlang. Also, the way we translate idioms, wordplay, and so forth can say a lot about our culture and circumstances. The Japanese proverb Even monkeys fall from trees would likely never generate in the States due its distinct lack of monkeys, other than in zoos, circuses, and so forth. While the proverb can be translated into English, the meaning may not be immediately apparent. Symbols also differ. In one culture a lake may represent peace, beauty, and life, while in another it signifies hidden depths and danger.

As we develop societies, I'll try to remember to return to language periodically, and ask how do people swear? make promises? describe the sunrise? and so forth, but, for now, poetry.

(And, yes, I will be posting a resource list concerning poetic forms and translation. My procrastinating on that is why this challenge is being posted so late. Sorry!)

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 November at build_a_world. Last month we designed our playgrounds; this month we'll populate them.

All worlds, including those that exist entirely on constructed structures, are a collection of ecosystems. An ecosystem is an area, defined by the climate and physical environment, of flora and fauna and the relationships between them and the non-living resources also within that area. When designing a world, it is all too easy to name a single creature or plant here and there without thinking about the relationships between them. These relationships between flora, fauna, and the environment shape the creature's and its population's size. Understanding how the ecosystem works can make your world feel more real. (This is true for interactions between people as well. If you know what they want, what is wanted from them by whom, and the levels at which it all balances out, you've got the basics of your society, etc).

Another important aspect of an ecosystem, besides relationships, is balance. A balanced ecosystem serves all within it. If another species enters that balance and cannot contribute to it, the ecosystem will start to fail (the rate of this failure will depend upon the degree of intrusion). Suddenly the flora and fauna need to find other ways to find food, water, living space, etc. Generalist species may survive, but specialist ones will start dying off. The ecosystem will continue crashing until a new balance is achieved. By that point, the area may be irretrievably changed.

Considering that this is the month of NaNoWriMo and Yuletide and that many are still working on their playgrounds, this will be a relatively light month. The primary question is a list of four questions, one for each week this month. The secondary challenge is to create an energy pyramid for an area of your world.

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.