Analogues Inventing an animal or plant is easier if we base it on one or more Earth equivalents, of which tens of thousands exist. Analogues free us from becoming experts in botany, for example, because our lifeform has details that Read More …
Category: Volume 1
More Animal Classification Tips
This section discusses ways to use animals as guards, pets, transportation, and for materials to make things like clothes.
How to Use Animals Effectively
Animals As with plants, humanoid species use animals in many ways, including as food, pets, transportation, entertainment/sport, guards, domestic work, and for materials such as hides, bones, and even fluids. Other humanoid species can also be used for these things, Read More …
How to Use Plants Effectively
Beyond our purpose in inventing a plant or animal, we can think about how they are used by our world’s inhabitants. Food is an obvious way, and some food will have cultural or religious ideas associated with them; some items Read More …
How to Classify Fish, Mammals, and Reptiles
Fish and Other Aquatic Life Fish are aquatic animals that have fins and gills and are cold-blooded, their body temperatures affected by environment. This includes eels, actual fish, lampreys, rays, and sharks, but not some animals that have the word Read More …
How to Classify Amphibians and Birds
Animals While there are many types of animals we could create, some are more likely candidates than others. To get started, knowing how they’re classified might give us ideas. Classification Animals are either invertebrates or vertebrates; i.e., spineless or not. Read More …
How Your Plants Lifecycle Can Be Unique
This section talks about how a plant’s life cycle can be used to make a plant more interesting.
How to Classify the Plants We Invent
When creating plants, we must know their climate, which is covered in Creating Places, (The Art of World Building, #2). But unless ours is an ice world, for example, it can be assumed that all climates exist somewhere, which means Read More …
Why You Should Create Plants and Animals
Creating Something Different One reason to create plants and animals is that they can give our world a different look and feel. The more we create, the more pronounced this impression, especially when we link choices and behaviors of our Read More …
Should You Create Plants and Animals?
It takes less time to invent an animal than a humanoid species, gods, or even monsters because animals aren’t as complex. Plants are even simpler. First we’ll consider whether we should invent them or not. Then we’ll look at specifics Read More …