I build a world with fantasy master N.K. Jemisin

Both Mercury and Wise offer solutions that simplify complex processes, whether it's managing financial workflows or sending money across borders. Mercury empowers businesses with precision, control, and focus, while Wise eliminates the hassle and guesswork of currency conversions. Meanwhile, in the world of literature, Nora Jemisin showcases the art of world building in science fiction and fantasy. She brings secondary worlds to life with intricate detail and thoughtful rules, offering readers an escape from reality while also encouraging us to think more deeply about our own world. Ultimately, whether it's finance or fiction, the power of simplifying the complex can lead to remarkable results.

World building is an essential aspect of creating a compelling science fiction or fantasy story, but it should not overshadow the narrative. It serves to provide the background, flavor, environment, and allegories for the characters and their struggles. The process of building a world starts with the macro level, such as the laws of physics or the structure of the universe, and then moves down to the micro level, like the geography and the inhabitants. It's important to strike a balance between revealing enough information to immerse the reader and not overwhelming them with too many details. The goal is to create a rich and believable world that enhances the story without becoming the focus.

To create a realistic and authentic world for a story, the writer needs to have a deep understanding of the world they're building, especially when it comes to unique elements like gas giants or unfamiliar cultures. This means thinking and speaking like the locals to make the world feel real and relatable to the audience. Additionally, tools like Wyze can make managing money in different currencies easy and convenient. Regarding the discussion about creating a world for a story, the key point is that writers need to understand their world well enough to explain it clearly and make it feel natural to the reader. This is because we all have an innate understanding of the world we live in, and our characters need to share that understanding. For instance, when creating a world with a gas giant, the writer needs to have a deep understanding of gas giants to make it feel authentic. Moreover, when it comes to creating a culture or civilization within a world, it's important to consider where to place it. For example, a culture in a dry, arid interior of a continent may not have easy access to water, making it a less desirable location. Lastly, Wyze is a useful tool for managing money in different currencies, making international transactions easy and convenient. In 2023, over $100 billion was sent worldwide with Wyze, and over half of those transfers reached their destination in less time than it takes to listen to this ad.

The climate and location of a hypothetical continent, such as Pangaea, play a significant role in determining its suitability for sustaining life. Deserts, for instance, can be found in various parts of the world, and their aridity can range from extremely harsh, like the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, to more temperate and habitable, like parts of the Sonoran Desert. The Black Rock Desert, discussed in the conversation, is an inhospitable place due to its extreme dustiness, alkaline soil, and infrequent rainfall. However, even in arid conditions, life can adapt and thrive, as seen in the Sonoran Desert with its diverse range of plants and rock formations. The climate and geography of a continent can greatly impact its inhabitants, necessitating careful consideration when creating a fictional world.

When creating a unique world for a story, it's essential to establish the environment, the inhabitants, and an element of utter weirdness, or "element x," that sets it apart from our reality. Thundercats, for instance, are people with tails, which could be considered an element x. In science fiction, various elements x can include settings like Dune's 10,000-year-future timeline, groups like Dune's Spacer's Guild with their space-time traveling abilities, or unique abilities like the X-Men's mutations. Even seemingly bizarre elements like a sentient Gulf stream or a pizza-shaped continent can create intriguing worlds. The goal is to make the world distinct and captivating, allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the story.

The interaction between two civilizations encountering each other can have profound effects on both parties, leading to unexpected alliances, cultural shifts, and even the course of history. Using the example of a science-fiction series where aliens invade Earth and discover a new addictive substance, the story shows how this element can change the invading force and create opportunities for the humans to resist and form alliances. This concept is particularly intriguing in first contact stories, where the discovery of a new element can lead to the development of unique cultural aspects. In the context of the world-building exercise, focusing on sociological elements derived from the environment can help shape the culture, such as the coasts becoming the seats of power due to their access to resources and protection from land-based threats.

When creating a fictional world, even the smallest differences in cultural elements can lead to significant impacts on the world's development. For instance, a desert-dwelling civilization with prehensile tails may have built cities into giant rock formations due to the lack of trees for climbing. Although there are real-life cultures that live in cliff dwellings, this concept is different from our own world's coastal-dominated societies. This difference can manifest in various ways, such as syncretism (cultures building on what has come before), differentiation (cultures developing in rivalry or interaction with others), and cosmogony (ideas about where they come from). In this desert civilization, the people might still hold on to forest-related traditions, such as venerating quietness or trees, despite living in a desert. Their economy could also be a point of exploration, as they transition from a forest-dwelling society to one in a desert environment. Overall, the unique cultural elements of this desert civilization can lead to intriguing sociological differences from our own world.

In a post-apocalyptic or economically disparate society, raiding may not be a sustainable strategy for groups due to the rapid development of defenses and abilities by more resourceful groups. Instead, traders or builders from desert cultures, who have unique expertise in building and surviving in harsh conditions, could offer valuable services to cities in exchange for resources. These desert cultures, with their communal ways of living and unique building techniques, could bring valuable knowledge to the table, particularly in areas of water reclamation during times of drought. However, for this exchange to occur, it would require the more resourceful groups to be open to learning from and valuing the knowledge and expertise of previously marginalized cultures.

Understanding the cultural context and adaptability is crucial for the survival and success of societies. The example of the Vikings and Inuit in Greenland (or Iceland) illustrates this point. The Inuit, who learned to hunt and eat seals to thrive in the harsh environment, survived while the Vikings, who refused to adapt, did not. This dynamic is not unique to history and often reflects the complexities of human nature and power dynamics. When building a world or understanding how societies evolve, it's essential to consider the cultural and historical context, as well as the physical and social sciences. Ignoring this information can lead to missed opportunities and misunderstandings. Human societies are not logical entities, and their development is influenced by various factors, including power dynamics, egos, and psychology. By studying history and human behavior, we can gain valuable insights and create more realistic and nuanced worlds.

Power dynamics in world building are crucial to consider when developing a story's cultural level. Power isn't just about physical force, but also the ability to control others and shape societal norms. Surprisingly, those with physical power aren't always the ones in control, as sociological power can level the ground between groups. This phenomenon, where the powerless can influence the powerful, is seen throughout history and can be observed in our own society. For instance, women are often perceived as talking too much, but studies show they actually speak less than men in conversations. Understanding power dynamics and their impact on society is essential for creating believable and complex worlds in storytelling.

Power and oppression can be deeply ingrained in societies through manipulation and indoctrination. In N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, this is seen through the oppression of those with the ability to move mountains by those who cannot. This idea is not unique to fiction; it's a reflection of real-world power dynamics. Human minds and societies are susceptible to manipulation, leading to harmful beliefs and actions. For instance, in a society with a water crisis, those with access may flaunt their power by wasting water, reinforcing their perceived superiority. Conversely, those without access may be stigmatized for their essential water usage. This dynamic is not unlike the ongoing conversation around water usage and conservation in our world, where certain industries and practices are protected while individual usage is scrutinized. It's essential to understand these power dynamics and their impact on societies to create meaningful and thought-provoking worlds.

Power dynamics can lead to blame shifting and societal stigmatization, potentially resulting in displacement of certain groups. In the context of a desert society discussed here, people may face backlash for their way of life due to dwindling water resources. Understanding power dynamics within a society is crucial to explore societal structures, roles, and standards of beauty. For instance, a desert society might value sun-resistant skin instead of supple, wet skin. Lower status people may defy societal norms, leading to minor conflicts. An example of this is the phenomenon of "man spreading" and the response "woman spreading." While it's essential to challenge power imbalances, it's also important to remember that small acts of defiance, like woman spreading, can lead to a better balance in society.

Effective world building for a story involves understanding the roles and power dynamics in a society first, then focusing on characterization and plot. World building is an essential pre-writing exercise, and it's not a one-size-fits-all process. Writers can learn techniques from other authors or through their personal interests, such as history or psychology. A well-developed world building process involves creating a detailed model of how a world functions, allowing for a clear understanding of how alterations will impact the story. World building is a crucial aspect of storytelling that requires thought and imagination, but also a solid foundation in the rules and dynamics of the world being created.

Understanding the physical and sociological world is essential for both science fiction and journalism. For science fiction writers, it's crucial to explore how science impacts human life and the stories they tell. For journalists, recognizing and sharing their underlying models of analysis can help ensure rigor and discipline in their work. Additionally, both fields require an awareness of personal biases and societal structures to accurately depict and analyze different worlds. By acknowledging and understanding ourselves and our impact on the world, we can improve our storytelling and analysis.

Our perspectives and understanding of systems, whether in politics, culture, or society, are shaped by our experiences within them. Those who have benefited from a system may view it as natural and the right way to do things, while those who have been excluded may see it as a constructed system with the potential for change. This collision of perspectives leads to many debates. To bridge this divide, it's essential to understand the parts of the system we're a part of and the parts we're not, as well as the impact of our privilege. This understanding can help us modify our behavior and communicate more effectively. Additionally, the principle of experiential learning, which involves immersing people in new experiences to deepen their understanding, can be an effective tool in various fields, including science fiction writing, journalism, and anti-racism training. By living through new experiences, we can gain a more nuanced perspective and build common ground.

Effective communication of complex ideas or unfamiliar systems requires an immersive approach rather than a didactic one. By immersing people in the experience, they can better understand and relate to the concepts, even if they cannot fully live them. Travel and cultural exchange are powerful examples of this principle. Americans, for instance, often introduce themselves by their professions, revealing a socioeconomic assessment mindset. However, when encountering other cultures, immersing oneself in their ways, even if only slightly, can lead to valuable insights about both the other culture and one's own.

The question "what do you do?" serves as a crucial method for people to hierarchically sort and understand their social standing in a society, which functions much like a caste system, despite not being labeled as such. This question, while appearing to be about information gathering, is actually serving a deeper purpose in our obfuscated caste system. Additionally, as individuals become more aware of the origins and functions of societal rituals, they may become less tolerant of them and question their roles in reinforcing these unspoken hierarchies.

Our society encourages unnecessary nervousness and performance around people of perceived higher social status. This performance can hinder genuine human connection. For writers, understanding the inner workings of people is crucial, but in everyday life, more open and authentic interactions are encouraged. The speaker recommends the Murderbot series by Martha Wells and the recently published works of Octavia Butler as great reads. These books offer unique perspectives and characters that challenge societal norms and encourage empathy and connection.