The Best World Building Questionnaire Ever: 100+ Things to Consider When Creating Your Setting

Last week I shared the Best Character Questionnaire Ever, to help my fellow writers be sure their characters are as well-developed as possible. Now check out these 100+ questions to help you build an immersive world to lose your readers in.

What should you think about while planning your setting?

Here’s a helpful list to get you started:

Is your setting on Earth?
If not, what creation tales do the people in your world tell?
What Folklore/legends/prophecies are well-known here?
Are there changes in the way gravity affects your world?
Are there changes in the way time passes?
Weather patterns/frequency & severity of storms
Climate differences around the world
Geography
Geology
Ocean currents/patterns
Seismic/tectonic activity
Land-water ratio, waterway development

Travel and Communication

Infrastructure/Roads
Forms of long-distance travel (air travel, trains, ships), speeds, time needed to travel long-distance
Forms of short-distance travel (walking, busses, cars), speeds, time needed to travel short-distance
Long-distance communication: Letters, phones, telegrams, etc.
Short-distance communication

Social

Schools-Education opportunities for every age
Availability of higher education, such as colleges or universities.
Are the educational institutions available public or private?
Clothing-Cultural variations, availability of clothing based on wealth, class, etc.
Religion-Beliefs, practices, places of worship. Also, any relevant deities.
Government type: Monarchy, Democracy, etc
Laws and Rules, Do the laws change between regions? Who enforces them?
Constitutions and Rights
Power structure within government
Power shifts/changes of leadership-How it happened, when, why, and any lasting effects
Politics-Do your citizens vote? How and how often? Who gets to run for political office?
What happens when a law is broken?
Police/law keepers-Their role in society, who becomes one, uniforms/customs, etc.
Judicial System-Are there judges and lawyers? Are citizens allowed to defend themselves?
Jail/Prison System
Services-Maintenance/Garbage/Sewage availability-Who does this? How? How Often?
Factories/Industrial areas-Any Industries, exports, or resources of note
Banks/Financial Institutions-Are loans given out? To who and by who? What are the consequences of not paying loans back?

Culture

Cultural celebrations
Holidays
Looks/hairstyles/beauty practices/unique beauty standards
Technological advancement/availability
Music/Dancing
Art/artists/materials available
Engineering/City Planning/Roads/road maintenance/construction
Domesticated animals/wildlife/insects
Flowers/plants
Vegetation/naturally growing food
Farms and agriculture-what, where, and how. Are irrigation systems needed?
Entertainment-visual (including reading) and musical
Writing utensils/do they have paper?
Mail service/offices/delivery
Cultural contributions to Society
Statues/coliseums
Notes on the social structure
Cultural Ideals
Cultural History
Events that shaped the culture or history
How has the culture changed throughout history?
Cultural customs of note
Population-How is the population encouraged or discouraged to grow?
Prevalence of urban and rural communities
Landscapes
Electricity/power availability and sources
Relations and clashing between cultures/peoples/races
Professions-common and specialty
Traumatic events in history-Plagues, natural disasters, etc
Wars-When and why. Who served?
Military-Branches and leadership
Magic-Does it exist in your world? Who gets it? How? When? How is it controlled/regulated?
Weapons-Types of weapons, materials made of and availability. Can private citizens carry weapons?