In Part 1 we discussed the physical aspects of creating races in fantasy books. Part 2 covers the mental. Now we’ll look at a downloadable template you can use as a starting point to aid your creative writing.
Download the PDF or Word template.
Include voice, posture, impression, sleep and eating habits.
Eyes, brow, ears, chin, jaw, nose, lips, hair styles (and colors), tongue. Heart-shaped, round, square. Bearded?
Discuss height, stocky/thin, details on hands/feet, athleticism, stamina, strength, common ailments. Can include clothing.
Anything unique about them.
Which gods created them, influence them, or are worshiped by them? How does this affect them?
Do they work every day? Take lunch naps? Includes marriage, death, challenges.
Do they build cities? Scavenge or farm and hunt? Live in tribes? Marriage?
Do they have an oral or written language? Which languages do they typically know?
Can they do it? What kind, how powerful, what limits?
Where a race lives determines many of their characteristics.
Where do they originate from? Land with rolling hills? Mountains? Plains? Forests? The sea?
Hot or cold? Temperate?
Name important ones and develop them using my template for creating cities (check here for that blog: http://randyellefson.wordpress.com/blog-history/).
Where are they located? In trees? Underground? Underwater? How are they laid out and protected?
What are their homes made of? Wood? Brick? Straw roofs?
Do they fight at all or run? How do they fight? With what weapons and armor? Do they use cavalry, dragons? Any typical battle formations?
Mating, birth
This is the template I used when creating the seven original species for my main fantasy setting. Check the home page of this blog or my site for news of my first publications using them, probably in 2015. In the meantime, good luck!
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