I gang, Craig here today. Some of this has been on my mind lately, and I’m trying to avoid a political rant. I generally avoid those like the plague in my public persona. We’re going to put this soapbox away, still discuss the topic, but from an author’s point of view.
Many of us write stories that are fantasy, other worlds, or even other dimensions. We’ve discussed before how we still need to do a bunch of research, but these kind of stories also require some world building. My topic today is something that’s rarely thought about; economics.
I always think of economics like a pyramid.
The lowest, and most structurally important level, I call industry. It’s kind of a misnomer, because agriculture also forms one of the stones. These are businesses that produce something, tend to ship it away, and bring money back into the local economy.
Industry produces the wealth. It shores up everything else. This is where your dwarven miners might be kind of important. Maybe you have a cooperative that farms an entire system of planets. That system is likely very wealthy. Nice target for space pirates.
The cash that flows back in, usually provides a pretty good wage, and that money gets circulated to the next level.
I call the next level, commercial. This is where the more necessary merchants live. Think about it this way, workers from your steampunk dirigible factory, take their union-scale wages, and buy the basic necessities for their families. The money moves; therefore, the commercial employees all get a paycheck to feed their families with. If times are good, maybe there is enough for some philanthropy. The community might even grow.
The next level is a mix of commercial and professional services. It involves things that might not get purchased if money gets tight. People tend to put off visits to the dentist, or the purchase of a jet-ski when money gets tight. When things are good, these merchants get to eat too. Maybe your grocery worker has enough cash left over to buy one of those cool steampunk hats with all the gears and things. Now the haberdasher gets to eat, and may have enough to visit a restaurant.
The pyramid keeps growing. Every level gets farther away from necessity. A thriving place might have a philharmonic, a local ballet, and eventually the pyramid ends at the idle rich.
I want to touch upon transportation too, because it’s an odd duck. I’m inclined to call it a commercial enterprise, but it fits into all the levels to some degree. Industry needs to get those pods to Mars, and the idle rich want to travel to exotic places.
One of the key functions is that money has to move around to have a viable economy. If everyone has a coffin full of gold buried in their back yard, they may consider themselves personally rich, but it does the population zero good.
This doesn’t mean every community must have an industrial base. Industrial money will flow quite a ways. I can speak from personal experience having grown up in a mining community. The money generated in tiny Elko, Nevada, got spent from Boise to Las Vegas, and Reno to Salt Lake City. Those communities benefitted from our industrial base.
You can certainly have a little version of Hobbiton; whereby, the community eats locally grown food. Even then, they will need some cotton or wool from somewhere.
Want to write a thriving community, give some thought to a successful industrial base somewhere nearby. Want things to tank, ship all your industry to another planet or country. Soon the people will be preying upon each other. Cyber crime will go up, because commerce cannot feed upon commerce. Those who get left out will find a way to survive, even if it’s unsavory. This is a long game, and more like musical chairs than an overnight sensation. If you dry the mines up, you will have more thieves on the roads, and provide a nice habitat for underground dwelling monsters. It may seem contrary, because thieves will have less to steal, but it’s human nature to not want to become thieves, prostitutes, or smugglers.
I’m not saying you should write all of this into your story. In fact, it’s a good idea not to. This is one of those things you ought to consider to make your world more realistic.
A thriving, smoke belching ray-gun factory is likely plunked into a thriving vibrant community. However; if the windows are broken, the night shift has been canned, and they can’t get the teamsters to visit – then the community will be a bit more disheveled. Cops might be shady, prostitutes might walk the streets, smuggling will increase, and you can use that to your advantage in some stories.
In a downtrodden community, the top levels fail first. You won’t see as many silicone implants, or perfect cute noses. Maybe the plastic surgeon starts cutting his Botox with saline, and writing prescriptions he shouldn’t for some extra cash. Automobiles will have to last longer, and you can reflect that in your story. Maybe in fantasy, the horses on the street should have gone to the glue factory a couple of years ago.
This is the kind of thing that deserves a sticky-note on your storyboard. (Yeah, I storyboard. Modify for your method.) Don’t go into great detail about the economy, but consider it when designing your worlds.
How about you guys? Do you consider the economy when world building? Does this post inspire you to give it some thought?
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Great points. I’m writing magical realism and that has its own distinct set of problems. My fantasy elements happen within the real world. There is world planning going on but only in glimpses and when it is necessary. A hierarchical societal structure is mandatory anytime you deal with fantasy structure. Even then there is no real perfection because nature is too contrary. That makes it seem real, I think.
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There are so many definitions of magical realism. To some, Bewitched qualifies. To others, so does Harry Potter. It’s still a fair idea to think through how things will work.
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In other words, we create magical realism as we interpret it to be? That makes me feel better. 😀
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I think that’s the right attitude too.
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I try to. Great post, lots to think on.
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Thanks, Traci.
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You’re welcome, Craig!
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I like all your points, Craig, though typically I start with land forms and try to figure how people would get food from that land. Devising things to sell and the general economy is a close second step for me.
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I like land forms too. Or planets, or isolated places like islands. Glad you liked it and thanks for the comment.
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio.
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Thanks for sharing this, Don.
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You’re welcome.
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I always feel left out when I hear of World building I don’t world build. I just create a story in the world that I occupy. I admire you speculative, and Fantasy authors since your creativity genes are off the charts. Thanks for the post, Craig.
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Thanks, John. Try it, you’ll like it. I’ve already seen a ghost show up in your stories.
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Yeah, but that is normal stuff. I’m talking WORLD BUILDING
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Got you. I’m sure you would do well. I have faith.
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You are a very kind man. I’m not so sure. 😀
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Actually, every writer does some world-building. Even creating a familiar, contemporary setting still requires you to research locations and create a sense of place.
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After four thriller books with scenes from places i’ve never been, I agree with you. My point was a jealous feeling over the massive world building that the more talented writers can create in a series. Thanks, Deby.
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Applications abound! Thanks for this and all your informative posts. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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Have a great Thanksgiving, Billy Ray. I know you’re a Lisa fan. You might want to tour through my place tomorrow.
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Reblogged this on Archer's Aim and commented:
Great post on world building by C. S. Boyack today on Story Empire…
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Sharing is caring.
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You are right, Craig, economics is very important in any world or it just can’t work. Super post and for once I feel like I know how to do this.
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Glad you liked it. I wouldn’t write all of this into a story, but I should know some of the background when reflecting the part I share between the covers.
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Interesting analogy and from a different and deeper perspective. Thanks, Craig.
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Glad it interested you. Have a great holiday.
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This is an aspect of world-building I haven’t yet explored much. You now have me thinking I should dig deeper. Fabulous post, Craig.
Wishing you and yours—and our SE community and their loved ones—a healthy and happy Thanksgiving. (I’m off to start prep work on our meal. Ciao!)
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Thanks, Staci, glad you liked it. Have a great holiday.
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I normally don’t have to do world-building, as my books primarily reflect contemporary settings. When I create fictional towns, I do have to stop and think of set-up and economy to a degree.
Economics factored heavily into my Point Pleasant series of novels (particularly the first book) but those elements were based on research and historical fact. Between the collapse of the Silver Bridge and the town’s leading employer closing shop shortly afterward, the area suffered a huge blow.
Loved your thought process in this post. Great job!
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The real world is a bit easier, even with paranormal elements. Glad you enjoyed this.
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I do a lot of thinking about the economics of the fantasy worlds that I write, and also about how the economics shapes the culture. For example, in “Bad Dreams & Broken Hearts”, technological advances have made the human lands very prosperous, but have also increased the demand for magical goods from the various non-human kingdoms. As a consequence, many of the fantasy races are adopting human customs and tastes, even when they don’t quite make sense. I have a scene where my narrator walks down a street in Hunger City, the capitol of Nivose, and notices how many of the morauxe, the locals, have clothes made to look like human styles, listens to street musicians playing “Never On Sunday” and notices a restaurant that advertises “hand-burgers” and “strudel pies”.
The wealthiest of the morauxe are those who do business with humans and are exposed to human customs, and who make an effort to be more like their biggest clients to attract more business. The poorer relations start to imitate the rich folks, because everyone wants to look rich and powerful. And along the way some things are lost or found in translation.
On the other hand, a poorly thought out economy in SF/F fiction can break my suspension of disbelief. A lot of cyberpunk/dystopian works will have wealthy corporations that own everything and masses of horribly poor, but don’t explain what these megacorps do to make money. What do they make? Who do they sell it to? Other corporations?
Or fantasy cities in exotic, remote locations. So they have massive diamond mines, but what do the miners eat? Where does the food come from in the middle of the mountains or the desert? Of it is shipped in, how, and by whom, and from where?
I think you’re right, it’s not always necessary to explain these things, but the author has to know in order to describe the surroundings.
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Wonderful depiction. I like your world in an “All roads lead to Rome” kind of way. That economy worked for thousands of years, and you can show the fallout with the wealthy merchants and their clingers on.
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Reblogged this on Legends of Windemere.
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Thanks, Charles.
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You’re welcome. Happy Thanksgiving
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You too. Lots of baking ahead for me tonight.
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Just those of us already in the house here. Good luck with your baking.
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What a great and thought-provoking post. I haven’t considered economics to this degree, but you certainly have set me thinking, lols. Thanks for sharing, Craig 😊
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When wee have the real world to consider, it kind of takes care of itself. In SFF, it deserves some additional thought.
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Man, this is deep! I tend to storyboard, but economics doesn’t feature on it. Maybe it should? Definitely, something to think about…
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Most of it stays out of the story. It’s nice to know a wagon and team of oxen to cross the prairie might have cost a year’s wages. Other things like clothing might have been kind of threadbare as a result.
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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