Professions
Common professions
Less common professions
Rare professions
What is a highly desirable job?
What is a lowly job?
Are there professional guilds/institutes/etc.?
How do you get into a professional guild?
What benefits do you gain from being a member of a guild?
Gender/racial/species/education restrictions of professions
Unemployment rate
Economy
Distribution of wealth
Lifestyle of average income earners
Lifestyle of the poor
Lifestyle of the rich
How big is the gap between rich and poor?
Money system or bartering system
Are there multiple currencies?
Is there widespread trade?
History
Major world events
Major wars
Is there widespread conflict?
How long ago was the most recent war?
How damaging was the most recent war?
What was the cause of the most recent war?
Attitudes to killing and violence
Military logistics
Military ranks
Rebel groups or revolutionaries
Troop strengths and weaknesses
Weapons
Major natural disasters
Age of civilization
Previous leaders/rulers
Recent cultural shifts/changes
International relations
What calendar is used?
What are the major festivals?
What are the most popular stories about the past?
Clothing
Cheap fabrics
expensive fabrics
Lower class clothing styles
Middle class clothing styles
Upper class clothing styles
Differences in clothing between genders
Differences in clothing between regions
Differences in clothing between cultural groups or species
What is in fashion this year? Last year?
What sort of clothing do people wear on special occasions?
Food
Staple foods
Luxury foods
Availability of food
Local/regional dishes
Special Celebratory foods
What does a feast look like?
What does a basic pauper's meal look like?
Do people mostly eat meat, fish or vegetables?
Do people eat plain or heavily flavored food?
Do people eat together or separately? Small or large groups?
What utensils do people use to eat?
Are there many restaurants? Who goes to them?
Are there street food sellers?
What do people drink?
Is the water generally clean enough to drink?
Are some foods poisonous to certain people?
What are the tables like? Shape? High or low?
Entertainment
Professional sports
Hobby/schoolyard sports
Board games and/or card games
Music styles
Common instruments
Common themes and subject matter of fiction
Government/legal/regional restrictions on films, plays, novels, music
Affordability of films, sports games, board games, instruments, books, etc.
Forms of art
Is there theater? Is it common or reserved for the wealthy?
Fame or Infamy
YOU ARE READING
Resources to Better Writing (ReOrganizing & Editing)
Non-FictionI have done a considerable amount of research over the years in order to improve my writing abilities. Decided it might be a good time to share them with all the writers on Wattpad. I hope it helps. Enjoy!
