World Building, Part Twelve: Genealogies
Before I jump into the blog post, I'm just going to drop this right here.
Melisande is the daughter of a duke, and has recently come of age. But when her first suitor arrives, her maid, Laila, does not trust him, and his very presence fills her with animal terror. Does Richard have something to hide? This is our last post on world building! Starting next week, we're going to have a new series to focus on.
This is a minor thing for most writers, because most writers aren't Tolkien. Genealogies go along with the migration stuff, and things like the passing down of special powers or positions. If, like Tolkien, you have a land with no king, a genealogy could be important in proving a character's claim to that throne. You might have a character with unknown abilities that can be traced back through generations.
Step one: Is this important at all? This might be the most important question of this entire section. Because if genealogies are not important, then you can skip the entire thing. If your characters don't have any important ancestry, then there's no need to write out a big genealogy for them. If you don't have any particular bloodlines that are well known for certain things, or famous clans, then feel free to skip.
Keep in mind, however, that if there are any inherited abilities, land, positions, or physical differences, that you'll probably want at least a sketch of a family tree, and a few names that could be used in it. If you have a few names, you may want a basic idea of what they were known for, or how they distinguished themselves, and roughly how long ago they lived/died.
Step two: Choose your family. Before you start trying to figure out a genealogy, you need to know what family/character you're doing it for. It could be your main character, a king or queen, a supporting character, anyone that's going to have their genealogy be part of the story. If you choose a character that's not as famous or prestigious, you might only want to go back to their grandparents. But if it's a king or queen, you may need to trace back further, possibly to a civil war or the founding of the kingdom. If you have an orphan, where one or both parents are a mystery to them, you, as the author, may still need to know about their parents. Especially if they have some bearing on the plot or they're going to appear later on.
Step three: How detailed are you going to be, and how far back are you going to go? Are you going to chronicle every child, legitimate or not, and their subsequent families? Are you going to write names only of the heirs and their legitimate siblings?
This question will tell you how much work you're going to have. Unless you plan on utilizing distant relatives as a plot device or a way to produce necessary information, I would suggest only involving yourself in the basics. Your character, their link to any famous or powerful ancestors, and their close relations, such as siblings and first cousins.
This is also the time where you can think about starting from the beginning, rather than working backward. You may want to start with, say, the first king of a country, and work down through his/her descendants toward your current character. This may be easier for you, or harder, depending on your needs and the way you work.
Step four: Are there any positives or negatives for your characters in belonging to this genealogy? Do they inherit land, riches, a prominent position? Maybe they have a large family, and are the last on the list for inheritance. Or, maybe this family has been cursed, and that curse is passed on to a certain person with specific characteristics in each generation. Maybe they get a powerful political position, but their family has done a terrible job in the past, and they have to deal with intense scrutiny as they take on their duties. Or it could be the opposite; their family has done such a great job that everyone expects wonderful things. Either way, you'll need to know.
Step five: Are any of your characters going to be related? If they are, then how? They might be first cousins and grown up together, or they might be distant cousins several times removed who had never met until your story. Depending on the relationship, they might be good friends, or they might be rivals. If your character is part of a prominent family and this relative is of the same status, they might be in competition with each other for an inheritance or the favor of an older relative that holds a powerful position.
Step six: Repeat steps 1-5 as often as necessary or desired.
Melisande is the daughter of a duke, and has recently come of age. But when her first suitor arrives, her maid, Laila, does not trust him, and his very presence fills her with animal terror. Does Richard have something to hide? This is our last post on world building! Starting next week, we're going to have a new series to focus on.This is a minor thing for most writers, because most writers aren't Tolkien. Genealogies go along with the migration stuff, and things like the passing down of special powers or positions. If, like Tolkien, you have a land with no king, a genealogy could be important in proving a character's claim to that throne. You might have a character with unknown abilities that can be traced back through generations.
Step one: Is this important at all? This might be the most important question of this entire section. Because if genealogies are not important, then you can skip the entire thing. If your characters don't have any important ancestry, then there's no need to write out a big genealogy for them. If you don't have any particular bloodlines that are well known for certain things, or famous clans, then feel free to skip.
Keep in mind, however, that if there are any inherited abilities, land, positions, or physical differences, that you'll probably want at least a sketch of a family tree, and a few names that could be used in it. If you have a few names, you may want a basic idea of what they were known for, or how they distinguished themselves, and roughly how long ago they lived/died.
Step two: Choose your family. Before you start trying to figure out a genealogy, you need to know what family/character you're doing it for. It could be your main character, a king or queen, a supporting character, anyone that's going to have their genealogy be part of the story. If you choose a character that's not as famous or prestigious, you might only want to go back to their grandparents. But if it's a king or queen, you may need to trace back further, possibly to a civil war or the founding of the kingdom. If you have an orphan, where one or both parents are a mystery to them, you, as the author, may still need to know about their parents. Especially if they have some bearing on the plot or they're going to appear later on.
Step three: How detailed are you going to be, and how far back are you going to go? Are you going to chronicle every child, legitimate or not, and their subsequent families? Are you going to write names only of the heirs and their legitimate siblings?
This question will tell you how much work you're going to have. Unless you plan on utilizing distant relatives as a plot device or a way to produce necessary information, I would suggest only involving yourself in the basics. Your character, their link to any famous or powerful ancestors, and their close relations, such as siblings and first cousins.
This is also the time where you can think about starting from the beginning, rather than working backward. You may want to start with, say, the first king of a country, and work down through his/her descendants toward your current character. This may be easier for you, or harder, depending on your needs and the way you work.
Step four: Are there any positives or negatives for your characters in belonging to this genealogy? Do they inherit land, riches, a prominent position? Maybe they have a large family, and are the last on the list for inheritance. Or, maybe this family has been cursed, and that curse is passed on to a certain person with specific characteristics in each generation. Maybe they get a powerful political position, but their family has done a terrible job in the past, and they have to deal with intense scrutiny as they take on their duties. Or it could be the opposite; their family has done such a great job that everyone expects wonderful things. Either way, you'll need to know.
Step five: Are any of your characters going to be related? If they are, then how? They might be first cousins and grown up together, or they might be distant cousins several times removed who had never met until your story. Depending on the relationship, they might be good friends, or they might be rivals. If your character is part of a prominent family and this relative is of the same status, they might be in competition with each other for an inheritance or the favor of an older relative that holds a powerful position.
Step six: Repeat steps 1-5 as often as necessary or desired.
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