📝 How to answer any worldbuilding prompt

TL;DR: use the 6 Questions Method to write 50 words for: who, what, where, why, when, and how to get 300+ words for any writing prompt!

📝 How to answer any worldbuilding prompt
Photo by Clay Banks / Unsplash

Using the 6 Questions Method

This is my method for writing at least 300 words for any worldbuilding prompt which I've decided to call the 6 Questions Method. I do this for every Summer Camp event on World Anvil and it's super easy to remember! I've found that this method can act as a great starting point to expand things further and get some ideas going.

Take the writing prompt and then write just 50 words for each question:

  1. Who?
  2. What?
  3. Where?
  4. Why?
  5. When?
  6. How?

That's it!

From there you can start editing and turn your ideas into a finished and shiny article (if you want to, of course)! 😀

Example

"Describe a food in your world that looks very unappealing yet is incredibly popular." (Answer this prompt on World Anvil)

Who?

  • Who eats this kind of food?
  • Who makes/cooks it?
  • Who was the inventor or original creator of it?
  • Who typically enjoys this dish?
  • Who can't get over the look of it and won't even try it?

What?

  • What ingredients is it made from?
  • What does it taste like?
  • What does it smell like?
  • What does it look like that makes it so unappealing?
  • What does it remind people of?

Where?

  • Where does the dish originate from?
  • Where do people go to consume it?
  • Where has the best version of this food in town?

Why?

  • Why don't people like the look of it?
  • Why do people still make it this way even if it looks bad?
  • Why do some people love it and others don't?

When?

  • When is it typically made?
  • When do people consume it? Time of day? Year?
  • When does it actually go bad?

How?

  • How is it made?
  • How long does it take to make?
  • How long does it last for?
  • How is it stored?
  • How is it culturally significant?
  • How filling is it?
  • How popular or well known is it?

If you want to see a different approach to worldbuilding, check out my previous blog post where I shared my process for tackling World Anvil's Rivers & Waterways challenge.