I’ve decided to start including quotes on the blog from books that I’m reading, both fiction and non-fiction. I think there’s a wealth of understanding to be gained from the study of history and the study of political ideology, especially with regards to ones worldbuilding. Making things up as you go can be a hard task on its own, but no world will feel more concrete and real than one that observes real the real historical tendencies of human development. Marxism, and its analytical framework of historical materialism, is of great value to a writer that wishes to create worlds that feel grounded, even in their fantastical elements. It can help you develop an idea of where struggle comes from, why struggles occur, why the scales of power shift, and in doing so allow you to better assert a world in motion, with conflict and change at its very core. Ursula K Le Guin, though an anarchist and not a Marxist, created very compelling worlds and histories through her modelling of fictional societies within an anthropological framework, which gives an air and quality of believability in her worlds despite their fictional nature.
The study of our own world and its history can only improve ones ability to create their own worlds and their own histories.
Writing Scratch 