Conlanging can be overwhelming for even the most experienced conlangers—especially in the beginning stages of a new project when swirling swarms of ideas create a flurry of possibilities. I break the process down into daily prompts for a yearlong experience. One year, one conlang. Join me in making this a Conlang Year!
Goal: Describe (or design) native fauna Note: Focus on the wildlife that is native in your speakers’ immediate environment. Tip: As with the flora, you can “prioritize” fauna by focusing on the ones your speakers interact with most. Work focus: Create/Make/List Now that you have selected the types of vegetation that fill your conworld setting,…
Day 8, January 8 Goal: Describe (or design) native fauna Note: Focus on the wildlife that is native in your speakers’ immediate environment. Tip: As with the flora, you can “prioritize” fauna by focusing on the ones your speakers interact with most. Work focus: Create/Make/List Day 9, January 9 Goal: Summarize your speakers and their…
Goal: Describe (or design) native flora Note: Focus on the vegetation that natively grows in your speakers’ conworld. Tip: You can “prioritize” flora by considering what plant life your speakers interact with most. Work focus: Create/Make/List You’ve described basic features of your conworld, including its terrain, climate, and common weather patterns. Now you will shift…
Goal: Describe your conworld’s climate and weather patterns Note: Climate refers to predominant conditions while weather includes specific phenomena associated with the climate. Tip: Remember to consider any common seasonal shifts in weather patterns. Work focus: Create/Make/List The basic setting you chose for your conworld will help you identify the climate of the area, and…
Goal: Describe (or design) your conworld terrain Note: Identify the terrain features that are in your speakers’ immediate environment. Tip: A roughly sketched-out map can go a long way in helping you identify these features. Work focus: Create/Make/List You selected a conworld for your speakers a couple days ago, but now you need to fill…
Goal: Describe (or design) your speakers Note: Focus on your speakers’ physical bodies—what they look like, how they move about, etc. Tip: Having a clear image in your mind (or having an actual picture) will help you moving forward. Work focus: Create/Make/List Yesterday you identified who your speakers will be. Today the goal is to…
Goal: Determine your speakers and conworld Note: You will have five days to describe these in more detail. Focus on the big picture for today. Tip: Start a “vision board” or collection of images that can inspire you as you fill out details. Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try Now that you have set intentions for creating a…
Goal: Set an intention for sharing your language Note: Focus on your intended audience (e.g. family, friends, a linguistics professor, young adult readers across the country) and medium (e.g. written text, video recordings, lyrics in songs) for sharing your work with others. Tip: If this is a personal project, your intended audience may be limited…
Goal: Set an intention for your language Note: Focus on your reasons for wanting to create this language. This will be your guiding force throughout the year. Tip: Write your goal in a place where you can see it and refer to it often as you work on your language. Work focus: Organize/Plan/Structure All too…
This post provides a rundown of the prompts you’ll see this week, so you can plan ahead. On each day, I’ll post more information to accompany each prompt. Day 1, January 1 Goal: Set an intention for your language Note: Focus on your reasons for wanting to create this language. This will be your guiding…
