Independence Day Worldbuilding Blog Post

So, it's Independence day.  I would like to say I'm a big American History geek, but I don't know as much about it as I'd like to.  (I blame my high school American History teacher, who, I kid you not, had a teaching style that mimicked Ben Stein's in Ferris Beuller.  That and I was a surly teenager who didn't study.)  But my American History knowledge is solid.  Not exceptional, but solid.  I can list of the presidents in order (though I might get a little muddled in the Coolidge/Taft/Hoover area). 

What does this have to do with worldbuilding?  Well, I recently pulled out my Druth History file, a document I hadn't actually worked on in several years.  It's actually a pretty thorough document, coming in around 15,000 words, and filled with plenty of information that will, in all likelihood, never have any relevance in any actual novel I write.  But I like having that information anyway. BUT, that said, it needs a re-write, mostly because I feel I'm a much better writer now than I was when I wrote it.

The bones of it are solid.  I don't plan on making any major changes to how the history of Druthal goes.  I do plan on tweaking the writing itself and fleshing out some more details.

One place where I plan do a lot more fleshing out is in the beginning of the eleventh century.  1009 in Druth History is a year of great significance, much like 1776 is in our history.  In fact, a lot of it is about restructuring the nation.  But what I don't have is (in my mind) enough information about the personalities that help shape that restructuring.  Much like how the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers were shaped by people like Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton and many others... I feel like I need to get to know more about the people who shaped Druthal into a Parliamentary Monarchy. 

Plus, I actually have some thoughts on making that stuff somewhat relevant to part of the plot of The Way of the Shield.  Because Dayne is going to be something of a Druth History geek.