GO DIRECTLY TO PERSIA!

Costumes of Ancient Persia, Umbrella carriers, kings, noble Persians

I’m kidding. Don’t go there, but do use the acronym PERSIA as a framework, whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction. It can help organize your research and build your world around key aspects of a historical setting. It helps to build a more comprehensive and authentic world. Nonfiction writers can use it to analyze various aspects of a real-world society or civilization for essays and research.

PERSIA stands for these six categories:

P: Political – Governance, laws, political institutions, leaders, power dynamics, military structure, and conflicts.

     ► Who was in power, a king, president, cult leader, military strongman, Dalai Lama?

E: Economic – Trade, resources, wealth distribution, industry, labor systems, and overall economic structure of the time and place.

► How did goods get transported? Donkey, canoe, train, magic carpet?

R: Religious – Religious beliefs, practices, rituals, institutions, and the influence of religion on culture and society.

► Did those beliefs restrict your character, catapult anyone to power, get them incarcerated?

S: Social – Social structures, class hierarchies, gender roles, education, family life, and interactions between different social groups.

► Who held the power in the family, church, town? How were women treated? Who were the ‘out’ and ‘in’ groups? What criteria were used to sort them into those groups, i.e., societal values?

I: Intellectual – Ideas, philosophies, scientific knowledge, educational systems, cultural achievements, and technological advancements.

► How did they react to new inventions, e.g., muskets, cotton gin, telephone?

A: Artistic – Artistic expressions such as visual arts, music, literature, architecture, and other cultural forms of creativity.

► Did they hang paintings or tapestries on their walls? What stories did the tapestries tell? What instruments did they play, Jew's harp, didgeridoo, pan flute, shofar? What did the music sound like and when was it used?

Considering each PERSIA category ensures your society will feel deep and believable. Go for it!