Even if you don’t write science fiction, the Science Fiction Writers Association blog is worth an occasional glance. The association advocates for SF and its writers, shares industry news, and presents the Nebula Awards, if those things are of interest.

On its blog, in between obituaries, market reports, and writer-beware posts, SFWA sometimes publishes articles about writing craft. I find them hit or miss, honestly, but there are enough strong posts that it’s worthwhile for me to check in once in a while.

Recently I was rewarded with this post by Albert Zhang, who examines science fiction worldbuilding through economics. Rather than merely considering the what and why of your story world’s economic history, Zhang suggests asking the following questions:

  • What is the payoff?
  • What is the cost, and who is paying it?
  • What are the main externalities?

Using the fictional example of the discovery of an asteroid containing $100 quintillion in gold, Zhang first examines the payoff. With that much available gold, demand would likely plummet, meaning mining companies would rush to get there first, while demand lasts. In contrast, what if the availability of that much inexpensive gold changes Earth culture? Perhaps mining or transporting is more difficult than expected or maybe demand shifts to different materials that weren’t considered valuable in the short term. Any of these scenarios could create additional layers of worldbuilding behind your main story.

Next, Zhang examines costs. Who is investing in asteroid mining and why? What is the payoff for people who take mining jobs? Are governments in charge or corporations? How do these dynamics intertwine or shift over time? What happens when the cost is too high?

Finally, Zhang examines externalities. “Externalities are the tangled patterns of cause and effect that spring from singular events, and they can be arbitrarily complex,” he explains. For example, who benefits from asteroid mining besides the investors and workers? What side businesses or economic cultures arise around this industry? Does the availability of this gold affect the cost and value of other goods? Who is losing out? Is the local area affected by the strip mining of asteroids or pollution? Does travel become more dangerous? Are residents displaced? What happens to the gold mines of Earth, which are now less attractive investments?

I don’t write much science fiction, and what I do write leans towards space opera, rather than hard SF. My worldbuilding tends to be wiggly. However, Zhang’s advice can apply to any genre of writing. Many fantasy novels rely on economic worldbuilding, and many a mystery hinges on who stands to gain from a financial matter.

In my backburnered novel-in-progress, the characters’ social status and the economic development of their community – and the structural changes that might result – serve as a backdrop to the plot and conflict. I found myself asking who is doing what and why, and who will benefit from the development, and how that can help me arrange my characters on the story board. Who is winning and losing and how do they feel about that? To what lengths will someone go to thwart a competitor, preserve the status quo, or ensure that their side of an argument comes out on top?

While I don’t need to imagine the economic ramifications of an asteroid belt containing trillions of dollars’ worth of minerals – old Earth newspapers suffice for my purposes –these questions are pointing me to what matters to my cast and how they feel about it and what they’ll do to preserve their way of life.