Choose a Story
Choose a Story is the first step in the Story-based Approach to Evolution Seed creation as part of the INDX Project in the SparkQuest Metagame. The selection of a Story and its Relic or set of Relics is the central way that missions are created for each Chapter of a SparkQuest Book.
Choose a Relic Story with building a query that you can use in a search engine or at the library.
The query is build by adding terms using the process below:
Pick a descriptor
Start your query by choosing one of the following words:
- famous — Story that is popular or well known
- central — Story that plays defining role
- important — Story that is a critical historical or cultural link
- representative — Story that is common or widespread
- little known — Story that is rare, nearly lost, or recently discovered
Example so far: central
What kind of Story?
Next, pick one or more terms from the chart below:
| Layer | Story Type | Search Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Civilization | Mythos | story, history, myth, legend |
| Culture (People) | Belief | story, tale, belief, fable, fairy tale, saying, idiom, wisdom, maxim, mantra |
| Ecology | Natural History | natural history, natural process, evolution history |
| Geography | Geologic History | geologic history, geologic process, land formation process |
Example so far: central myth
Which CRADLE?
Which CRADLE are you currently working on? Each Chapters only has missions from one CRADLE, so the current Chapter determines the CRADLE. You can choose any term or group of terms from the chart below in the column of your CRADLE. Synonyms are other names for the land of the CRADLE. Included terms are regions, lands, and features closely connected to or heavily influenced by that CRADLE.
| CRADLE1 | CRADLE2 | CRADLE3 | CRADLE4 | CRADLE5 | CRADLE6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Mesopotamia | Egypt | Indus Valley | Yellow River | Mesoamerica | Andean |
| Synonyms | Fertile Crescent, Persia, Babylon, Sumer | Mizraim, Kemet, North Africa | Sarasvati-Sindhu | Huanghe, North China Plain | Nahua, Mexica, Aztecs | Inca, Chavin, Moche, Nazca, Wari, Tiwanaku, Chimu, Caral-Supe |
| Included | Middle East, Arabian Desert, Arabian Peninsula, Levant, Caucasus, Europe, Mediterranean, Asia Minor | Kush, Nubia, Africa, Great Rift Valley, Congo, Serengeti, Horn of Africa, Saharra | Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia, Himalayas, | China, Mongolia, East Asia, Korean Peninsula, Southeast Asia, Japan | North America, Latin America, The Caribbean, Baja, Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Pacific Northwest, Gulf of Mexico | South America, The Amazon. Andes, Pampas, Atacama Desert, Southern Cone, Llanos, Gran Chaco |
Example so far: central myth Sumer
Getting more specific
You might have enough for your query at this point, or you might want to narrow it down some more with a few more terms.
- Time Period — you can use terms for a time period like medieval, ancient, modern, or classic, a specific age like “Bronze Age” or “Cretaceous Period” or a time like “1800s” or “seventeenth century”.
- Location — add a place name to the search like a city, region, or natural feature.
Example so far: central myth Sumer twentieth century BCE Ur
Now that you have your query, you’re ready for an internet search or trip to your library. Once you have a Story, you’re ready for the next step: Research Relic