McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

From the Ground Up

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Velkyn_Faer:
I've recently started a new SF book and I'm trying to build the world up before I start writing, so it doesn't look slapped together, but it seems like such a huge undertaking. I've made a rough outline or two, mostly of Earth, the center of the government in the series, and of the people trying to break away from the Republic of Earth. But, other than that, I don't have much. Internal affairs, politics, weapons, ships, FTL travel systems, basic technology. Does anyone have a chart or template or something they follow for any book they write, especially if it is SF? If not a template, then just a set of steps they follow that work for them? Or even half work? I'm kinda outa my depth here.

Thanks a ton!

Velkyn

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:

--- Quote from: Velkyn_Faer on March 14, 2007, 02:37:44 AM ---IDoes anyone have a chart or template or something they follow for any book they write, especially if it is SF? If not a template, then just a set of steps they follow that work for them?

--- End quote ---

You may not like this, but for SF: first, make the astronomy work. Don't put a habitable panet round a colour of star that can't have planets, and make sure you check how hot your star is, how far away your planet has to be, and what its year-length is. (This in the example of working with a planet.)  Then, plausible physical features for your planet - I hate rectilinear mountain-ranges, I do, unless someone ahs engineered them that way on purpose; make sure the climate makes sense given that layour and isn't hugely unstable - unless, again, that's what your plot wants; then think about what makes sense to have evolved to fit those conditions in terms of native life, and by the time you have the biology and environment solid, you have the constraints that will affect the evolution of a culture.

This is, I freely admit, lots of work.

King of De Nile:
I tried planet building once for a story. After about two weeks of drawing, crossing things out, writing up the governments, etc. I found that the story I had intended on writing wouldn't fit into the world I had just drawn up. The factions took a life of their own, and their was no longer the necesary conflict to work with. neurovore hit it right on the head as far as the physical planet; the best drawn up planets feel natural. For your politics, though, try deciding what the final make-up you want is first, and then stick to that as you work your way back through the years of history. Also, don't work on one faction at a time; do them all at once. You get a more believable development if you don't build the various histories in a vacuum.

I assume this is for a full-length novel rather than a short story, right? If it's a short story, it's better not to build a whole world and history, but just think up enough background to get through the story. Vague hints at past events rather than detailed histories are a short stories best friend.

Josh:
I'm a big fan of structure in my writing, and so I've dug up several sets of tools, mostly from other writers, on worldbuilding and ways to give the story itself at least a bare-bones skeleton to work from.

It also depends on the scope of your story. Realize that a lot of what you develop in the worldbuilding isn't, and in fact shouldn't appear in the story unless it is absolutely essential to the plot. Yeah, it's fun to make timelines and develop whole languages with grammar and syntax..but honestly, how much of that is actually going to further the story? How many of your scenes are going to require a planet-wide setting? Development and detail it is good, but remember that you don't have to cram every fact or element of history into the page. That backstory and development is more for you as the author to benefit from.

Anyways, here are some links to resources I've found helpful:

For basic story structure and plot outlining, I generally follow the steps found in Randall Ingermanson's Snowflake Model.

http://www.rsingermanson.com/html/the_snowflake.html

You start with a single line and eventually work your way up to a rather comprehensive outline of your plot, including character sheets, culture outlines and so on. You can follow as many steps as you find helpful. I tend to go through them all, and then set the results aside once I actually start writing, using the structure I created as a springboard for the plot, even though the story tends to quickly veer away from what I drafted at the beginning. It's great groundwork.

Now, for worldbuilding itself, my first big dose of it came from Holly Lisle, who has written some superb fantasy with complex, living, breathing worlds and non-traditional cultures. I know you're writing science fiction instead of fantasy (she has a workshop on SF worldbuilding too), but the principles are pretty similar across the board, in my opinion.

http://hollylisle.com/fm/Articles/rules-of-ecosystems.html

http://hollylisle.com/fm/Articles/faqs8.html

These links and author sites (plus a few more) are also on the Links portion of my site.

www.jrvogt.com

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:

--- Quote from: Josh on March 15, 2007, 06:07:16 PM ---It also depends on the scope of your story. Realize that a lot of what you develop in the worldbuilding isn't, and in fact shouldn't appear in the story unless it is absolutely essential to the plot. Yeah, it's fun to make timelines and develop whole languages with grammar and syntax..but honestly, how much of that is actually going to further the story? How many of your scenes are going to require a planet-wide setting? Development and detail it is good, but remember that you don't have to cram every fact or element of history into the page. That backstory and development is more for you as the author to benefit from.

--- End quote ---

Agreed, but I'll add that it needs to be there anyway.  In the long run, you are much more likely to get the feel and context of a throw-away reference to the Nasal Scanner War right if you yourself know all the details of who fought it and why, even if only that one line ever shows up in the book. (Yes, you should do this sort of thing. For realism.  Real people in realistic settings  mention, for example, Hitler in passing without then stopping for three pages to explain the Second World War for the benefit of anyone who happens to be reading their mind at the time.)

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