Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds - Intro. By Michael James Liljenberg.
Introduction Everybody says, "My topic is the most important thing you can learn in order to write science fiction and fantasy," when they write a tutorial for FARP. But I'm actually not exaggerating. The art of creating worlds is crucial to good Fantasy and Science Fiction. There are four basic parts of a story: plot, character, setting, and theme. But what sets Fantasy and Science Fiction apart from other genres is the setting. To be a good writer you need to know character, plot, and theme. Nor do you need to create a universe that is totally original or free of those dreaded Fantasy clichés. And that's the key for creating a realistic world for your story, creating the world as a whole. All this is not to say that your worlds have to be completely scientifically realistic. J.R.R. George Lucas's Star Wars universe was never very well developed, especially from a technology standpoint, but it still works.
Chapter 2: Day 1 - Physics Chapter 3: Day 2 - Weather. 7 Unnecessary Science Fiction Worldbuilding Details - THE GALAXY EXPRESS. I’m a subscriber to the idea of “just enough” worldbuilding, especially when reading a cross genre novel like science fiction romance.
I don’t require pages of explanation about certain details or in some cases even a sentence. Mainly this is because of my awareness of practical factors, such as word count limits. Additionally, like many readers I bring a certain level of knowledge of genre tropes to fill in gaps or I’ll extrapolate from what’s being described on the page. But those aren’t the only reasons. It seems to me that some worldbuilding details are unnecessary because many are rooted in basic high school science. Allow me to qualify a few things. Below are examples of details that I automatically bring to certain science fiction stories. Right or wrong, I propose this list of unnecessary science fiction worldbuilding details: 1. 2. World Building 101. World Building 101 by Lee Masterson You are the ultimate creator of your fictional world.
No matter where or when your story is set, regardless of what events unfold, and despite the characters you introduce to your readers, they are all products of your unique imagination. "But I write romance set in the present time," I hear you cry. It doesn't matter whether your story is set in 16th century Middle Europe, or the 28th century Altarian star-system, your story still belongs in a world created entirely by you. So, even though it can be great fun to invent strange sounding planets in distant galaxies, complete with lethal atmospheres and budding alien life-forms, there are still writers out there who would much prefer to deal with Earth as we already know it.
The good news is you still get your chance to put on your megalomaniac's hat and play God! Regardless of where (or when) your story is set, YOU have decided your characters' destinies for them. Ten Great Examples of Science Fiction World Building. Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions. Games: Roleplaying: World Building. 30 Days of WorldBuilding. By popular demand, you can now download the Magical WorldBuilder Guide in three easy-to-carry (non-DRM) formats: PDF for printing out at home or reading on a computerePub for use with many fine ereader devicesMOBI for use with Kindles and MobiPocket software.As of 2007, The world-builder exercises are licensed under a Creative Commons license to help you in deciding whether you can translate (yes, with credit back), distribute to your writing group (yes, with credit), sell (not without permission), reprint (yes, for non-commercial purposes), or mirror (yes, with credit back) this useful guide!
In October, 2004, I posted 30 days of world-building exercises to the NaNoWriMo discussion forums. These are short, 15-minute exercises that can help you make crucial decisions about your world, and what you want your story to say about it. These exercises have been edited for general use and re-posted here. So, give yourself 7 and a half hours this month-- 15 minutes a day-- to build a world. A Way With Worlds - Entire Column Listing. 30 Days of WorldBuilding. Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions.