Thanks to SFR Brigade for letting me jump
on their blog for a hot minute! Y’all are the absolute best!
One of my favorite aspects of writing is
worldbuilding. I am that girl who will sit for hours researching some of the
most random stuff because “Wouldn’t it be cool if—?” and “How does this work?”
are my two most common settings when it comes to planning a story. I am the
girl who spent three months building a religion for a book I haven’t written
yet.
I am the girl who builds worlds.
And I love every second of it.
But I’ve realized that a lot of
writers…don’t. They have the basis of their world (a planet somewhere, a
generic fantasy realm, a bland magic system, a universe with some kind of
shifter that is like every other shifter), but they focus much more on the
story and characters. That might sound normal, but a fleshed out world is just
as important as fleshed out characters and plot.
Some writers just don’t know how to worldbuild. And that’s where I
come in.
When I was writing Gemini, my science fiction romance fairytail retelling (say THAT
three times fast!), I had an idea of how I wanted my world to operate. I’m an
avid gamer, and I also spend entirely too much time on Pinterest, which for me,
is filled with writing ideas people have pinned from Tumblr. As a result, I
have consumed a lot of interesting detail, and one of the things I wanted to
play around with was that basically every alien thinks humans are Chuck Norris.
If you’re not familiar with Chuck Norris facts,
please do so. I’ll wait.
I also started daydreaming about the way
humans use the internet and the running joke about how it’s basically just for
cat videos, which led to that gag on Futurama with the Omicronians and their
obsession with Single Female Lawyer, a rip-off of Aly McBeal. THAT led to the
fact that media from decades ago is likely still pinging around somewhere in
space and possibly being viewed by aliens right
now.
All of that resulted in the fahir, a race
of highly intelligent cat-creatures, who are primarily used as bounty hunters
and hired muscle; and also some plans for the sequels, including but not
limited to a cult dedicated to Prince.
And some terrible cat puns (I’m sorry,
guys).
All of the above formed the basis for
Gemini’s world. One in which humans are feared because they come from a planet
where everything wants to kill you, AKA space Australia, so they must be
practically indestructible. One in which humans are one of the dominant
species, so they have a place on the council (suck it, Mass Effect!), and
they’re one of only five species it’s illegal to enslave. Of course, that
restriction just makes them more sought out. This background shaped the main
characters—Uri, a former slave, and Shadi, a current slave at the beginning of
the book—and their relationships to each other and the ragtag bunch who becomes
their crew. Without any of those elements, Gemini
would be a completely different book.
Every
little world detail snowballs into a world that jumps off the page and can
become just as memorable as the characters who inhabit it.
Why Worldbuilding (is the Secret Ingredient) is a 5-week online course, hosted through my website, that is essentially an intro
to worldbuilding. We’ll cover what worldbuilding is, how it affects every
aspect of your story, what to consider when designing your world, and how to
weave those elements into your narrative. Using examples from some of science
fiction and fantasy's best known worlds from books, tv, movies, and video games,
you'll gain the tools and insight you need to create your own. Why Worldbuilding runs as follows:
Oct 16-20 – Intro to Worldbuilding: What is it? And why should I do
it?
Oct 23-27 – The Basics: What you need to know and why you
need to know it.
Oct 30-Nov 3 – Playing God, pt 1: The Building Blocks of Civilization
Nov 6-10 – Playing God, pt. 2: Constructing Your World
Nov 13-17 – Weaving the Tapestry: How does it all come together?
Registration starts August 15th. Each week is $30, or you can complete the set for $130 (save $20!)
Put on your apron, grab your chef’s hat,
and join me in October!
Author Bio:
Catherine Peace has been telling stories
for as long as she could remember. She often blames two things for her forays
into speculative fiction—Syfy (when it was SciFi) channel Sundays with her dad
and The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells. She graduated in 2008 from Northern
Kentucky University with a degree in English and is still chasing the dream of
being super rich and famous, mostly so she can sit around in her PJs all day
and write stories. As it is, she's content to spend half the day in her PJs and
write stories.
When
not being a slave to the people in her head, she’s a slave to two adorable
dogs.
Find her at:
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