World Building: The Solar System

There are a million places to start. You could create a language. You could create a race. You could create a government. But as for me I create the world.

Obviously I'll skip this if I'm using our world but in many cases I'm not. And I like to start big then go small.

I guess you could create the entire galaxy but I don't write (or I haven't yet anyway) worlds where intergalactic space travel is possible so for me it would be utterly useless.

Well not useless because any amount of word building helps you get more of a feel for your world and honestly that's what world building is all about. So even if you aren't planning on using something the more you know the better. But either way, I don't do the galaxy.

I, instead, begin with the solar system.

For the purposes of these blog posts I'm going to create a new world as well. So after each section I'll give an example of the world I'm creating.

Here's how I start out...

The Sun(s)

1. How many? I once read a story (Can't think of the name right now!) that had a whole bunch of suns and the planet was in constant sunlight except for one time every hundred years or so (not quite sure, I read it a LONG time ago) so you can have as many as you want, just think of the implications it would have on the planet.

2. What type? There are a whole lot of options here and each has a different effect on the planet you're creating. There are supergiants, bright giants, giants, dwarfs and so on. They vary in color, size and temperature so many things on your planet will depend on what you choose.

As for me I'm going to be boring. I have one sun which is a yellow dwarf, like our own sun.

The Planet(s)

1.How many?

2. Location? Here you'll want to know the order of the planets. You don't have to name them yet especially if you'll make a language and want to name the according to that but give them a number or letter and decide which one is the planet your story will be on. This way you'll know the number of planets before and after.

3. Type? Most likely you'll have terrestial planet as your own planet but there are others such as gas giants and ice giants. 

4. Habitual Zone?

My world is going to have 5 planets. I'm going to use letters for my planets so A-E are my planets.

A: 1st planet from the sun, a terrestrial planet, and not in the habitual Zone

B: 2nd planet, terrestrial planet, and not in the habitual zone

C: 3rd planet, terrestrial planet, and during half the orbit not in the habitual zone

D: 4th planet, gas giant, in the habitual zone

E: 5th planet, ice giant, not in the habitual zone

The Moon(s)

In actuality moons are satellites but because of the connotations I'll refer to this section as moons.

1. Which planet? If you used letter to name your planets so far here you can go ahead and use the planet letter (say A) and then number the moons (so A1 and A2)


2. How many?

All together my solar system has 8 moons or at least at moons that I'm paying attention to because gas giants usually have a lot of moons but for now I'm ignoring them.

A: none

B: 2

C: 1

D: 3

E: 2

The Orbit

Here we are going to look at 3 things.

1. Shape? This will probably be either circular or oblong


2. Length? I usually do this relative to earth days because it's easiest but you can do it according to your planets own days. Also it's helpful to know that the further away the planet the longer the orbit AND the slower it goes. Think of that while you're coming up with the length.

3. Speed? I don't do this but you can. You can find information here about our own solar system to give you an idea. It's a QA but it'll give you the basic idea anyway.

You'll want to figure this out for each component you have except the sun unless you've created an entire galaxy because the sun too is rotating around the galaxy. For example our sun is rotating around the milky way galaxy.

Here's what I did...

Planet                          A                                B                                C                

Shape                      circular                  circular                   oblong   

Length (days)       172                          417                           543       

Planet                                        D                                E

Shape                               circular                        oblong

Length (days                      1057                           1560

You'll want to do the same thing for each of your moons. Or at least each of the moons of your planet. As for me I'm going to use a moon of planet D for my story so my moons for planet D are as follows

Moons                              1                                 2                              3

Shape                       Circular                    Circular                 Circular

Length (days)

The Solar System

Now that all of that is figured out, draw it to see how it looks on paper.

The Rotation

1. Direction?  This will tell you which way your sun rises on the planet unless your "planet" is a moon.

2. Length: As orbital speed told you the length of your year, this will tell you your planets day.

Take a look at my example.

Moon D2

Direction: Clockwise

Length: Same as orbit

Quick note here. The length of my rotation as you see above says "same as orbit". I did this because most moons are tidally locked to the planet they orbit. This basically just tells us that the same face of the moon faces the planet all the time. For the planet this would mean that the year is as long as the day.

Problems

There is no set number of things here just a place you can put potential issues with the solar system.

Anyone heard that our sun is going to expand and become a a red giant is some billion years? Its said that all the inner planets will be consumed, devoured by the sun. What if that were to start happening right now and not in a billion years? What would we do?

That's a problem. See anything like that for your own planet?

Some problems you'll want to fix because they won't coincide with planet life, however others leave them and have it another obstacle for your main characters. Man vs Nature is a great plot or subplot.

As for me I have a couple of issues I see. Here are a few: Tidal heating caused by the planet it orbits so closely. The length of the day and night. And although this isn't a problem per say I haven't quite figured out the mechanics of the way the sun will rise and set... so I have to do some research for that.

How are all your solar systems looking??

Here's a little extra thing. I made up a quick outline so if you'd like to use my worldbuilding method you can go ahead and use it each time without having to read though my own made up world : ) I'll add one to each section and you can put it together at the end of these blog posts.

I. World Building

A. The Solar System

1. The Components

a. The sun

b. The planet

c. The moon

2. The Orbit

a. Shape

b. Length

3. The Map

4. The Rotation

a. Direction

b. Length

5. Problems

Novel Building: An Introduction

Months ago before little Em was born I talked about the concept of Novel Building instead of World Building. You can read that post here.

Well after months of taking care of Em and little else, I have finally started blogging regularly again so I'd like to go back to that.

Novel building is very personal and I can almost assure you that what works for me won't work for you. Parts may but others you'll look at and either say forget that or think well sure but why not this way.

And nothing is wrong with that. Making it work for you is the key. And what works for one novel doesn't always work for the next. I, myself, was very upset learning that fact.

Anyway, I'll be back here posting in a week to get started on the process.

Next up: World Building: The Solar System

Trips and Writing

To write you need to be in a grove. Or I do at least.

I have to be doing it for a while writing so many words a day for so many days on one specific story to really get into the habit of writing. I write always but if its not for the same story I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere.

It used to be easy to do this but with a little one in the house its a bit more complicated.

Well, I'm trying to get back into that grove so I can finish a novel before I travel to the states in October.

Because during and after vacations its impossible to get anything done. The routine is off and your lost so you don't do anything at all.

So I want to finish the first draft so I can come home and get started on the rewrite instead of trying to pick up where I left off.

And I think 3 months is a good span of time for writing a first draft. I think it limits you in editing while you go and for me that's the key in finishing a project.

So this month I've been worldbuilding and outlining the novel. From July 1- September 30 I am writing 2000 words a day (yikes!) and hopefully by the end I will have 120,000 words counting Sundays off and a few days of review.

I don't actually want a novel with a wordcount quite so high. I want about 90,000 but sometimes I ramble (bet you guessed that already huh?) so I need wiggle room to cut out parts I don't want and especially the ones I don't need.

So that's my plan. Let's hope I stick to it.

A New Story to Finish

There is nothing in the world like the thrill of a new story. Its new and exciting and it leaves you dull of wonder and hope and possibilities.

And its wonderful. But I think there is something more amazing than the beginning.

The end.

Now those are some powerful words.

Has anyone out there heard of runners high? 

I've experienced it all of twice in my life. But at some point its quite literally like you don't want to stop. You run and run and even though you're tired for some reason your body wants to stay in motion.

The sensation is refreshing. Its breathtaking and oh so powerful. You get into this grove and its wonderful.

And every time you go running afterwards all you want to do is get that feeling back.

Don't worry I'm rounding back in on my point.

That is sort of what starting a new writing project is like for me.

I have only finished one novel but it was amazing. I love to write and I get into the "zone" quite a bit but nothing can compare to the final lines of the novel not even the start.
And every time I start a new project I think back to those moments as I typed the last line. And I want that feeling back.

Its not the writers high. That I've experienced a lot. So what would this be called?

Im not quite sure. All I know is its tough to get there but I'll keep working for it. Because that feeling is worth it.

Editing, my foe

I love writing. Period. I love setting pen to paper (I'm old fashion like that) and letting a story take me away. I love staring outside on a fall afternoon and watching the scene unfold in my mind as if I'm living it rather than only imaging it.

I love writing, in a way, like I love my daughter. Even when she gives me a hard time I still have this precious thing in front of me that's mine.

It's when I have finished the writing part that I hate.

Editing is awful and tedious and time consuming and most of the time I hate every single second of it. I wish I was one of those unicorn writers who didn't need to edit.

Lucky S.O.B.s

But unfortunately I do have to edit and reread my writing a thousand times until it seems like it isn't really even a story anymore but a jumble of incoherent words strung together.

But I do it because I want to make the story the best that it can be and if that means I have to reread it a thousand or even a million times, I'll do it.

What about the rest of you? Which part of the process do you hate?

The Problem(s) With Parenting Books

Go into a book store, look online or in a library and you will find a million self help books. There are so many. Things like how to deal with grief over a loss of a loved one, how to be better at relationships, and on and on the list goes.

One of the most popular self-help books that hardly even seem like self help? Parenting books.
But they are self help and they are the worst type of self help.

Why? Because they tell you what to do rather then letting you rely on your own instincts.

You'll find a lot of these types of books but the majority will be either advocates of schedules or attachment parenting. There is nothing particulary wrong with either besides the fact that it rules out your own feelings in the matter. Read a book like "The Contented Little Baby" or "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems" and you'll find things like you need to get your baby on a schedule from Day 1 or ELSE. Else being you will be a slave to your baby, will never sleep again, and you will be manipulated over and over. Read a book like "The Attachment Parenting Book" or "Attachment Parenting" and you will get the exact opposite advice. Feed on demand or "cue", co-sleep, and wear your baby constantly.

Read both books and you are sure to feel inadequate no matter what you do.

I want to write a book about parenting. It will be all of one page long, not including copyrights. It will say. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. The End.

I love to read and I love to see what other people are doing so I've read both The Baby Whisperer and The Attachment Parenting Book. I do not subscribe to either, however. I like the baby whisperer because it gives advice on how to gently teach your baby to sleep alone (never really a problem for me except for naps! Little Em hates napping) and I like the other because I think it's more of a commonsense guide to parenting. I liked reading it because I did feel better about feeding my baby every hour and a half, picking her up as soon as she cried which all my "great" doctor/nurse advice told me was wrong. Had I not read it I would have felt (get this) guilty for feeding her so soon and picking her up so often.

Had I not had the advice by medical professionals I think I wouldn't have thought twice about it. Baby cries? Pick her up. Duh. Why do they tell parents not to pick up there babies!?

But then again there are some things about each of the book I hate. The baby whisperer. Feed every 3 hours. Yeah, maybe when your bottle feeding and the baby is not a newborn newborn. Em didn't start going 2 hours between feeds until a month. About 2.5 at 3 months and then somewhere during the third month she started finally going 3 which she still is. (and the book says now she should be going 4... come on). Also never let the baby sleep on you, in the car, rocking, eating... and so on. Dude, whatever works those first months.

The other book? Well I can't co-sleep. I wouldn't get any sleep. I want my baby to have some time to herself to... yeah it's nice to be with mom but also don't you think a baby needs a little independence too? They might want to go off and play not be in a sling ALL day.

The problem? The real problem? Is extremism.

Not everything is going to work with every baby or every parent. Some babies don't do well co-sleeping like some parents don't. Some babies really are too big to carry ALL day in a sling. Some babies can't go more than 2 hours without eating.

Moral of the story? Relax. Do what's right for your baby and you. Happy mom = happy baby. Trust me.

I realize I'm giving parents advice when I've been a mom all of 20 seconds (no-4.5 months!) but I feel like because we've lost that sort of "pack" atmosphere where clans lived together for years and moms taught their daughters to be mothers and so women go looking for advice elsewhere. And then feel like they are "mothering" wrong because of what some books tells them.

I know the feeling, unfortunately. But, luckily my husband is amazing and convinced me that I should just do what I feel and Em will turn out to be the girl she's meant to be. I just hope other women have the great husband I do and if not that the come to the realization on their own.

Give your child love and limits and she will love you back and be a much better adult for it.

Happy parenting everyone!

Writing With A Baby

Little Miss Emilynn is a mamas girl. There really is no point in arguing that. She loves to be with me which us nice... most of the time. I sort of love being the one who can soothe her when everyone else has tried... except, of course, when I'm showering, eating, napping, etc. But the worst is when I'm writing.

I can starve. I can stink. I can be sleep-deprived. But writing? I can't not write. For me its really just not an option. (Except apparently when I'm pregnant) Its like a basic need. I get irrationally angry when I can't write.

Oh don't get me wrong sometimes I'll go days, weeks, or even months without writing but because I am either burnt out or I don't have a current project.

But when I am in the middle of a project and go days weeks or months without writing? And I don't mean a scribble here or there.. because I ALWAYS do that but real substantial writing? Watch out. I'm not a pretty sight.

Besides the first few weeks Em is pretty good about letting me do a little writing. But its never the amount I want... and you know what? This is actually a GOOD thing.
I write 500 words a day now. I do not go to bed before I get this. Most of the time I go over the 500 words and have to force myself to stop in order to get some sleep.

And do you know what this has taught me? Writing 500 words 7 days a week is much better than 3500 one day.  Because the next week you'll write 500 words a day but you might not write 3500 words in one day again. Maybe you'll write 5000.. maybe none.

Em has taught me something I've heard all my life but never truly listened to it: its much better to be consistent.

Its like school. Study for four hours the night before the test or study one hour for four nights. Which is better? Obviously the latter. Writing is exactly the same.

So instead of being angry when my writhing sessions are cut short from a hungry baby I try to remember that she's keeping me from burning out. She's keeping me interested. She's making me want to write more instead of feeling obligated to do so.

Em already knows what's best for mom : )

What has your little one taught you about writing?