This is # 2 of a 5-part blog series on how to make fantasy and science-fiction world's feel real. It's based off of a science fiction and fantasy world-building prompt session I ran at this year's Ladder Literary Conference. Blogs in this series:
About this World-Building SeriesWhen we think of a fantastic world, we often think of the broad strokes, but it’s the small details of the world that make it come to life. Those little details are what we’re going to focus on in this blog series. Fantastic DetailsIn William Gibson’s Neuromancer, the characters are hardened, often augmented by artificial body parts, and spend half of their lives in cyberspace. They speak their jargon and refer to people and events beyond the narrative, which would not be possible without a developed world history. Consider this quote from Neuromancer, describing the forced removal of the main character’s (Case) cybernetic augmentation, which had allowed him to access cyberspace:
To an observer, Case has a scar – but now we know it’s so much more. This passage is in the first few paragraphs of the first chapter of the novel. With examination, I can tell that there was a war, Russia makes mycotoxin, they use cyberspace at a microscopic level, and cybernetic ability can be painfully extracted. These are all pieces of the world history, acted, or in this case inflicted, upon the character. But, these pieces are meaningless if not rooted in a consistent and developed narrative. Characters need orientation in their world to be able to act and react to plot points. They have access to a small sliver of the universal knowledge, to which you have unlimited access and creative power. Give characters a diversity of expertise, so their fragments of understanding come together to form the world you created. World History in the DetailsWhen I write a story, sometimes I include just the small detail, and sometimes I write the full history behind it – whatever fits in the narrative. What’s important is I know, and my characters know, the story behind these unique details. Even if I don’t use the object history right away, I might use it further in the story. As I build the web of my world, these details and their accounts can connect to make a strong structure and vibrant setting. The Prompt: Write a small, but significant physical detail from your science fiction or fantasy world.
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This is # 1 of a 5-part blog series on how to make fantasy and science-fiction world's feel real. It's based off of a science fiction and fantasy world-building prompt session I ran at this year's Ladder Literary Conference. Blogs in this series: About this World-Building SeriesIf you love imaginative worlds, you know the setting is itself a character, with a history, distinct features, strengths, and weaknesses. A well-written fantastic world could be as vivid in your mind as the last new place you visited and as familiar as your backyard. When I can walk through my science-fiction or fantasy world in my mind and see it with in-depth detail, that’s when I'm ready for my characters to set foot in the places I've made for them. When we think of a fantastic world, we often think of the broad strokes, but it’s the small details of the world that make it come to life. Those little details are what we’re going to focus on in this blog series. Going to New PlacesSometimes, to write in the extraordinary, I like to ground in the ordinary. For this exercise, I want you to remember the last time that you went someplace new. Perhaps you went to another region or country, or maybe it was just the next town over or the next street over. What did you notice that was different about that place. Common cultural differences include languages, religion, accents, food, architecture, and customs. There’s also variance in the landscape, climate, flora, and fauna. Building a New WorldWhy do want you to write about the last place you visited? Because the little, and sometimes big, details you notice when you are in a new place are the same elements you should feature in the description of your fictional world.
The more fantastic your world, the more fanciful you can be, but you be, you should have ordinary details as well. These details ground the reader and give them a common reference point. Maybe there’s a science fiction world where everyone walks on floating sidewalks, but they also all eat boring cabbages because it’s easiest to grow in the depleted soil underneath. The Prompt: Write out some of the sensory details from the last new place you visited.Remember Solstice: Solstice Rituals through HistorySince my word for the scavenger hunt is “remembers” I thought I’d write about some of the way Solstice has been celebrated throughout history.
Solstice Scavenger Hunt InformationFacebook’s Fantasy & Sci-fi Readers’ Lounge is running a Solstice Scavenger Hunt. The game runs from June 16th to June 29th. The grand prize is $75, and entrants also have a chance to win one of 19 eBooks by one of our 19 participating authors. To play the game: you are hunting for the words featured on each of the blogs below. Once you collect all the words, unscramble them to make a quote from a famous book. Then enter to win here: Giveaway requirements:
Participating AuthorsHere are all the books you could win! Talk about a summer reading list! Visit the author's blog and start collecting words for the Solstice Scavenger Hunt: Azimuth by Rennie St. James: https://writerrsj.com/blog/ The Glass Gargoyle by Marie Andreas: http://faeriesdragonsspaceships.blogspot.com/ This Cursed Flame by Selina J. Eckert: https://sjeckert.wordpress.com/…/solstice-scavenger-hunt-20… The Fox and The Hunter by Linn Tesli: https://linntesli.com/blog/ Witch's Moonstone Locket by Marsha A Moore: https://marshaamoore.blogspot.com/…/solstice-scavenger-hunt… Elven Jewel by Kasper Beaumont: http://huntersofreloria.weebly.com/kaspers-ramblings Wolves' Gambit by PJ MacLayne: http://www.pjmaclayne.com/mountain-musings/ Ian's Realm Saga by D.L. Gardner: https://diendrial.wordpress.com Dragon Blood by Katie Cherry: https://www.facebook.com/KatieCherryFantasy/ The Shikari by Dora Blume (DM Staley): www.dorablume.com Sleepless Flame by Odin Oxthorn (Ox Woden): https://www.odinsmusings.com/ The Hand of Atua by Charity Bradford: charitywrites.blogspot.com Schrodinger's Cat by Eileen Schuh: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com/ Shadow's Hand by Noelle Nichols: www.noellenichols.com Forever People by Alison Lyke: http://www.alisonlyke.com/blog A Bit of Magic by Mae Baum: https://maebaum.com Curse Breaker: Enchanted by Melinda Kucsera: https://melindakucsera.com/blog/ Bonded by Cheryllynn Dyess: www.cheryllynndyess.com Tattoos by Stacy Overby: www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com My Solstice Scavenger Hunt Word is: “Remembers!”When I was a child I loved, and I still love, stories of women and girls triumphing over adversity. Books like Anne of Green Gables and Little Women were among my favorites. I have also always loved adventure and fantasy stories. As a young girl, I read and reread Treasure Island, The Hobbit, Gulliver’s Travels, and other epic tales. . As I got older, I realized there was little overlap in adventure stories and female-centric stories. I started to wonder why women weren’t going on adventures. In the stories I read about women, they reached adulthood, got married, and that was it. That was the end of their story. If a woman was present in the story, it was not her story, she was the one being rescued and/or she was a love interest to be won at the end of the grand and perilous journey. I wanted to read about girls, and later women, like myself. I wanted a female in science fiction and fantasy stories, as the hero, as the main character, and as someone fierce and real. So, I started writing those stories. When I was young, writing women wasn’t revolutionary feminism; it was natural to write main characters the same gender as myself. When I reached adulthood, I had another realization: even when the main character of a fantasy or sci-fi is female, she’s almost always a girl or a teenager. There were hardly any adult women going on fantastic adventures, and there was no similar shortage of adult men fighting their way through far-off galaxies and exotic landscapes.
In the past few decades, there has been a reversal of this men-and-girls-only trend, but we still have a long way to go. When I’m asked in interviews why I write so many women characters, I always answer “women are fifty percent of the population, so they should be having fifty percent of the fantastic adventures.” Mythology has been a cornerstone in my life, and world myths were the basis of my first novel, Honey. Later this week, on 5/24 from 2-5pm, I’m taking over Facebook’s Fantasy and Science Fiction’s Readers Lounge with the theme of Fairy Tales and Mythology, so I figured I’d write an on-topic blog. Why Mythology? My father was an artist who specialized in mythological subjects. The painting above, The Birth of Medusa, was from his series on the life of Medusa. He painted, sculpted, and carved mythological figures from Greek, Roman, Norse, and Native American traditions, among others. I noticed that many of these pantheons had gods with different names, but similar functions and stories. For example, both Zeus and Odin topple giants to earn their status and kings of the gods. I wanted to know how all of these cultures, from different times and places, had the same stories with the same people. So, I read them ALL. True Myth These myths must be true. That was the conclusion I came to after extensively reading world mythology. It’s the only thing that explains the prevalence of mythological people and themes. Do I believe that there is a chariot pulling the sun across the sky? No, I think we are all are Helios, toiling through the day and resting at night. Do I believe that Persephone’s return to Hades brings winter? No, winter is a dark time for all of us. Upstate New York snow absolutely is hell. The god of communication, Hermes, known as Mercury in the Roman pantheon, can fly very fast because he has wings on his sandals. But, why not wings on his back? Because information travels quickly only sometimes, like when it’s a salacious story or when the messenger is well-paid. Otherwise, the message may not have wings, like when it’s a hard truth or an obscure fact. Some might say that myths were just ancient people’s way of making sense of the world. Another common idea is that religious tales were used to keep the population cooperative; chill out or Zeus will chain you to an eternally burning wheel. While these ideas are probably partially correct, ancient storytellers still drew on their own, mortal experience to create these myths. Perhaps the perpetually burning wheel was what it felt like to labor in poverty while the rich few luxuriated – punishment, from on high, for merely existing in the wrong place at the wrong time. A Full JarThe story of Pandora’s Jar is similar to the African myth of Anansi’s Pot. Both vessels held all of the world’s knowledge, which was released due to the reckless actions of a passerby. But, each of has a world of myths and stories inside of us, bubbling around with all of the knowledge that we’ve accumulated over our lifetimes. Maybe some myth, or story, or passerby will be the catalyst that inspires your ideas to spill out into the world.
Find out More About Level 3 by Science-Fiction Writer Alice de Sampaio Kalkuhl During OWS CyCon 20195/15/2019 Welcome to another fantastic stop in our World-building Showcase blog hop! On this stop, we’re highlighting a story where the world changes or ends as we know it, but you can find a full list of authors and topics on the OWS Cycon website. Let’s dive in! Welcome Alice de Sampaio Kalkuhl!Before we dive in to the nitty gritty, what is Level 3 about? Level 3 is about researchers going above and beyond, creating a cyberpunk world, but abandoning ethics along the way. There’s failures and successes, but in the end, the series is about the research process. What are the main differences between the “regular world” and the world on the other side of your barrier? The main difference is the world in Level 3 is essentially a version of the normal world, if science had progressed faster and if some of the main questions in developmental biology and biochemistry had already been solved. There isn’t really a portal, but it’s definitely an alternate reality. Does language play any role in your world? Does everyone speak the same language, or is there variety? Did you invent any new slang or terminology during your world-building process? Equations are essentially a language and there is a lot of programming. Python counts as a different language, right? What kinds of climates do your characters experience? Do they see a lot of change or is it always the same? Has your world always had this kind of climate, or has it changed over time? The climate is the same as on earth. Is there any kind of faith system in your world? Did you draw inspiration from any real cultures, living or dead? Most of the characters in Level 3 are atheists or believe, but don’t shove it into people’s faces. What do people in your invented world do for fun? Are there sports, games, music, or other activities they do in their free time? They don’t really have time for fun, but for the first three books, there’s a pub called Old Hare within a short walking distance of the research building. Your ProcessWhen you build a world, what is your process like? Do you do a lot of research upfront, wing it completely, or something in between? I generally start with earth and decide how I want the world to be different from earth. Then I build it from there. How central is the setting of your story to the story itself? Is it more of an interesting backdrop, or is it integral to the events of the story? The setting itself is important, but it’s mostly internal, so it’s more a case of architecture mattering. When helping the reader get to know the world you built, what techniques do you use? Do you tend to be upfront about things, or keep the reader in the dark and feed them only bits at a time? It goes bit by bit and there are references in the end of the book. How much of a role does realism and hard scientific fact play in your world-building? Do you strive for 100% accuracy, or do you leave room for the fantastical and unexplainable in your world? A lot, especially in this series. I love writing it and it is research based, so I really strive for accuracy. Do you have any specialized training or background from your “real life” that has informed your world-building? I’m currently in the final year of a BSc. Genetics and I studied a couple of credits physics in 2015/2016. How do you keep all of the details of your world and characters straight? Do you have a system for deciding on different factors and keeping it all organized, or does it live more in your head? I write all my novels in LaTeX which allows me to have little note documents in my project folder. Did you experience any difficulties while building your world? Any facts that refused to cooperate or inconsistencies you needed to address while editing? All the time. Research changes a lot and at some point you have to make a choice of which work you find most plausible. Where can people find you on the web?Join me this CyCon by having a look at my author booth and my CyCon event. Ethics, the first book in Level 3 is available on Inkitt which regular updates.
For more stops on our World-building Showcase, visit the tour page on the OWS CyCon website. You can also find more great Sci Fi authors and books on our main Sci Fi event page. This list is posted in conjunction with OWS CyCon, a massive cyber book convention happening in just a few weeks. In addition to this post, I’m participating in a Sci-Fi Punk Blog Hop, Cover Wars, and I’m taking over the Fantasy and Sci-Fi Readers Lounge on Facebook, on Saturday 5/18 from 4-5pm. Here’s a link to my booth on the OWS CyCon site and there’s more information on CyCon at the end of this post: https://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/forums/topic/alison-lyke-author-booth/ I decided to write my Top 5 post about my favorite places in science fiction so that I could honor the worlds I love and span multiple genres. 5. Tatooine from Star Wars A "wretched hive of scum and villainy." – Obi-Wan Kenobi As the first planet in the 1977 debut of the saga, Tatooine introduced Star Wars. I have an affinity toward the desert, perhaps because I was born there or maybe because I live in a cold place and I covet all that warmth. I love Tatooine’s city, Mos Eisley, because it’s an intergalactic melting pot with an unseemly underbelly. 4. Mars from Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles“Perfect, faultless, in ruins, yes, but perfect, nevertheless.” ― Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles To clarify, I mean Mars before the human colonization. Although the “There Will Come Soft Rains” Mars does have a kind of horrifying beauty. The Martians with their surreal homes and alien minds are the best part of the book, even though they don’t claim much of the narrative. 3. The Republic of Gilead from Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale“This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.” ― Margaret Atwood, A Handmaid’s Tale Gilead is a place that once was for all of us and still is for some of us. More importantly, it’s an emotional reality for every woman who has been underestimated, demeaned, and abused. The first time I read this, I cried through the whole novel because I felt it and because I was relieved. I was relieved to find out that someone was speculating on the consequences of modern misogyny. 2. USS Voyager from Star Trek“Who wanted to muck around in the dirt when you could be studying quantum mechanics?” - Captain Janeway I’m a fan of all of the ships in Star Trek, especially the new Discovery, but the USS Voyager is the most interesting. With the ship hopelessly lost in space, Captain Janeway pulls together two warring crews and navigates the starship through the unknown using a mix of resolve and compassion. Voyager is untethered from the Federation, so they are free to explore original places and dilemmas. 1. The Republic of San Lorenzo from Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle“Life is a garden, not a road. We enter and exit through the same gate. Wandering, where we go matters less than what we notice.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle San Lorenzo is a fictional banana republic in the Caribbean and the setting of my favorite book by my favorite author. It’s a gorgeous, lush, warm paradise with its own strange religion, banned by the government to make it more popular among the citizens. The foolishness and despotism of the leaders of San Lorenzo have far-reaching and globally devastating consequences. An important reminder in these times. That's it for my Top 5 Sci-Fi Places - what are yours? OWS CyCon InformationOWS CyCon officially runs May 17-19 with the CyCon website and Facebook events acting as the hub for all of our events. Sign up for our newsletter or RSVP to the event to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the bookish goodness we have to offer. Plus, you can read more about our participating Sci-Fi authors and their Top 5 favorites in Sci-Fi before CyCon starts. Visit the blog hop page any time leading up to CyCon for the latest posts and your chance to enter our MEGA giveaway (open May 10)
Celebrating the Last Season of Game of ThronesI thought I'd have a little fun with some medieval foods. These recipes were taken from A Feast of Ice and Fire and they are all dishes that are mentioned in the Song of Ice and Fire books. For each dish, A Feast of Ice and Fire splits the food up into the includes a quote from the book discussing the meal, a recipe for a medieval version of the dish and a recipe for a modern version. What's on the Menu?From Winterfell: Beef and Bacon Pie and Onions in Gravy. The pie was tasty and filling, and it looks like it's hard to make, but it's not. It was a huge hit with all the guys in my house. The onions were good, but the gravy took too long to thicken. I gave up and we had thin gravy. From the Riverlands: Leek Soup served at the Red Wedding! This soup was flavorful and a little spicy. However, I wouldn't want it for a last meal. From King's Landing: Oat Bread and Sansa's favorite Lemon Cakes. Tyrion always eats oat bread, so I had to try it. It was a heary compliment to the rest of the meal. Sansa's lemon cakes were amazing! They're chewy with a crisp crust and super lemony. I modified the recipe to make it even more lemony by making the glaze lemon-based instead of milk-based. Have fun this weekend and watch out for dragons!I have been practicing daily meditation for eighteen years and yoga for sixteen years. I’m a naturally anxious person. In a previous generation I may have been called a “worry wart,” but in the modern era it’s called Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Anyway, practicing yoga and meditation keeps me calm(er) and focused. These are some of the books, products, website and apps that have helped with my daily practice. My top suggestions are bolded. As a side note, these recommendations are not sponsored or affiliate links. Yoga Videos The Crunch Candlelight Yoga Includes a lot of modification for poses, so this is perfect for someone who has never done yoga or rarely practices. It’s also great if you’re injured or you need to relax without any “challenge” poses. Namaste Yoga (with Kate Potter) This is my favorite yoga practice and I’ve been doing these 22-minute flows for almost two decades. Unfortunately, the DVDs are pretty hard to find and the digital downloads are pricey. The good is, they still play these as episodes on television, so if you find them, DVR them and keep them forever. Yoga with Adrienne Adrienne has a yoga practice for every skill level and every situation! I always use her pre and post run stretches for my jogs. Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventures This is great for getting young kids into yoga. These short videos use yoga movements and a green screen to guide children through an exciting adventure and meditative practice. Meditation Videos, Websites, Apps Buddha Net A large collection of breathing and relaxation instruction and guided meditations. Kelly Howell Amazing guided, silent, and sleeping meditations using binaural beats. Binaural beats are a whole other, extensive topic, but in short, they’re sound frequencies designed to stimulate different parts of your brain. Headspace A guided meditation phone app offering dozens of courses and daily meditations. Very useful, but also expensive at around $100 per year. Insight Timer Similar to Headspace, but free. With over 150,000 meditations of varying quality, it can be hard to navigate. BooksZen and the Ways by Trevor Leggett Gives a sweeping history of Zen Buddhism and its relationship to other aspects of life. Also includes translations of rare Buddhist texts. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones A collection of ancient Zen koans, which are stories meant to encourage meditation and introspection. The Web that has no Weaver A discussion on Chinese medicine and how to incorporate Eastern ideas into Western medical treatments. What are your favorite yoga/meditation guides? Let me know in the comments!
My second novel, Forever People, will be released this week by Black Rose Writing! I have a ton of exciting news, links, appearances, and reviews. The paperback edition of Forever People comes out on March 28th and the eBook edition will be released a week later on April 4th. Forever People recieved a glowing, five-star review from The Book Dragon. Here's an excerpt: "Alison Lyke creates a futuristic, compelling story that literally had me turning the page ... without break. I read this book in about 4 consecutive hours, it was that captivating. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, some event would throw the plan off-course, and I was left reeling with the characters." You can find more reviews on Forever People's Goodreads Page. From Mar 03 - Mar 31 Black Rose Writing is running a Goodreads Giveaway for an advance eBook copy of Forever People. Don't miss your chance to win a free book! I recently did an in-depth interview with Zealot Script UK and they also posted a book release announcement for Forever People. From April 4th to April 11th I'm running a Kindle Countdown Sale of my first novel Honey, to celebrate the digital release of Forever People. Honey will be on sale for $.0.99 for three days and then $1.99 three days. I have so many fun and fascinating events coming up: April 13-14 I will be appearing in-person at the Flower City Comic Con. I have an exhibitor table, so stop by for a chat or a book signing. April 22-29 I'm going on a blog tour with R&R Book Tours. Stay tuned for more information on my tour stops. May 17-19 I will be appearing at OWS Cyber Convention, a massive online book festival. If you're interested in attending any (or all) of the event days, here's a link to the OWS 2019 Cyber Convention Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/574802543016528/ I have more virtual and in-person appearances in the upcoming months, but I'm waiting on official announcements, so I'll have to save them for a future post. A huge thank you to all of my family, friends, and fans. Getting Forever People from story concept to finished novel was the hardest journey in my writing life so far. Writing is a solitary endeavor, but my loving family and amazing friends make sure I don't have to go through anything else on my own. “A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche |
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