Converted the blog to a new template and then added a left sidebar. It's a better utilization of space.
Swords of Fire is an amazing saga. To me, anyway. Not only do I have a main story which covers an entire solar system, but I have a hoard of spin-off stories, too.
You already know of Tavaar's Backstory. But what about the backstories of other characters? What about Khirbah and Korbah, the founders of the Compound 333 years before my main character, Khirsha, was born? How did that come about?
The Kingdom of Azua. Who are those people? How vast is their kingdom?
What about Barbarians and Trolls? Why are they so hateful? There has to be a reason. People just aren't born that way. (I do know the reason, by the way.)
Where did the Giant Cats come from? How did Fire Mountain come to be?
What's great is that I have answers to all of these questions. After thirty-seven years it only makes sense.
Why is the Sea there? What is its real purpose?
I know it all. And yet I continue to learn more. Isn't that amazing? That's the wonder and beauty of world building. It never really ends until we do.
Showing posts with label Worlds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Worlds. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
What's in a World
I like to draw my worlds flat. Not sure why, other than that it simplifies things considerably.
North is always to the top of the page. World are always surrounded by oceans. I guess that's how I came up with the idea of The Great Sea. Water separates the worlds.
Worlds have mountains. Got to have mountains. The mountains create rivers which wind about and often fill basins to make lakes. Thick forests surround most lakes. Swampy regions, too. I like grassy plains and hot, arid land.
I like to draw worlds. I've drawn dozens upon dozens of them. Some (most) never do become associated with a story. Some do. Sometimes I have a story and create a world to put it in. Sometimes I have a world and create a story to go with it.
My favorite map was my original map for Swords of Fire. It's long gone now. Accidentally tossed in the garbage. Pity. I created it on a very large pieces of paper.
When I first left home I had no furniture beyond a small bumper pool table. One day, my mother showed up with some moving guys in tow. She had bought me a kitchen table, a recliner chair, and a box spring and mattress for a double bed. Which I did not have. The mattress was wrapped in brown paper, about twice the thickness of a grocery bag. That brown paper became my first map. It was really cool. Gone now.
I think what I may do some day is purchase a canvass. You can get them at art shops. Stephen used to make his own. He had got so he could put one together very quickly.
Anyway, I am going to buy a canvass and some paint. Probably acrylic. Oils are cool, but they're harder to clean. Then I'm going to paint me a world map. Mountains. Forests. Rivers. Arid places. All color coded. I like color coding.
North is always to the top of the page. World are always surrounded by oceans. I guess that's how I came up with the idea of The Great Sea. Water separates the worlds.
Worlds have mountains. Got to have mountains. The mountains create rivers which wind about and often fill basins to make lakes. Thick forests surround most lakes. Swampy regions, too. I like grassy plains and hot, arid land.
I like to draw worlds. I've drawn dozens upon dozens of them. Some (most) never do become associated with a story. Some do. Sometimes I have a story and create a world to put it in. Sometimes I have a world and create a story to go with it.
My favorite map was my original map for Swords of Fire. It's long gone now. Accidentally tossed in the garbage. Pity. I created it on a very large pieces of paper.
When I first left home I had no furniture beyond a small bumper pool table. One day, my mother showed up with some moving guys in tow. She had bought me a kitchen table, a recliner chair, and a box spring and mattress for a double bed. Which I did not have. The mattress was wrapped in brown paper, about twice the thickness of a grocery bag. That brown paper became my first map. It was really cool. Gone now.
I think what I may do some day is purchase a canvass. You can get them at art shops. Stephen used to make his own. He had got so he could put one together very quickly.
Anyway, I am going to buy a canvass and some paint. Probably acrylic. Oils are cool, but they're harder to clean. Then I'm going to paint me a world map. Mountains. Forests. Rivers. Arid places. All color coded. I like color coding.
Friday, March 6, 2009
A Million Worlds Means a Million Stories - and more
My thought all along was that, after finishing the Swords of Fire Saga, I would continue with Stories From the Great Sea. These stories could take the form of trilogies and sagas, but more often simply be stand alone tales of their own merit. My short story, Apprentice, could fall into this category. As well as others.
The Great Sea consists of so many worlds. I have not counted them, but references in my notes indicate there are at least thousands, if not tens of thousands, or even millions. Most of the worlds would either be devoid of Free People representation, or inhabited by humans. There would be worlds devoid of any real fauna. Not much of a story there. But there are so many tales to be told.
The difficult thing about these others stories is that they must also adhere to the general laws which govern The Great Sea, and which are spelled out in the Swords of Fire Saga. For instance, Swords of Fire states there are twelve dragon breeds. It further identifies them. This means any story which involves dragons would have to conform to this knowledge. The existence of Windows can be used, but the manner in which they function cannot be altered. The presence of the Children of Fire cannot be altered. Nor can their involvement.
The fact that a story might be interesting if certain things were true which Swords of Fire states are not is not the point. In order for the story to belong to The Great Sea, it must conform to The Great Sea. Otherwise, it has to take place some place else.
If Swords of Fire ever becomes successful, I shall put together all of these rules into a single volume. That way anyone who becomes inspired to write into this place will have a working knowledge at their disposal to write a believeable story for it.
I think that would be the greatest thing of all.
The Great Sea consists of so many worlds. I have not counted them, but references in my notes indicate there are at least thousands, if not tens of thousands, or even millions. Most of the worlds would either be devoid of Free People representation, or inhabited by humans. There would be worlds devoid of any real fauna. Not much of a story there. But there are so many tales to be told.
The difficult thing about these others stories is that they must also adhere to the general laws which govern The Great Sea, and which are spelled out in the Swords of Fire Saga. For instance, Swords of Fire states there are twelve dragon breeds. It further identifies them. This means any story which involves dragons would have to conform to this knowledge. The existence of Windows can be used, but the manner in which they function cannot be altered. The presence of the Children of Fire cannot be altered. Nor can their involvement.
The fact that a story might be interesting if certain things were true which Swords of Fire states are not is not the point. In order for the story to belong to The Great Sea, it must conform to The Great Sea. Otherwise, it has to take place some place else.
If Swords of Fire ever becomes successful, I shall put together all of these rules into a single volume. That way anyone who becomes inspired to write into this place will have a working knowledge at their disposal to write a believeable story for it.
I think that would be the greatest thing of all.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Are Worlds Round
Not in the sense the question implies.
Earth is round. It revolves in space as it orbits our sun. The entire surface is accessible to human life - technically. I've never been to the top of Everest, and I don't expect I ever shall.
The worlds of The Great Sea may, or may not be, spherical. But, like icebergs floating in the polar regions, only a portion is visible above the surface of the water. Most of the mass is submerged. And they do not revolve.
The science is difficult - if not downright impossible - to explain because any scientist who has studied more than a few minutes can tell you The Great Sea is not possible in our reality. For it to exist, certain physical laws would have to be altered. Those so grounded in our reality they become annoyed at descriptions which are impossible could never enjoy reading Swords of Fire. In the first place the worlds themselves would tork them off. Next, they would find the concept of flameswords equally impossible. They might accept certain characters popping in and out of Time, but probably not in the way it is done in Swords of Fire.
And yet I claim the light from The Great Sea is visible to Earth.
So how are day and night achieved if worlds do not rotate? How is it that seasons change? Here I am confronted with an exercise in descriptive writing. I must describe something which does not exist in our reality, using only terms from our reality, and have the reader create a working model in their mind. It isn't easy, and I don't expect to be able to achieve it with every reader. Some very famous books do things with their reality which I have trouble envisioning. But here is my go at answering the two questions.
Think of The Great Sea as a giant ring, donut, Cheerio or Fruit Loop, only monstrous in size - galaxy size. (Fruit Loop might be the best example, since so many think of me as being loopy. grin) That is the core. Now consider how it would look if it were 'squished', so that it was no longer a circle, but oval. Now, in the middle space, nearer to one end of the oval than the other, is the 'sun'. And all over the circle, like glaze on a donut, is water. At one time the water was frozen, but now it is free flowing. The water flows 'clockwise', but in a candy stripe course. This means that the water on the inside of the oval flows to the outside of the oval and then back to the inside as it completes the circle. The worlds float on this. While they are in the inside of the oval, the sun is over them and they have day. When they float to the outside, the sun is behind them and they have night. Seasons come and go because some portions of the oval are closer to the sun than others.
To create such a thing in our reality would require a feat of engineering which goes beyond genius. It simply is not the reality God made for us. But there are other realities which we have explored even less than our own.
Consider the vastness of the Universe. We live on one planet, in one solar system, in one galaxy in one universe. There may be other levels I have bypassed. What percentage of the total knowlede of each do we know? I expect the best scientists would admit to a infinitesimally small percentage at the universe and galaxy levels, and perhaps even the solar system. We don't even know everything about what's going on here on Earth. There is so much we do not know about the reality in which we have been placed. This is what excites those scientists who study such things. Their work cannot end in their lifetime. They will always have something new to discover. Good for them! We need their knowledge.
But the size of total knowledge within our own reality is small when compared with what can be known about other realities. I believe God created more realities than this one, and our ability to imagine is our way to tap into them. Remember, God tells us, "with God all things are possible". Now that statement was made specifically in answer to a question about the impossibility of people getting to heaven, but there is no reason not to take the statement literally. Other realities exist, if only in our minds. (One form of insanity is losing the ability to distinguish between realities. This not only makes a person confused, but possibly even dangerous - to others and themselves.)
The easiest place to see this is in the play of children. Their ability (it was once ours, too) to collectively join in imaginative play is more than just cute. During their play they can see the imagined people, creatures, places or what have you - despite it having been imagined by someone else. They work collectively, expanding their temporary reality accordingly.
That's what fiction writing is all about. It is especially so with fantasy and science fiction because those genres frequently include the creation of other worlds. It is one way adults continue their childhood play. All that really matters is that we can return to this reality at will and remember where we are when we do.
Earth is round. It revolves in space as it orbits our sun. The entire surface is accessible to human life - technically. I've never been to the top of Everest, and I don't expect I ever shall.
The worlds of The Great Sea may, or may not be, spherical. But, like icebergs floating in the polar regions, only a portion is visible above the surface of the water. Most of the mass is submerged. And they do not revolve.
The science is difficult - if not downright impossible - to explain because any scientist who has studied more than a few minutes can tell you The Great Sea is not possible in our reality. For it to exist, certain physical laws would have to be altered. Those so grounded in our reality they become annoyed at descriptions which are impossible could never enjoy reading Swords of Fire. In the first place the worlds themselves would tork them off. Next, they would find the concept of flameswords equally impossible. They might accept certain characters popping in and out of Time, but probably not in the way it is done in Swords of Fire.
And yet I claim the light from The Great Sea is visible to Earth.
So how are day and night achieved if worlds do not rotate? How is it that seasons change? Here I am confronted with an exercise in descriptive writing. I must describe something which does not exist in our reality, using only terms from our reality, and have the reader create a working model in their mind. It isn't easy, and I don't expect to be able to achieve it with every reader. Some very famous books do things with their reality which I have trouble envisioning. But here is my go at answering the two questions.
Think of The Great Sea as a giant ring, donut, Cheerio or Fruit Loop, only monstrous in size - galaxy size. (Fruit Loop might be the best example, since so many think of me as being loopy. grin) That is the core. Now consider how it would look if it were 'squished', so that it was no longer a circle, but oval. Now, in the middle space, nearer to one end of the oval than the other, is the 'sun'. And all over the circle, like glaze on a donut, is water. At one time the water was frozen, but now it is free flowing. The water flows 'clockwise', but in a candy stripe course. This means that the water on the inside of the oval flows to the outside of the oval and then back to the inside as it completes the circle. The worlds float on this. While they are in the inside of the oval, the sun is over them and they have day. When they float to the outside, the sun is behind them and they have night. Seasons come and go because some portions of the oval are closer to the sun than others.
To create such a thing in our reality would require a feat of engineering which goes beyond genius. It simply is not the reality God made for us. But there are other realities which we have explored even less than our own.
Consider the vastness of the Universe. We live on one planet, in one solar system, in one galaxy in one universe. There may be other levels I have bypassed. What percentage of the total knowlede of each do we know? I expect the best scientists would admit to a infinitesimally small percentage at the universe and galaxy levels, and perhaps even the solar system. We don't even know everything about what's going on here on Earth. There is so much we do not know about the reality in which we have been placed. This is what excites those scientists who study such things. Their work cannot end in their lifetime. They will always have something new to discover. Good for them! We need their knowledge.
But the size of total knowledge within our own reality is small when compared with what can be known about other realities. I believe God created more realities than this one, and our ability to imagine is our way to tap into them. Remember, God tells us, "with God all things are possible". Now that statement was made specifically in answer to a question about the impossibility of people getting to heaven, but there is no reason not to take the statement literally. Other realities exist, if only in our minds. (One form of insanity is losing the ability to distinguish between realities. This not only makes a person confused, but possibly even dangerous - to others and themselves.)
The easiest place to see this is in the play of children. Their ability (it was once ours, too) to collectively join in imaginative play is more than just cute. During their play they can see the imagined people, creatures, places or what have you - despite it having been imagined by someone else. They work collectively, expanding their temporary reality accordingly.
That's what fiction writing is all about. It is especially so with fantasy and science fiction because those genres frequently include the creation of other worlds. It is one way adults continue their childhood play. All that really matters is that we can return to this reality at will and remember where we are when we do.
Friday, December 19, 2008
The Great Sea - What is It
My concept of The Great Sea changed. Originally, it was a sheet of water hanging in space (the world really was flat). The worlds existed in "gravity wells", and each turned on an axis. It was kind of like a game a cousin of mine had called Bas-Ket. It was a table game in which the ball would roll around the board until it fell into an indentation. Levers on the side would be used to "shoot" the ball at the basket. I don't know if the game gave me the idea or not.
The concept changed when I was given a Christmas present back in '82 or '83. Spouse's brother and his wife, who were my Readers at the time, purchased a star from the International Star Registry (ISR). Before I opened it, they said everyone should have one.
Now what the ISR does is charge a fee for naming a star. (Back in '83 the price was $25. I think it's around $50 now.) Now this star naming was far from official. No scientist, astronomer or whoever would ever know about it. In fact, no one on the planet would know - unless I told them. It wasn't about being official. It was just kind of a cool idea. I know some people are quite upset about it (scientists, astronomers and people who think wasting money is one of the seven deadly sins), but I don't see any problem. People pay money to go swimming. There are two nice parks near here. They charge admission. My point is, we waste our money all the time. If you are happy with what you got, then the money was well spent. (And since I didn't spend the money, I'm happy. grin)
Anyway, I opened the gift and found a star in the constellation Perseus (right off the bow arm's elbow) had been named Madatar. Cool. I knew it wasn't really named Madatar, but that wasn't the point. It ignited creative thought. I did some investigation to find out how many light years away this star was from Earth. I think it was 54-million/billion, or something like that. I wrote a prologue, long ago abandoned, which went something like this (I'm not going to search the archives for the exact text): In the blackness of space a light shown forth. It crossed the silent void, passing other light with other history, until it fell upon a planet orbiting a yellow sun. And before the first human looked up to see the light and understand it, all of this happened.
Cool? Oh. Well, give me a break. It was almost thirty years ago. And it's not part of the book anymore. Heck, I've even forgotten where I put the star map and the certificate. I put it someplace where it would be protected (not the archives).
Anyway, the idea of The Great Sea being an actual place in space was a cool thought - to me. I changed it from a flat ocean to a donut ring. I know. A donut ring in space as as impossible as a flat piece of water. But that's in our space. Our reality. What about other dimensions? Huh? What about that, Mr. and Ms. Astronomer? You can't say, because you've never been there. You say I haven't either? You're sure about that, are you? I wouldn't place any money bets on that if I were you. I believe imagination is another dimension of reality.If so, I've been in lots of 'em. (After all, we're God's imagination.)
I drew a funky map using Microsoft Paint. (It's the only computer drawing tool I have.) Most of the names have remained in tact. Some have been changed - most notably Kensington's Pillars and the months of the year. Kensington's Pillars became part of the so-called High Festivals. All of the month names were changed. The Lords of the Sea references are to the Eternity Isles, which are not referenced in Book I at all, but become very important in Book III.
Now all the worlds orbited a sun (the Fire), wrapping around the donut ring as they moved, creating night and day. Currents, land mass and proximity to other worlds dictated each world's path. Some darted around the ring like super fast jet skis. Others lumbered along.
So that's The Great Sea. It continues to evolve. Every time I write something new I learn more. Probably my biggest jump in knowledge came through writing Tavaar's backstory. It's 500,000 words, and it taught me more about The Great Sea than anything else I've written. I would love to tell that story to the world, but 500,000 words? To reduce it to something publishable I would have to cut 80% away. Not only that, but her story won't end until Book VI or VIII or something. I could easily write a million words about Tavaar. (But then, with my wordiness, I can easily write a million words about anything on The Great Sea.)
So there you go. I hope this answered some questions.
Friday, December 12, 2008
The Worlds and Their Origins
When the High King created The Great Sea he did not do all of the work himself. He could have, but that is not the way he does things. Instead, he provided the direction and means and allowed the Children of Fire to build it. The King did make the original foundation, and the Fire which sustained the Sea was his. But the actual fashioning was done by the Children of Fire. Think of it as a Master Craftsman handing his students a basic form, such as a ball of clay, and telling them to reshape it into a bird, or a tree, or anything. That is what the High King did.
Some place in the archives (I can't find it now) I have an account of how the first world was created. It was Kensington who made it. He, Draem and Zenophone had just arrived. The Fire in the midst of the ring had already melted much of the ice, and the High King had blown upon the waters to start the rotation. Kensington stepped upon the Sea, and when he lifted his foot, land from beneath the surface, broke free and rose. The three Lords walked the Sea, breaking up more and more pieces of land, and generating a thick steamy cloud in the process. Soon, they were joined by others, and the footprints of their frolicking became the worlds.
The Children watched the worlds (lifeless pieces of earth) race across the waters, crashing, merging and sinking. Eventually, they began pushing the worlds together, creating a massive piece of land which became a vortex to everything else. It was upon this Original World that the High King introduced Life. It was an explosion of life. The waters had life. The land had life. There was life in the air. And the Children were allowed to tend and direct this life, as gardeners and herdsmen.
The Children governed their new world from its center. For time uncounted this continued. Then, at last, Zenophone believed he was ready and made his move to take sole control. And so began The Great War. But Zenophone had miscalculated. His followers did not number so highly as he had deceived himself into believing. Neither did all of the creatures he had made come to him. Only a few dragons took his side, and none of the most powerful. Unwilling to relent, Zenophone chose to see the Great Sea destroyed rather than allow another to have it.
The World was rent apart, killing great numbers of the Sea's life. But before all was lost the High King intervened. Like a parent putting a stop to a fight between siblings which has escalated to a point of danger, the High King ended the War and imposed restrictions on what the Children could, and could not, do henceforth. All who had participated were confined to the Sea, even those who's strength had been exhausted. For them, two isles were made: The Isle of Wonder, for those who had fought beside Kensington and Draem; and The Isle of Nether Gloom, for those who had fought with Zenophone.
The King gave them their decree. "The isles shall beckon to you according to your deeds. When your strength gives way you shall be pulled directly to the isle which holds your heart. From the Isle of Nether Gloom there is no escape. Those who go there will remain in their confinement until I at last put an end to the Sea. On the Isle of Wonder you will rest and regain your strength. When you are able, you will be free to rejoin in the work of repair."
The Children were then tasked with repairing the Sea, in as much as it could be repaired. They were forbidden to rejoin the pieces of their world because the upheaval required would kill the life which remained. So the worlds were left separate. They were hidden from each other by the cloud of mist which still hung over the waters. Each moved over the waters at its own pace, and each had it's own time. The Children built portals, windows from one world to another to allow quick passage. In time, there was a new routine.
But Zenophone was not content. The Sea had been promised to Madatar. What, he thought, if Madatar was not able to claim his prize? What if he were to be so decimated that he was trapped on one of the isles? And so Zenophone, and all who were too proud to return to Kensington, set about to find Madatar and destroy him. It was a dangerous game they played. Madatar was stronger than any one of them, including Zenophone. And should he join with Ardora, there would be no chance of victory. They were limited in what they could do. If they pushed too hard, the High King might intervene again. But for whatever his reasons, the High King was not interfering at the moment. The race was on. Madatar was somewhere on The Great Sea. But on which world?
Some place in the archives (I can't find it now) I have an account of how the first world was created. It was Kensington who made it. He, Draem and Zenophone had just arrived. The Fire in the midst of the ring had already melted much of the ice, and the High King had blown upon the waters to start the rotation. Kensington stepped upon the Sea, and when he lifted his foot, land from beneath the surface, broke free and rose. The three Lords walked the Sea, breaking up more and more pieces of land, and generating a thick steamy cloud in the process. Soon, they were joined by others, and the footprints of their frolicking became the worlds.
The Children watched the worlds (lifeless pieces of earth) race across the waters, crashing, merging and sinking. Eventually, they began pushing the worlds together, creating a massive piece of land which became a vortex to everything else. It was upon this Original World that the High King introduced Life. It was an explosion of life. The waters had life. The land had life. There was life in the air. And the Children were allowed to tend and direct this life, as gardeners and herdsmen.
The Children governed their new world from its center. For time uncounted this continued. Then, at last, Zenophone believed he was ready and made his move to take sole control. And so began The Great War. But Zenophone had miscalculated. His followers did not number so highly as he had deceived himself into believing. Neither did all of the creatures he had made come to him. Only a few dragons took his side, and none of the most powerful. Unwilling to relent, Zenophone chose to see the Great Sea destroyed rather than allow another to have it.
The World was rent apart, killing great numbers of the Sea's life. But before all was lost the High King intervened. Like a parent putting a stop to a fight between siblings which has escalated to a point of danger, the High King ended the War and imposed restrictions on what the Children could, and could not, do henceforth. All who had participated were confined to the Sea, even those who's strength had been exhausted. For them, two isles were made: The Isle of Wonder, for those who had fought beside Kensington and Draem; and The Isle of Nether Gloom, for those who had fought with Zenophone.
The King gave them their decree. "The isles shall beckon to you according to your deeds. When your strength gives way you shall be pulled directly to the isle which holds your heart. From the Isle of Nether Gloom there is no escape. Those who go there will remain in their confinement until I at last put an end to the Sea. On the Isle of Wonder you will rest and regain your strength. When you are able, you will be free to rejoin in the work of repair."
The Children were then tasked with repairing the Sea, in as much as it could be repaired. They were forbidden to rejoin the pieces of their world because the upheaval required would kill the life which remained. So the worlds were left separate. They were hidden from each other by the cloud of mist which still hung over the waters. Each moved over the waters at its own pace, and each had it's own time. The Children built portals, windows from one world to another to allow quick passage. In time, there was a new routine.
But Zenophone was not content. The Sea had been promised to Madatar. What, he thought, if Madatar was not able to claim his prize? What if he were to be so decimated that he was trapped on one of the isles? And so Zenophone, and all who were too proud to return to Kensington, set about to find Madatar and destroy him. It was a dangerous game they played. Madatar was stronger than any one of them, including Zenophone. And should he join with Ardora, there would be no chance of victory. They were limited in what they could do. If they pushed too hard, the High King might intervene again. But for whatever his reasons, the High King was not interfering at the moment. The race was on. Madatar was somewhere on The Great Sea. But on which world?
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