Eighth day genesis : a worldbuilding codex for writers and creatives

Nominated for an Origins Award (2013). Nominated for an ENnie Award (2013). You want to make a fictional world. Twenty authors want to help. There's a moment when you can close your eyes and see a world of your own making. It might start from a grain of sand, the way light filters through the trees, the feel of satin robes, the smell of cooking soup, or simply a wish for somewhere, somewhen else. It happens for different reasons for different people. Something, anything can pull your mind from the boundaries of our mundane world and set it to creating somewhere else. Featuring Maurice Broaddus, Tim Waggoner, Matthew Wayne Selznick, Donald J. Bingle, Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, and fifteen more authors, these essays range from crafting believable ecosystems, creatures, and legal systems to the ways you can most effectively share your world with your audience. Eighth Day Genesis is meant to help writers with their worlds. The depth of your world is important...even essential. Worlds should be able to be touched, smelled, seen, and heard. Each of these things is vital to creating reality. The smallest details can illuminate volumes. It is surprising what details with bring forth entire feelings, associations, and images. Stereotypes can be broken, archetypes deviated from, and wonder spilled forth like gossip from an old friend. This book will help you fill in those details and create the world you've always imagined. You want to make a fictional world. Twenty authors want to help you.

There's a moment when you can close your eyes and see a world of your own making.

It might start from a grain of sand, the way light filters through the trees, the feel of satin robes, the smell of cooking soup, or simply a wish for somewhere, somewhen else. It happens for different reasons for different people. Something, anything can pull your mind from the boundaries of our mundane world and set it to creating somewhere else.

Featuring Maurice Broaddus, Tim Waggoner, Matthew Wayne Selznick, Donald J. Bingle, Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, and fifteen more authors, these essays range from crafting believable ecosystems, creatures, and legal systems to the ways you can most effectively share your world with your audience.

Eighth Day Genesis is meant to help writers with their worlds. The depth of your world is important...even essential. Worlds should be able to be touched, smelled, seen, and heard. Each of these things is vital to creating reality. The smallest details can illuminate volumes. It is surprising what details with bring forth entire feelings, associations, and images. Stereotypes can be broken, archetypes deviated from, and wonder spilled forth like gossip from an old friend.

This book will help you fill in those details and create the world you've always imagined. You want to build a world. Twenty authors want to help. It begins when you have that moment when you can close your eyes and see a world no-one has seen before. It might start from a grain of sand, the way light filters through the trees, the feel of satin robes, the smell of cooking soup, or simply a wish for somewhere, somewhen else. It happens for different reasons for different people. Something, anything can pull your mind from the boundaries of our mundane world and set it to creating somewhere else. Featuring Maurice Broaddus, Tim Waggoner, Matthew Wayne Selznick, Donald J. Bingle, Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, and fifteen more authors, these essays range from crafting believable ecosystems, creatures, and legal systems to the ways you can most effectively share your world with your audience. Eighth Day Genesis is meant to help writers, gamemasters, and all creative people with their worlds. The depth of your world is importanteven essential. Worlds should be able to be touched, smelled, seen, and heard. Each of these things is vital to creating reality. The smallest details can illuminate volumes. It is surprising what details with bring forth entire feelings, associations, and images. Stereotypes can be broken, archetypes deviated from, and wonder spilled forth like gossip from an old friend. This book will help you fill in those details and create the world you've always imagined. Editor's foreword -- Sabrina Klein Building worlds in a hostile universe -- Patrick S. Tomlinson The Descartian dilemma, or hey, where'd everybody go? -- Aaron Rosenberg Cause ways -- Donald J. Bingle The world as a character -- Paul Genesse Geography and the evolution of your world: logical flora et. al -- Chanté McCoy Creatures -- Ramsey Lundock Domesticated animals -- Ramsey Lundock Crafting urban landscapes -- Janine K. Spendlove The religious order -- Maurice Broaddus World building: magic systems -- Kerrie L. Hughes Putting words in your character's mouth -- Rosemary Laurey The work of our hands -- Kathy Watness Shaping societies: technology and its effects -- EA Younker History for story's sake, or, no one cares who the emperor was 500 years ago. Unless they should -- Matthew Wayne Selznick Alternate history-- why just saying "Hitler won" isn't enough -- Sue Penkivech Developing a layered, credible, and compelling government -- Lucy Curtis The effects of forming a government -- Graham Storrs Building a believable legal system in science fiction and fantasy -- Addie J. King The art of restraint -- Bryan Young A sense of style -- Tim Waggoner Making a consistent world -- Kelly Swails Publisher's note -- Steven Saus. "Featuring Maurice Broaddus, Tim Waggoner, Matthew Wayne Selznick, Donald J. Bingle, Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, and fifteen more authors, this collection of essays cover topics from crafting believable ecosystems, creatures, and legal systems to the ways you can best share your world with your audience."--Page 4 of cover.