Table Of ContentEIGHTH DAY GENESIS
A Worldbuilding Codex
for Writers and Creatives
Edited by
Sabrina Klein
Alliteration Ink | Dayton
Building Worlds in a Hostile Universe © 2012 © 2012 by Patrick Tomlinson
The Descartian Dilemma © 2012 by Aaron Rosenberg
Cause Ways © 2012 by Donald J. Bingle
The World as a Character © 2012 by Paul Genesse
Geography and the Evolution of Your World © 2012 by Chanté McCoy
Creatures © 2012 by Ramsey Lundock
Domesticated Animals © 2012 by Ramsey Lundock
Crafting Urban Landscapes © 2012 by Janine K. Spendlove
The Religious Order © 2012 by Maurice Broaddus
World Building: Magic Systems © 2012 by Kerrie Hughes
Putting Words in Your Character’s Mouth © 2012 by Rosemary Laurey
The Work of Our Hands © 2012 by Kathy Watness
Shaping Societies: Technology and Its Effects © 2012 by EA Younker
History For Story’s Sake © 2012 by Matthew Wayne Selznick
Alternate History © 2012 by Sue Penkivech
Developing a Layered, Credible, and Compelling Government © 2012 by Lucy Curtis
The Effects of Forming a Government © 2012 by Graham Storrs
Building Believable Legal Systems in Science Fiction and Fantasy © 2012 by Addie J. King
The Art of Restraint © 2012 by Bryan Young
A Sense of Style © 2012 by Tim Waggoner
Making a Consistent World © 2012 by Kelly Swails
ii
Cover Design by Ashley Cummins
All rights reserved.
All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property
of their respective owners.
Published by Alliteration Ink
PO Box 20598, Dayton, OH 45420
alliterationink.com
Eighth Day Genesis:
A Worldbuilding Codex
ISBN-10: 0985825405
ISBN-13: 978-0-9858254-0-9
July 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
iii
Table of Contents
Editor’s Foreword.....................................................1
Sabrina Klein
Building Worlds in a Hostile Universe....................3
Patrick S. Tomlinson
The Descartian Dilemma, or Hey, Where’d
Everybody Go?.......................................................21
Aaron Rosenberg
Cause Ways............................................................35
Donald J. Bingle
The World as a Character......................................53
Paul Genesse
Geography and the Evolution of Your World:
Logical Flora et. al.................................................67
Chanté McCoy
Creatures.................................................................99
Ramsey Lundock
Domesticated Animals..........................................115
Ramsey Lundock
Crafting Urban Landscapes..................................127
AUTHOR NAME
Janine K. Spendlove
The Religious Order.............................................133
Maurice Broaddus
World Building: Magic Systems..........................145
Kerrie L. Hughes
Putting Words in Your Character’s Mouth..........151
Rosemary Laurey
The Work of Our Hands......................................159
Kathy Watness
Shaping Societies: Technology and Its Effects....177
EA Younker
History For Story’s Sake, or, No One Cares Who
The Emperor Was 500 Years Ago. Unless They
Should...................................................................193
Matthew Wayne Selznick
Alternate History – Why Just Saying “Hitler Won”
Isn’t Enough.........................................................201
Sue Penkivech
Developing a Layered, Credible, and Compelling
Government..........................................................215
Lucy Curtis
vi
BOOK TITLE
The Effects of Forming a Government................233
Graham Storrs
Building Believable Legal Systems in Science
Fiction and Fantasy..............................................251
Addie J. King
The Art of Restraint.............................................269
Bryan Young
A Sense of Style...................................................281
Tim Waggoner
Making a Consistent World.................................293
Kelly Swails
Publisher’s Note...................................................302
Steven Saus
vii
Editor’s Foreword
Sabrina Klein
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.
I remember when it happened to me. I was staring at the
blackboard one cold afternoon during second grade. I had seen
The Dark Crystal (1982), Dragonslayer (1981), and Legend
(1985), jumpstarting my love of fantasy. Creatures and
landscapes far more interesting than anything my teacher was
talking about filled my head. And then a world sprung into being
inside my head.
1
Foreword
Or at least, the rough sketch of a world.
I added to it at least daily. A detail here, a feature there. The
landscape, the weather, the people all filled in. I didn't just use
my imagination, though. For years, I spent my spare time reading
non-fiction, just so that I could make my world accurate
and believable.
I still research, and that's part of how this book started. I grew
frustrated by the resources available. Worldbuilding books were
filled with facts that had no references, or had no guidance on
how to write from the worldbuilding resources, or they were just
filled with someone else's ideas. None of them had references and
technique of how to build a fantasy or science fiction world.
At the 2011 GenCon Writers Symposium I approached Steven
with the idea of Eighth Day Genesis. A resource where we could
make the manual I always wanted.
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.
Steven and I hope this book will point you in the right direction
and help you fill in those details, and we both look forward to
enjoying the worlds you create.
2
Building Worlds in a Hostile
Universe
Patrick S. Tomlinson
So you want to build a world? Excellent. The current record is
six days, see if you can beat it. I have faith in you. But wait!
Where are you going to put your world once it’s finished? Just
like the suburbs, not all galactic neighborhoods are created equal.
Some are pretty rough places to crash. Some are so vanilla and
boring that nobody would choose to live there. Let me be your
real-estate agent to the stars… literally.
Choosing a Galactic Neighborhood
Just like with the decision to build a house, the first thing you
should consider when building your world is location, location,
location. If your story is taking place entirely “dirtside,” then
your planet’s place in the galaxy may never come up, but there
3
Description: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,
