Sherry D. Ramsey

Sometimes I feel sorry for writers who don’t write science fiction and fantasy. I mean, sure, they often get more respect than we do…but they don’t get to build worlds.

They get to create settings, it’s true. But I’m talking about creating worlds…landscapes, starscapes, races, creatures, plants, languages, natural (and unnatural) laws–the whole thing. And then, once we’re through creating the worlds, we get to play in them. Even better!

There are, admittedly, dangers and traps for the unwary in world-building. Sometimes we get too immersed in that side of the process and build far more than we need for the purposes of the story. The worlds we create require a lot of internal consistency if they’re going to stand up to the scrutiny of editors and readers. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when world-building:

1. Find the balance between simplicity and complexity. Your world needs to have enough complexity to feel realistic and believable, but not so much that you get bogged down in details that don’t matter to the story. If you find yourself trying to decide what species of grass might grow on a hillside that your characters never visit, it might be time to pull back.

2. Do your research. We have access to tons of data on the planets in our solar system and some exo-planets, as well as on stars, nebulae, weather systems, geological patterns and all the other things you might have to consider for your world. Do your homework so you don’t make egregious scientific errors–they’ll call your entire story into question even if you do everything else right. If you want or need to do something extraordinary, make sure there’s some reasonable explanation (that is, reasonable within the context of the story) for why things are the way they are.

3. Be consistent. Yes, these worlds are imaginary, but they still require internal consistency if you want your readers to buy into the tale you’re spinning. If your world has magic, it needs rules, and these rules should be the same at the end of the book as they were at the beginning. If your world has science, make sure it works or that you make it at least plausible. Don’t play fast and loose with your readers’ expectations; give them a world that feels solid beneath their feet.

4. Keep records or notes. You’ve heard of the idea of tv and movie series having a “bible” that contains all the relevant data for the world of the series. It’s wise to do something similar with your own worldbuilding, so that you can easily maintain that necessary consistency. A document like this allows you to check details, note changes or exceptions, and use it as a quick reference when writing or editing. It can also evolve into a place for notes on future stories, conflicts, and the past and future history of your world.

5. Have fun. World-building can be a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun. It’s creating a playground that you will populate with characters and conflicts, and that you may keep coming back to as stories emerge from the cloth of this background you’ve woven. Take time to enjoy it. The more fun you have creating it, the more fun your readers will have visiting it…and they’ll want to return.

I spent quite a long time developing the Nearspace universe…although it’s grounded in our own solar system and star systems we know about, there was lots of room for creating and envisioning new planets, races, science, and language. And I do have a Nearspace “bible,” so with a little diligence, it’s easy to keep it consistent as well. I’m sure there are more stories to tell…

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was delighted to discover a Kinsey Millhone story that I’d apparently missed! Wonderful, as usual. :)



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The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I went into this book with absolutely no expectations…hadn’t heard about it, hadn’t read about it. It just happened to be available in my library’s audiobook section and it sounded interesting. Wow. I was pretty much blown away by it. It had me hook, line, and sinker and I just had to keep going back to it until I reached the end. It was fast-paced, high-tension, I liked the characters’ voices and they were very believable.

There’s one thing about the aliens that I wasn’t sure I could buy into, and one plot hole that bothers me a little, which is why I’m holding off on that fifth star…but I’m willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt. He may come through with a way to fill in that rough spot in subsequent books, which I will definitely be checking out.



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I know I’m not the first writer to use Pinterest as a visual aid in story-writing, but I was thinking about all the ways it could be used and thought–I may as well think out loud!

I started a Pinterest storyboard for my new novel, One’s Aspect to the Sun, during one of its numerous rewrites. If I remember correctly, I was trying to draw my mind back into the world of the novel after being away from it for a while, and I always find visual imagery very creatively stimulating. At first the board was a “secret” one, which is a great Pinterest feature for a board you’re not ready to share with the world yet. I was throwing all kinds of things into the mix to put me back inside the story.

Later, though, I realized that it also makes a good marketing tool. With judicious pinning, a writer can create a board that really reflects the mood, genre, time period, setting, and style of a book or story, as well as elements that play into the plot. Potential readers can get an impression about whether the book might be one they’d enjoy. Images can also pique a reader’s interest…why did the author include *this* particular image? My One’s Aspect to the Sun board is here: http://www.pinterest.com/wordsmith101/storyboard-ones-aspect-to-the-sun/

I’m currently creating a Pinterest storyboard for my current NaNoWriMo novel, which has a working title of B.R.A.N.E., Inc. I’m using this board as a repository for things I might want to refer back to as I’m writing, as well as images that represent places in the novel, clothing, ideas, and bits of plot that are floating around in my head but not committed to paper or file yet. I have a mockup of a cover for the book, so that’s there, too. No doubt this board will be a mishmash of many things as the novel develops, but I can always pare it down later to better reflect the actual tale that emerges.

Do you use Pinterest in your writing life? If so, how?

Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephanie Plum is in fine form in this installment of Evanovitch’s always-fun series. I love the way she combines wacky elements with serious plotting to make nicely complex and fast-paced plots. Great fun!



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Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A really fun book. I think I liked this one more than the first in the series…it seemed to have a little more meat on its bones. :) I love the combination of urban fantasy and a dash of over-the-top humour. Looking forward to more in the series!



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W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What can I say? I’ve loved the Kinsey Milhone books ever since A is for Alibi. I don’t think I’ve missed a single one, and I still enjoy them from beginning to end. This was the audiobook, and well-narrated in a voice that I could buy into for the character. Looking forward to a few more yet!



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Dead Man Rising by Lilith Saintcrow

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dante Valentine’s adventures continue in this second book of the series. Although these urban fantasy books venture sometimes into areas a little darker than I generally like, I just flip those pages really quickly. :) I like the complexity of the character(s) and the layers of the world the author has built. Will definitely read more!



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My husband hates it when I talk about my characters as if they are autonomous beings–when they surprise me, or won’t seem to do or act the way that I want. He can’t quite get his head around that aspect of the writing life–and I realize that not all writers feel this way, either. Now, intellectually, I know that I am in control of what these imaginary beings do, say, and feel. But it doesn’t always feel that way.

That’s why I think it’s important for us as writers to spend a little bit of time “talking” to our characters. Getting to know them. Because although they are imaginary beings, they are also, on some level, little windows into our own psyches or the psyches of people we know, and the better we understand them, the more they will come across as real to our readers. You can talk to your characters in many different ways: have a mental conversation with them, write out a bit of dialogue between the two of you, take an online personality test and answer it the way your character would, write a journal entry for them, interview them as if you were writing for a magazine or news story. Or come up with your own methods. (However, you may not want to let your significant other catch you talking to your characters out loud.)

Why do these exercises? Here are 11 reasons:

1. If the character is real to you, they’re more likely to feel real to your readers.

2. Your character has to have believable motivations for what they say and do. Let them tell you what those motivations are.

3. Talking with your character helps you find that character’s voice, so they’ll sound consistent throughout the story.

4. The more you know about your character’s secrets, the more you’ll understand how they impact him or her. And what he or she will do to protect them.

5. Sometimes you character’s priorities will not match what you think they should be. Give your character a chance to explain this to you.

6. “Talking” to your characters can break down your own mental barriers (like feeling stuck in a story)–giving your characters a voice and control can allow you to let them “take over” for a while and sidestep that sticky point where you don’t know what to write.

7. Even if you think you’ve worked up a thorough background for your character, you never know what telling detail will insert itself or come to light when you give the character a little free rein.

8. Telling your character why something has to happen to them and how you think they’ll react can open new plot doors and windows–especially if they want to argue the point with you.

9. If you treat your character as a separate entity, there’s less chance they’ll just end up sounding like you.

10. It’s better to know about your character’s long-lost brother at the beginning of the story instead of having them spring it on you halfway through.

11. The better you know your characters, the less likely you are to become blocked as you find your way along the path of your story.

Image Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/miamiamia

By now you might already have seen the wonderful cover art for my upcoming novel, One’s Aspect to the Sun. If not, just look to the right of this post. :) Oh, you want to see it even bigger? Click here.

The artist is the talented Ashley Walters, whose lovely portfolio you can find at her site, www.ashleywalters.net. I think she did a fabulous job!

What I really wanted to talk about, though, was the very enjoyable experience I had being involved in the creation of this cover. At the outset, Tyche sent me a very detailed questionnaire to complete, so that I could offer input on my vision of what the cover could/should look like. Of course, there were no guarantees that my vision would guide the creation of the cover. No publisher in his or her right mind would offer that–what if I wanted something totally crazy and inappropriate? But they asked, and it was nice to have the opportunity to think about it and share my thoughts. I knew I wanted a spacescape of some sort–most of the book takes place in deep space, so it only made sense to me to have that represented. Glance right–you can see why I’m pleased. :) And the ship emerging from the wormhole? That’s based on my deckplans for the actual ship in the novel!

In fact though, I’m glad now that not all of my suggestions were followed: I was very apprehensive about having any characters on the cover at all. I’ve seen too many covers with badly-executed characters (drawn, painted, or rendered) that immediately turn me off from reading the book. I voiced those concerns. However, I also provided the requested details about what the characters looked like, so that if the decision was made to put the main character on the cover, she could look as much as possible like I had envisioned her.

Then I sat back and chewed my nails.

I needn’t have worried. Tyche, and the artist, knew what they were doing. As soon as I had my first look at the cover concept I knew that everything was going to be all right. The character–that’s her. That’s Luta, pretty much exactly as I had envisioned her. And I still had numerous opportunities along the way to lend my voice to the project–did I like the concept? The colors? Luta’s face? Her makeup?

The typeface came last, and again I was asked for input. Did I like it? (I loved it.) What about the colour outlining the letters? (We did some experimenting to see what looked best.)

All in all, I felt very involved in the process, and made to feel that my input was valuable. That I had a stake, and a say, in what my novel was going to look like. Which, I know, is definitely not always the way it goes for the author, but is surely the proper way to go about things.