A Unique Universe

Author’s note: Yes, I realize my blog post is late, and while I wish that I could claim it was because I had some unbelievable literary breakthrough…it was simply because I was in the studio all day and away from my computer. Anti-climactic I know. On the upside however, Carmanda is getting some legit work done and I wrote ten pages this week.

Once upon a time there was a planet. A non-descript unformed planet suspended indefinitely somewhere in space- but not necessarily a space that we’re familiar with. In fact, this space doesn’t even have to exist within the real world. So now we have our non-descript planet, suspended in an unexplained universe and where does that get us? No where…yet.

So what do we do? We lay out our maps and format the land. We create mountain ranges and valleys. Oceans, rivers, and lakes. For good measure, we sprinkle on some islands and throw in a desert. We set boundary lines between regions. Assemble continents and arrange our lines of latitude and longitude.

Once we’ve settled on our planet’s topography, we set up a time line and we sort through the logs of this unknown world’s history. We assemble people groups and give them names. Create conflicts and set up governments. We sort through endless hours of storyline and drama that readers will never know of or care about. But why?

Because at center of it all, the world matters. The history matters. The lore matters. Not because the reader needs to know it, but because the author needs to know it. The universe of a story is what GROUNDS us. Keeps us centered and helps us answer the questions and dilemmas our characters put us in. (And trust me, they are constantly creating situations of frustration.)

However, don’t make the mistake of spending too much time on your world. In fact, the creation of the universe (for me) is often a direct result of some situation or conflict I have encountered along with my characters. Those moments in the creation of the world is where a lot of the magic happens…and it makes the world come ALIVE.

The universe of RE:medy is one such universe. It has history, it has lore, and it has life. But at the center of it all what really makes a universe unique and worth visiting is the WHY. Don’t understand what I mean? Tune in next week….

Muse frequently,

Lyndsay

BONUS: Wanna make your own planet using Adobe Photoshop 7? Check out Greg Martin’s tutorial!

http://gallery.artofgregmartin.com/tuts_arts/making_a_planet.html

Next on cue: “The Why”

P.S. (The below image represents my state of mind this past week...)