One of the important components of a good story is a good world. In order for a story to take place, there has to be a place for the tale to occur. One of the challenges of writing is finding the right balance between narrative and world building. Bogging the reader down with too many details of the world without any action is just as bad as leaving the world empty and not allowing any context for why the characters behave the way they do.
Today, I'm going to play the role of a mythological god and build myself a world. Someday I may populate it with characters that have adventures. Or I may leave it empty and see what happens.
Emptiness. A void that lacked even the black of darkness itself. Such is the canvas for creation. First, a sun so that there may be something to brighten the days of the world. Also, so that there may be something ti differentiate the day from the night. Opposite the sun are a field of stars. Bright points of light to make the night less frightening and to guide long distance travelers.
Now, for the world itself. A medium sized planet with a broad temperate zone. Three landmasses separated by expansive oceans. The continents meeting at each pole with ice covered terrain. Mountains run the length of two of the continents with the third being covered completely in jungle. Creatures roam the lands. They crawl among the tree branches and scamper up the steepest cliffs.
The seas contain the clearest waters. Waters that contain animals that vary in size and shape. All of them eating each other in the struggle to survive. Currents carry water from depths so dark, denizens there know no difference between the day and the night. The waters are replenished by rivers that flow over each continent.
The space around the planet itself needs to be filled. Three moons should do that nicely. Two in a standard orbit at typical distances for such heavenly bodies. The third tidally locked moves around the planet in a polar orbit. This configuration should confuse any astronomers that may spend their time studying the heavens. To inspire any future civilizations to further expansion, the system should contain more planets. This one in particular shall be the closest to the central star, with five others spread out unevenly behind it.
The emptiness is now filled. The void contains both darkness and light. Everything is ready for the stories of the peoples that will fill the planet.
What kinds of people would you have populate the planet? Would there be peace for the entire world, or would wars be ravaged for the spoils of each terrain?
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