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EIGHTH DAY GENESIS A Worldbuilding Codex

for Writers and Creatives

Edited by Sabrina Klein

Alliteration Ink | Dayton

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Building Worlds in a Hostile Universe  © 2012 © 2012 by Patrick Tomlinson

The Descartian Dilemma  © 2012 by aron !osenberg

"ause Ways  © 2012 by Donald #$ Bingle

The World as a "haracter  © 2012 by Paul %enesse %eogra&hy and the 'volution o( )our World  © 2012 by "hant* +c"oy

"reatures  © 2012 by !amsey ,undock

Domesticated nimals  © 2012 by !amsey ,undock

"ra(ting Urban ,andsca&es  © 2012 by #anine -$ .&endlove

The !eligious /rder  © 2012 by +aurice Broaddus

World Building +agic .ystems  © 2012 by -errie Hughes

Putting Words in )our "haracters +outh  © 2012 by !osemary ,aurey

The Work o( /ur Hands  © 2012 by -athy Watness .ha&ing .ocieties Technology and ts '3ects  © 2012 by ' )ounker

History 4or .torys .ake  © 2012 by +atthe5 Wayne .el6nick

lternate History  © 2012 by .ue Penkivech

Develo&ing a ,ayered7 "redible7 and "om&elling %overnment  © 2012 by ,ucy "urtis

The '3ects o( 4orming a %overnment  © 2012 by %raham .torrs

Building Believable ,egal .ystems in .cience 4iction and 4antasy  © 2012 by ddie #$ -ing

The rt o( !estraint  © 2012 by Bryan )oung

 .ense o( .tyle  © 2012 by Tim Waggoner +aking a "onsistent World  © 2012 by -elly .5ails

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"over Design by shley "ummins

ll rights reserved$

ll trademarks and registered trademarks are the &ro&erty

o( their res&ective o5ners$

Published by lliteration nk 

P/ Bo8 209:;7 Dayton7 /H

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 able of Contents

'ditors 4ore5ord$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$1

.abrina -lein 

Building Worlds in a Hostile Universe$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?

Patrick .$ Tomlinson 

The Descartian Dilemma7 or Hey7 Whered

'verybody %o$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$21

aron !osenberg 

"ause Ways$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?9

Donald #$ Bingle 

The World as a "haracter$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$9?

Paul %enesse 

%eogra&hy and the 'volution o( )our World

,ogical 4lora et$ al$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$A@

"hant* +c"oy 

"reatures$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$::

!amsey ,undock 

Domesticated nimals$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$119

!amsey ,undock 

"ra(ting Urban ,andsca&es$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$12@

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AUTHOR NAME

#anine -$ .&endlove 

The !eligious /rder$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$1??

+aurice Broaddus 

World Building +agic .ystems$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$1

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BOOK TITLE

The '3ects o( 4orming a %overnment$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2??

%raham .torrs 

Building Believable ,egal .ystems in .cience

4iction and 4antasy$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$291

ddie #$ -ing 

The rt o( !estraint$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2A:

Bryan )oung 

 .ense o( .tyle$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2;1

Tim Waggoner 

+aking a "onsistent World$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2:?

-elly .5ails 

Publishers =ote$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?02

.teven .aus 

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Editor’s Foreword

Sabrina Klein

ThereFs a moment 5hen you can close your eyes and see a

5orld o( your o5n making$

t might start (rom a grain o( sand7 the 5ay light Glters through

the trees7 the (eel o( satin robes7 the smell o( cooking sou&7 or

sim&ly a 5ish (or some5here7 some5hen   else$ t ha&&ens (or

di3erent reasons (or di3erent &eo&le$ .omething7 anything   can

 &ull your mind (rom the boundaries o( our mundane 5orld and

set it to creating some5here else $

 remember 5hen it ha&&ened to me$  5as staring at the

 blackboard one cold a(ternoon during second grade$  had seen

The Dark "rystal   1:;2I7 Dragonslayer 1:;1I7 and ,egend

1:;9I7 Jum&starting my love o( (antasy$ "reatures and

landsca&es (ar more interesting than anything my teacher 5as

talking about Glled my head$ nd then a 5orld s&rung into being

inside my head$

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Foreword

/r at least7 the rough sketch o( a 5orld$

 added to it at least daily$  detail here7 a (eature there$ The

landsca&e7 the 5eather7 the &eo&le all Glled in$  didnFt Just use

my imagination7 though$ 4or years7  s&ent my s&are time reading

non>Gction7 Just so that  could make my 5orld accurate

and believable $

 still research7 and thatFs &art o( ho5 this book started$  gre5

(rustrated by the resources available$ Worldbuilding books 5ere Glled 5ith (acts that had no re(erences7 or had no guidance on

ho5 to 5rite  (rom the 5orldbuilding resources7 or they 5ere Just

Glled 5ith someone elseFs ideas$ =one o( them had re(erences and

techniKue o( ho5 to build a (antasy or science Gction 5orld$

t the 2011 %en"on Writers .ym&osium  a&&roached .teven

5ith the idea o( 'ighth Day %enesis $  resource 5here 5e could

make the manual  al5ays 5anted$

'ighth Day %enesis  is meant to hel& 5riters 5ith their 5orlds$

The de&th o( your 5orld is im&ortantLeven essential$ Worlds

should be able to be touched7 smelled7 seen7 and heard$ 'ach o(

these things is vital to creating reality$ The smallest details can illuminate volumes$ t is sur&rising 5hat details 5ith bring (orth

entire (eelings7 associations7 and images$ .tereoty&es can be

 broken7 archety&es deviated (rom7 and 5onder s&illed (orth like

gossi& (rom an old (riend$

.teven and  ho&e this book 5ill &oint you in the right direction

and hel& you Gll in those details7 and 5e both look (or5ard to

enJoying the 5orlds you  create$

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Building Worlds in a Hostile Universe

Patrick S. Tomlinson

.o you 5ant to build a 5orld '8cellent$ The current record is

si8 days7 see i( you can beat it$  have (aith in you$ But 5aitM

Where are you going to &ut your 5orld once its Gnished #ust

like the suburbs7 not all galactic neighborhoods are created eKual$

.ome are &retty rough &laces to crash$ .ome are so vanilla and

 boring that nobody 5ould choose to live there$ ,et me be your

real>estate agent to the starsL literally$

Choosing a Galactic Neighborhood

#ust like 5ith the decision to build a house7 the Grst thing you

should consider 5hen building your 5orld is location7 location7 location$ ( your story is taking &lace entirely dirtside7E then

your &lanets &lace in the gala8y may never come u&7 but there

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Patrick Tomlinson

are some interesting things you may 5ant to consider that can

hel& drive the story regardless$

+ost o( us have heard o( the conce&t o( a solar systems

%oldilocks None7E commonly deGned as the orbital area around

a star that is at Just the right tem&erature that liKuid 5ater can

e8ist 5ithout (ree6ing or boiling a5ay$ Well talk more about

this 6one later7 but 5hat many &eo&le do not reali6e is that

gala8ies have their o5n %oldilocks Nones 5here conditions are

more (avorable (or li(e$

#ust like inside a solar system7 your 5orld can be too close or

too (ar (rom the galactic center to give li(e much o( a chance$

=ot sur&risingly7 our o5n .ol system sits smack dab bet5een

these 6ones$ This is not to say that li(e 5ould be im&ossible

outside this neighborhood7 but it 5ould deGnitely (ace ne5 challenges$ ,ets start 5ith the galactic boondocks$

The sticks o( any gala8y &osse