Monday, July 6, 2020

World Building: Government by Diane Burton





Did you have a good weekend? Did you celebrate Independence Day (July 4th) or Canada Day (July 1st)? 

credit: Shutterstock
I grew up in a Detroit suburb, so Canada didn’t seem like a separate country. They spoke English, the signs were in English. (Only later, the signs were in French, too.) We easily drove across the Ambassador Bridge or through the tunnel where we were asked a few questions, like how long are you staying, where are you going? (This was all pre-9/11.) My sisters and I often went shopping for the day. In fact, I got my wedding crystal in a china shop there.

This time of year, our family often drove over to Windsor for the fireworks that took place on the Detroit River as a joint celebration. 

As a youngster, I assumed our governments were the same. Until the day Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip came to Windsor. Maybe that’s when I realized our governments were different. We had a president and they had a queen, along with a prime minister.


In writing science fiction stories, I need to figure out how the worlds in which my characters lived are governed. I’m sort of a pantser. I get an idea, and I start writing. I keep writing until something stops me, and I have to plot or need to do research or figure out where in the universe I am. 

When I wrote the first book in the Outer Rim series, The Pilot, I had a lot to figure out: where does the story take place; if it’s a planet, where is that planet in relation to others; are those planets connected by a government; what type, etc. How important is that? Does it affect the characters? Once I worked all that out for the first book, the others came much easier—one of the reasons I love writing series.


The author usually knows much more than s/he puts in the book. Think of an iceberg. The story only contains that which appears above the waterline, whereas the author knows everything.

In the Outer Rim series, the stories take place, mostly, out on the frontier of space. This is what I write at the beginning of each book in the series:

The Rim is the home of stout-hearted individuals. Pioneers eager to make their fortunes. Nonconformists who want to be left alone. Escapees from the establishment or from the law. People who reinvent themselves with new names and life histories. From primitive settlements to established colonies to cities, the Rim is the place of fantasies and dreams.

So, if these people wanted to escape the establishment, I needed to figure out what that establishment was. I decided there would be a central government that ruled a Coalition of Planets. I thought of concentric circles spreading out from the main planet where the central government was located.



As the writer, I needed to know how that government worked. My readers only needed to know what affected the characters. In The Pilot, the male protagonist’s (Trevarr) mother is the president of the Coalition of Planets. When that fact is revealed, I didn’t need to give a history lesson on the Central Government. Readers know what a president is. That was enough, at that time in the story. Later, I alluded to the fact that his father had been Chief Representative. That tells the reader the Coalition of Planets were ruled by a representative government with a president. Again, that was enough.

I knew more, of course, but I try to be scarce with details that smart readers can figure out. As the occasion warrants, I dribble out enough details so my readers aren’t lost, and not too much that their eyes glaze over.

In an ironic twist to what I just wrote, my middle grade science fiction adventure, Rescuing Mara's Father, begins in school with a lecture on different forms of government. The female protagonist, Mara, is bored out of her mind and shows it. 😊

A government is only one small part of world building. Have fun developing your world.




16 comments:

Nancy Gideon said...

When I read about the Rim, I can't help but see and hear Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly. "We aim to misbehave." LOVE your world building. From the slanguage to the settings, it pulls the reader in effortlessly.

Diane Burton said...

Thanks, Nancy. I love Firefly. Mal's cargo ship gave me ideas for Celara's ship in The Pilot.

Darcy Flynn said...

I love your process for world building. I think the process is much more difficult in science fiction! Mine usually take place in a small town or a city I'm familiar with- so much easier for me! :)

Maureen said...

Great insights into all the factors that can go into world building- and love hearing about you personal experience with this.

Diane Burton said...

Thanks, Darcy. I agree about how much easier world building is with contemporary fiction. My mystery series is the same--small town that I'm familiar with. Still, we have to build that town so our readers feel grounded.

Diane Burton said...

Thanks, Maureen. The government is a small part of the world building.

Nightingale said...

I lived in Blenheim, Ontario for a short time, and we would take trips to Detroit. Or come through the tunnel on our way from SC to see my folks. Good article for others who write the otherworldly. Not Detroit or Windsor, haha. Government. Your other world needs government.

Pamela S Thibodeaux said...

I admire people who can create worlds for their characters when I have enough of a time staying focused in this one LOL!

Great post.
Good luck and God's blessings
PamT

Diane Burton said...

Thanks, Linda. I never liked the tunnel. We were stuck in it for over an hour after a fireworks show trying to get back to the U.S. That close to the wall you can see water seeping between the tiles. Scary!

Diane Burton said...

Pam, I had to laugh at your comment. The good thing about imagining a world is you get to make the rules. LOL

Annette said...

Thanks for the advice, Diane. good to know how much to put in after all that research and conjuring. All the best, Annette

Diane Burton said...

Thanks, Annette. We gather all that info, research, etc. and it seems like we should use it all. It's hard not to. LOL

Diana Stout said...

I laughed out loud at Mara's boredom. I remember that class! Ironic now considering how much research I've done about our current government and how things really work. Love your world building and it had me instantly thinking about the world I've been mentally toying with for several years. Interesting how important gov't is and becomes in our worlds. Great blog!

Kara O'Neal said...

I love the worlds you create. It's amazing. Your writing always puts good pictures in my head.

Keri Kruspe said...

Love this article, Diane! Especially your comment about doling out "scarce details" concerning your world building. That's something I strive to do as well. Don't want the reader's eyes to glaze over or worse, loose interest!

Elizabeth Alsobrooks said...

So many Sci-fi writers here. Of course, government is often a factor in all genres, so very helpful. Thanks for sharing.