Karina Teaches – Lesson 3

Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 3. Find Lesson 1 here and Lesson 2 here.

Lesson 3: Life!

 It’s life, Jim, but not as we know it.

–Star Trek

If you’ve followed the last two lessons, you should know a little more about your world–or at least you have some questions to look into. Now it’s time to think about the wondrous creatures that inhabit it.

Just like with all aspects of your world, your creatures can be as strange or as ordinary as you wish–and how much you think about them depends on how much you need them in the story. If you have a jungle setting, think about the bugs; if you have an inner city, there must be some scavengers to pick at the trash. If the entire story takes place in the immaculate office of the Supreme Coordinator, or in the pristine tower of the Mage of D’loriab, animals may not be a big concern.

If you do need an environment, take a little time to think about it. What are the predators? What are the prey? Why do they look and act the way they do? Are they good eating? What kind of abilities do they have and how does it help them survive? What roles do they serve in the ecosystem?

If you make up an unusual animal, make sure it makes sense. What use is it to have a horse with five legs, for instance? Also be sure it fits in your world–a heavy gravity world will probably not have a lot of tiny flying insects, for example. What will take their place for spreading pollen–or annoying your adventurer as he makes his way through the bogs of New Juno?

For More Reading:

http://sciencefictionbiology.blogspot.com/2007/05/would-extraterrestrial-life-use-dna.html

The Science of Aliens by Clifford Pickover: http://www.amazon.com/Science-Aliens-Clifford-Pickover/dp/0465073158/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205018387&sr=8-1: Excellent Book! He looks at the incredible, unbelievable weirdness of earth life and extrapolates to what we could find beyond. With examples for SF tossed in, it’s a fun must-read.