Its not Easy

 It’s not easy creating a world. I realise that may sound obvious, but when it comes to writing fiction, the gap between short stories and longer pieces really is immense. In a short story, you don’t really need to develop your backdrop that much, the size of the piece allows you a certain freedom in continuity and explanation; but when it comes to a bigger story, well let’s just say that the problems multiply.

I’m about 14000 words into my novel, and I’m really coming up against some major obstacles. Firstly, I can’t remember who half the people are, and what they’ve done, even what they are called causes me difficulties. Then there’s the backdrop, the “World” if you like, it has to be believable, and sound possible; given that its science fiction I guess you are allowed a certain license but the technology has to at least sound possible, and mustn’t overshadow the plot or characters.

Also I don’t really find it easy naming places, people or things; it must have been the reason that Victorian explorers always called the places they found after the Royal Family, or home. Again they have to sound believable. Trouble is, it would be so easy to start obsessing about the detail without seeing the bigger picture, which is to get the plot right, and the rest will follow.

So at the moment, I’m reading the story every time I make a new piece of dialogue, or situation, just to make sure it fits. I suppose the alternative would be to write resumes of all the characters and places, but that would end up longer than the book. Or I could just finish the story and rewrite it from the back.