In an alternate world, how much should stay the same?
I love sci-fi and fantasy stories. As I began developing the background for my series, The Miyran Heir, I knew I wanted to create my own world and my own species. Starting with something fresh and new provided me with the freedom to “grant” species special abilities that I could use throughout the story. But, it also afforded me the opportunity to show how it takes all types and skills to accomplish something. Differences are what help us survive.
As I developed my world, though, it raised the question — what should I change and what should I keep consistent with Earth? I read a novel recently where the story also took place on a different planet. The author had taken time to re-name time periods such as day, week, and month. I’m sure she invested a lot of thought and it was impressive, but not a chapter later, I couldn’t remember what each new term represented. If time was important to her novel, as I believe it was, then she effectively setup a scenario where the reader would constantly struggle to follow the story.
The question I then had to answer was did I want my book to appeal to a broad audience or a more narrow reader group that loves only worlds that are completely different? Given my own personal preference and experience, I chose the former. As a result, I’ve given terms, time periods, and other references in my story serious consideration.
In the case of time, I think of days, weeks, and months as being more generic terms. After all, every culture on Earth has similar concepts, even though we may each call a specific month something different. However, I don’t refer to any particular month by the names we use here. Instead, my characters refer to periods during the year based on the season and the cycle of the two moons. This allows the reader to understand timeframes that are important (i.e. a week has passed), without the oddity of a name specific to our world (i.e. January).
For each animal, flower, even types of stone, I’ve balanced what I think is generic versus specific to Earth. For those that are specific, I’ve created new ones, unless it happens to be something the Human refugees brought with them (i.e. dogs). Again though, I didn’t want the new concepts to cause readers to struggle, so I’ve tried to minimize the quantity introduced. I do love some of my creatures like the klen — six legged animals that are raised for meat. Tiny scales cover their bodies and serve a number of useful purposes. Why six legs? Well, the legs are always the best part, right?
In the end, I’ve tried to ensure my story “fits” a different planet, while including familiar concepts that make it easier for a reader to enjoy.
