Hi everyone! Today I'm going to give you a glimpse into the world building of THE FOUNTAIN, my YA sci-fi coming out in the summer of 2013 (Dial/Penguin).
Here's the basic blurb:
It's about a 17-year-old who must rescue her kidnapped sister with the help of a band of outcasts with mutated genes, set in 2150 when genetic manipulation has been outlawed.
So how did I think up this world? I extrapolated based on the reality of today.
Neia and its Agriplane:
Zelia and her sister currently live in Neia (an aggregate state of Nebraska and Iowa). It's an agricultural state, famous for its agriplane. I envisioned a world where the earth itself was overpopulated and the ground poisoned from pollution. The growth of food needed to be physically moved upwards onto a an artificial field that runs parallel to the earth, held aloft by gigantic supports and the occasional building. As a result, under the agriplane where people live, is quite gloomy since the agriplane gets most of the sunlight.
Magpods:
Fossil fuel-driven automobiles will be a thing of the past. The most energy-wasting thing about driving is friction--friction from the air, and from pushing a vehicle's weight against the earth. Instead, there will be magpods--oval-shaped pods that ride over magnetic strips embedded into the ground. Totally frictionless. No one owns the magpods. Based on your demographic and ability to pay, a particular magpod will zoom up to you when you request one. And if you can't afford them? There are free, public magpods, but they're kind of gross.
F-TIDS:
Fingertip identification--based on your fingerprint and capillary (blood vessel) pattern--define you. Where you live, who you are, your medical record, how much money you have, etc. Pressing your fingertip will sign electronic documents, or get you the right magpod after pressing a magpod ordering machines. It's great because you can't leave your fingertips at home like a wallet or credit card, and it's nearly impossible to forge. But it's pretty scary, because everything you do can be watched.
There is so much more I'd love to chat about, but I can't spoil my own book, now, can I? ;)
I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into THE FOUNTAIN! And now a question for you. Can you share a teeny tidbit about the world building of your current WIP? Pretty please?
Lydia Kang is a writer, part-time doctor, and salt-addicted gal with a near-pathological need to doodle. Find her on Twitter, her blog The Word Is My Oyster, and Facebook.
If you want to get a better glimpse of THE FOUNTAIN, you can check out her Pinterest page!
You did an amazing job of world building with The Fountain! It was an incredibly rich, detailed, and consistent environment, so easy to suspend disbelief. I based the world building of the "hell" in SANCTUM on the idea that you could have anything you want, and as much of it as you want, but all of it would be of very poor quality. Everything in that world sprouted from that foundation.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks Sarah! I love Sanctum so much, and your world building was immaculate!
Delete"Fossil fuel-driven automobiles will be a thing of the past"
ReplyDeleteYes, in 2150 it probably is. I think that in the future, cars will have small nuclear reactors, "gassed up" with uranium or thorium for the entire lifetime of the car when you buy it. And nuclear power is very environmental friendly, if we can control the waste properly, which is probably the case in 2150 >:)
Cold As Heaven
Right! Hopefully, waste will be an easy thing to deal with then. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWow...what a world you built! The world in my W.I.P. is up in the protagonists head where her insecurities distort reality, but humor saves her sanity.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't humor save everything, even now? ;) Seriously, though, that is a cool premise.
DeleteThanks for sharing about your world building Lydia. It sounds fantastic. Mine is about a hidden dwarf-in world within our own world whose magic helps keep the peace in our world. Just starting to develop it and the magic it possesses.
ReplyDeleteOh that is a fantasic idea, Natalie! Cool!
DeleteLove the idea of agriplanes and their underworld. Sounds scary! Glad your future is in your head.
ReplyDeleteMe too, considering some of the other horrors I haven't spilled the beans about. LOL
DeleteI love the way you logically extrapolated things out. I can't wait to read the book, and moreso, introduce it to the middle schoolers I teach.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shelly! That means a lot to me. :)
DeleteI want a magpod.
ReplyDeleteIn my WIP, the magic is based on Chi, and can be unlocked by Hanzi and Kanji.
That is so cool. I haven't heard anything like that!
DeleteLydia, this sounds great! I love the idea of the magpods and wouldn't mind trying one.
ReplyDeleteMy current WIP is set in the contemporary world but it's quite isolated. It's the life of a self-exile who is trying to work out how his life became so hopeless. There's mountains and forests and a winter landscape.
Jai
I can almost see that landscape right now...sounds amazing, Jai. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThanks for sharing your world-building! It's fantastically futuristic yet breaths a realistic edge. Loving the magpods!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sheri! I'm hoping it's realistic enough so people don't scratch their heads while they're reading it, LOL
DeleteThis is why I can't write SF. I'm not that creative. :P
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ, Stina. But I won't twist your arm to write SF!
DeleteIf you want to learn about my WIP, youi can go here: http://www.secondhandshoesnovel.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteYou're book looks interesting. Mag-pods, huh? Finger identification? Scary. I hope the world never comes to that. But...
Thanks Shelly for the linkage! Yes, it is kinda scary. I'm finding that it's fun to scare people in books. :)
DeleteCan I get a mag-pod ride?
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read the book, I'm totally hooked.
Yay! I'm so glad! If I could, I'd give you a mag ride!
DeleteWow by golly I'm so impressed! Magpods is my favourite word - I love the concept too! Yay!! I can never invent words as fab as Lydia's here! Magpods! Love saying it! take care
ReplyDeletex
Thanks Old Kitty! Say hi to Charlie for me!
DeleteI want a magpod! And the finger identification thing sounds so plausible--that really would be efficient. What a detailed world you've come up with!
ReplyDeleteLOL, I want one too, but unfortunately no one really owns them individually. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI am REALLY looking forward to this book...great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bru! I appreciate your words. :)
DeleteFascinating. Building on what you know and making it into something else.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Barbara. I think that's how a lot of our writing (sci-fi or not) happens. :)
DeleteHow do you smoke someone at the traffic light in a magpod?
ReplyDeleteAlex, you scare me sometimes. What were you up to as a teenager?
DeleteTotally cool stuff.
ReplyDeleteThanks Southpaw!
DeleteYay for world building that... actually builds a world! Too often if feels like the world came secondary and got shoved into the gaps around people and plot, rather than having it exist as a fixture from the beginning so the characters can actually move through it.
ReplyDeleteMine's a world that exists with a constant meridian line down the middle, separating light from dark - until the sun goes down and the whole world becomes the domain of things that can't survive in the light.
First of all, I just love the word "meridian." What a fantastic concept! I'd totally read this just to find out more about the world. :)
DeleteMy current WIP is book II, FALL FROM GRACE, from the Battle For Souls series. In this world, Hell is fighting for dominance on Earth and a few Fallen angels hope to stop the gates from opening. The biggest part of world-building for me is making sure all laws of the world (i.e. magic, gifts, Heavenly intervention, etc...) are consistent. A reader get irritated when all the sudden the rules change so that something can 'happen' in the story.
ReplyDeleteThat internal consistency is so important. I've got your first book on my TBR list. Looking forward to reading it!
DeleteI don't write in this genre, but it sounds fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThanks Richard! :)
DeleteDefinitely fascinating!! I love the Agriplanes and Magpods ideas, very cool and futuristic. I have implanted ID chips in SHAPERS, like the tags they put in pets today only in the back of the hand. Same concept of never forgetting your wallet, or having your card stolen! A paperless society, no money either. Just "credits" deducted from the account tied to your ID chip. :) Looking forward to reading THE FOUNTAIN!!!!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love that chip idea too! I know, paperless is a cool way to go. :)
DeleteAaah! I'm so much more excited about this now. I love the thought process behind the world-building! Regarding magpods, I see the grossness of public transportation in the U.S. hasn't changed...even in the future!
ReplyDeleteQuestion, what if you have no fingerprints (or is this a spoiler)? I only wonder this because I remember in the LOTR commentary, the crew talked about how the guys who made the chain mail had rubbed off their fingerprints from their work.
Can't divulge any more info, for spoilerage issues. Is that a word, spoilerage? Anyway, I've considered your question, too. :) Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWhat great world building tips! Mine usually involves research, mapping and tons of WORD-building, as I have to come up with new terms for things.
ReplyDeleteWord-building is so fun too!
DeleteWow! So creative! I'm impressed with the world you've built...but kind of glad I don't live there!
ReplyDeleteLOL, me too. There are thing that go on that world that are too shocking for me. Okay to write, not okay to live in.
DeleteI'm intrigued! Seriously, I can't wait for this to come out. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Carrie! :D right back atcha.
DeleteThank you for the glimpse! So cool, Lydia. I admire your imagination and thought process. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracy! I'm glad you enjoyed the peek. :)
DeleteThis was very intriguing. I'm glad you shared this with us. The premise of your novel is wonderful as is, but getting a glimpse into the world building entices me more. Can't wait until your book come out.
ReplyDeleteThank you Angela!
DeleteMy curiosity is piqued. I'm eagerly awaiting it's release. Dang, 2013 is too far away!
ReplyDeleteTell me about it! I can't wait for 2013, either. :)
DeleteIt sounds like a fascinating world! I love the words you used, too. :)
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm outlining a story set mostly underwater. It's not concrete yet, but I'm having fun thinking up different ocean technologies.
That would be so fascinating. I love marine biology, so this sounds like fun world building!
DeleteI can see something like agriplane becoming a real thing, and the magpods sound cool! I have no intention of taking the public transit, though.
ReplyDeleteMy world is just Colorado after a great population kill-off. It's back to being agricultural based for the survivors. Towns are overgrown, streets rubble. I've had fun watching "After There Were People" or whatever that show is called to get new ideas for how something might age within 10-20 years of no people.
Shannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z
I have this book called The World Without Us and it's so interesting to speculate on that stuff. Thanks for stopping by, Shannon!
DeleteLove these details! I'm really excited to read your book. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Ghenet!
DeleteLove the scientific basis for all your cool sci-fi manifestations. My inner science geek is salivating to read your book.
ReplyDeleteThree cheers for our inner geeks. Don't know what I'd do without mine!
ReplyDelete