World Building - Part 1 - Layer

Layer takes place on a giant multi-generational ship, and probably won't leave it's confines. Science Fiction often places emphasis on planets or moons or some such non-sense, however these are very small parts of the vast blackness of space, so I want to focus on where we know people will be if we ever leave earth, the ships they travel on.

The distances between stars is vast, and the ships that would travel between these spaces would need to house people for extended periods of time. This means: Food, air and water must have sources that are reusable; a number of generations will live (and in my case have already lived) on board; and that various systems of governance must exist (both in terms of ship functionality, and the crew of the ship).

Layer is essentially a four-tiered ship. Going from top to bottom (gravity is "down") the main sections are: Shielding, navigation, habitation, and systems.

Shielding: Space is a hazardous place for travel. In addition to vacuum there is interstellar debris to contend with. Layer is protected by a planetoid hung above the navigation systems by a projected gravity well. The well both functions as propulsion (as the ship is pulled toward it, the projection is pushed forward, essentially causing the ship to "fall" through space), and defense (the planetoid catches small debris, and deflects larger).

Navigation: The upper most section connected to the ship. This section houses the AI that sustain ship functions, as well as the Navigators (genetically modified humans in charge of the ship).

Habitation: The area of the ship in charge of food production, air recycling, etc. Houses the largest portion of the ship's population.

Systems: The bottom most section, houses the gravity well projectors, water recycling plants, and various other mechanical ship functions.

(Note: more on Navigation, Habitation and Systems in later posts.)

Layer shall take place within these confines.

World Building - Intro

I find that story comes more easily when there is a well defined and established setting. This is easy when the setting is our own earth--all the rules are already established--however, when I want to move beyond or native world, I find I can get lost in conflicting ideas unless I preset the rules I want to use. My newest project (science-fiction) takes place off of earth, and so first I am going to develop the setting for "Layer" before I begin writing.

First things first, literal setting (places i will use), then culture and religion and other flesh to make the setting more real and believable. Over the next few posts I will try to posit how I create the world of Layer, and go about writing the stories within it.