When I’m worldbuilding geography for my Drifting Amalgams universe, I want the landmasses and water features I describe to set the mood and environment of the narrative.
Practically speaking, there are a lot of physical features that I could include–or exclude–when worldbuilding terrain. So where do I start?
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Deciding on Landform Features for Worldbuilding Terrain
I develop landform features knowing that my choices orient the reader’s thinking about my imaginary worlds. Just a few mentions begin to build the foundation for understanding how characters feel about a place or interact with their surroundings. The terrain I describe also explains how familiar or alien my worlds are–compared to the world the reader calls home.
My planet of Barpadai, for example, would feel pretty familiar if you’re acquainted with mountainous areas. But there are ways it’s different, too.
Close your eyes, and imagine that you’re exploring a new planet. Your trail, flat for several hours now, provides some relief from the burden of the planet’s gravity. You try to ignore the tiny insects. But they continue billowing out as each step disturbs the grass that grazes your elbows.
You look to the horizon, and see that the planet’s star, red–but tinged with a vibrant orange halo–has fallen past the low peaks of a peninsular mountain range. You’ll reach the edge by nightfall, you think, hoping that the caverns within will provide warmth in the cooling night.
As you open your eyes, think about how much narrative worldbuilding is hidden behind the words of any science-fiction story. Worldbuilding terrain often works this way. While the description I just shared details plains and mountains, a description this focused on terrain may never find its way into my narrative. However, when I’m worldbuilding terrain, I still develop these large scale features alongside small-scale features such as hills and cliffs.
Looking more closely at my worldbuilding, the planet I just described from the Drifting Amalgams universe is characterized by several large mountain ranges and an extensive cave system. While the mountains are shorter than those seen on lower gravity planets, the number of mountains throughout the planet and the amount of land they cover is vast.
These mountain ranges are often complemented by long-grass plains known for the numerous insect farms kept by tadaribrae.
Whether or not I specifically mention any of these landform features, they’re important for me to worldbuild, so I can better visualize a lifestyle for the planet’s inhabitants.
Creating Diverse Water Features when Worldbuilding Geography
Water is vital for life as we know it, which means I think about it in detailed terms when worldbuilding terrain and water features. Starting with something like an ocean, I look to the narrative and the cultures I create to decide what’s needed from various bodies of water and the planet’s water cycle.
Let’s say the people or lifeforms on the planet are aquatic, I’d have to decide how large those populations are, and consequently, how much water they need to survive. And when looking at oceans, I try to balance the presence of these saltwater bodies against the other physical features on the planet.
Remember the extensive mountain ranges from earlier? I worldbuilt some of those to be a result of tectonic plates that collided under the ocean floor. So worldbuilding geography for these physical features means putting oceans near or surrounding the mountains.
And oceans are just the beginning. What about freshwater? Snow? Ice? …Wetlands?
When envisioning a story I want to tell, I make sure I think of any planetary water as a valuable resource that can make or break the narrative. Perhaps the planet’s greatest resource is ice. A frozen planet that’s harvested for water. What happens to the world’s economy if it’s affected by global warming?
Big picture, worldbuilding geography’s water features includes: How prevalent the water is—whether frozen, soil-retained, or in large bodies. How much of the planet’s water is salt water vs. fresh water. And how much of the planet’s water is drinkable by the average lifeform.
Coming back to Barpadai: Because the mountains burst through the ocean, the planet needs at least one ocean. But water’s not widely resourced from the oceans, which cover less than half the planet’s surface. Instead, water is typically resourced from a series of connected rivers and streams. These running water sources are formed from mountain peak runoff–ice and snow that accounts for one third of the planet’s natural freshwater.
Narratively and figuratively, water is fluid, so how I weave it into my stories is open as long as the rationale for types of water, amounts of water, and reasons for water's existence are sensible.
Worldbuilding Terrain: Using Soil Makeup for Narrative Color
Soil is an interesting physical feature to consider when worldbuilding terrain. “Interesting” because it can be as mundane or complex as I choose to make it.
Consider the makeup of soil. It can include both artificial and natural aspects. Depending on the development of the culture I’m writing about, soil makeup can have a high chemical content, or even toxins–depending on how environmentally aware the society has been throughout its existence. From an organic perspective, I can examine how microorganisms interplay within their own ecosystems or affect events at a macroscopic level.
In a sci-fi world, microorganisms in soil can lead to plot points that range from disease to unique mycelial networks. But before I can figure out what role microbes play in an ecosystem, I have to figure out whether my soils contain a large amount or a diverse mix of microbes. And why would I create a particular microbial mix? What environmental factors make it possible for microbes to thrive …or cause them to struggle? This is where I’m looking again at things like water retained in the soil. But also, sunlight can impact microbial development.
This is the case with the planet that I've created. Barpadai soil has a high microbial content due to its red-dwarf star providing intermittent UV light. Unstable ultraviolet light means that the antibacterial properties of this light spectrum may not be dependable on the planet’s surface. Though the lifeforms native to the planet have natural immunities to many of the microbes, this may not be the case for visitors.
Another important point is that soil content is connected to agricultural success–something the people of Barpadai are well aware of. That’s why these spacefaring people have been investing in agricultural endeavors beyond their atmosphere. …But that’s a plotpoint for a different discussion.
Until next time, stay inspired.