Introduction
What does it mean to write a novel? Well, that varies from person to person. But there are a few constants within the boundaries of writing, particularly when it comes to genre novels. And each genre carries expectations as to the style of story. How it is told. Who the main characters are. An overall plot. But above all else, there is the world the story takes place within.
Now, before you even write a story, you decide on a genre. In that sense, you pick from one of the “Three Worlds.” I do not mean that there are literally three worlds for your story, but more to the conceptualisation of the rules that one must apply to the world they are writing in or about.
Before you read any further, I do not consider myself an expert in any of the fields I write in, but no one is a true expert in the literary world. Which is a reason I firmly believe every writer, aspiring or established, should understand the “Three Worlds” concept.
The Concept
At first glance, the terminology of the “Three Worlds” concept is rather simple, and that is by design. It should be simple for anyone to be able to grasp what is going on. The basics involve the “Three Worlds” and the simplest terms for these are Earth, Near-Earth, and Other.
Earth
This is one of the “Three Worlds” and indeed is rather self-explanatory. It is our world. The Earth. Nothing more, nothing less. Drama, romance, historical fiction, and more all take place within the confines of our world. The use of a fictional setting does not matter. There are expectations that people have when they read these stories. These are human characters with human problems. They work seven, eight, ten, twelve hours a day, five days a week. They get sick. Have kids. Go to the beach in summer.
In a way, Earth is the easiest of the worlds to write within. All the work is already there for the writer. History is there, science is established, religion is present. Which allows the writer to focus almost exclusively on the story they want to tell. Sounds easy, right? Well, there are still issues to overcome. Such restrictive bounds can make it difficult to overcome obstacles. But it is a writing style most people seem to prefer. Fan-Fiction is considers the story it piggy-backs off to be “Earth.”
Near-Earth
A good analogy for this would be the United States of the British Commonwealth as opposed to the United States of America. The Near-Earth is a world occupied by speculative fiction, science fiction and some fantasy – Harry Potter falls into this world category. This is the type of world distinct enough to be its own, but still generic enough to be called Earth. It is rather difficult to find the right balance, since the bounds of Earth science still apply.
Yet, Near-Earth is incredible to write for, because anyone can do it well. And it is rather simple to come up with premises within these worlds. What if the United States never entered World War 2? What if North Korea won the Korean War? What if DEFCON 1 was declared? What if Donald Trump was the first president of the United States? It is these little changes that form the basis of a Near-Earth story world. Simple, yet effective.
Other
If you had a box labelled for all the books you owned based on their world type, this would be the box filled with the big fantasy door-stoppers. And some bold science fiction novels, too. This is where almost no element of Earth exists. You are likely to find elves and dwarfs and goblins and trolls and wizards and a hobbit who lived in a hole in the ground. Or, in layman terms, this is the realm we escape to in our mind.
Such freedom should be easy to write for, right? Not exactly. See, the “Other” world is an unsculpted block of marble. David might very well be hidden within, but there needs to be a lot of work before that is achieved. But it is also a rewarding task. This is the type of world where you will find yourself asking the most questions. “Why did I choose that? What is the importance of this layout? Who are the Deities of the world? How does this affect the story? When is this world in relation to ours? Where does the story need to go?” Of course, those are but a sample of questions to ask yourself when writing.
Conclusion
The purpose of the “Three Worlds” is not to pigeonhole writing, but to enhance it. To provide baselines for the reader. Genre writing, as a whole, relies on the reader having pre-determined information to make the process a whole lot easier for the writer. Sure, you will have every last detail of your world sorted out to the last atom, but few people give a shit about the mechanics of the world. What is important is the story being told. Because a reader would rather read one line about how your space engines manipulate the universe around them to achieve faster-than-light travel than half a dozen pages of how the air-fuel mixture is in perfect harmony, and that stimulates perfect resonant frequency within your super-reactor so fusion can operate at lower temperatures and pressures than we currently need in the world.
Sure, some might find it interesting to learn all the little details, but the “Three Worlds” runs on another very important writing principle: KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid.
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