R- R is For Research

     Research. How do you do research for sci-fi and fantasy? Simple. By knowing your world. Knowing your world can be as simple as keeping track of all the 'rules' your characters encounter and then keeping them consistent, or it can be as complex as advanced map-work, creating languages, and developing histories and political systems. For me, it's somewhere in between. While I don't really go so far as to create whole languages with grammar mechanics and pronunciation guides, I do like to have an idea of the layout of lands.

     Here's some of the things I like to know and keep track of:

1. Maps. I need to know the exact layout of a country. OCD thing, maybe.
2. Political systems. This affects everything. I need to know how much power the King has, how much governors and mayors have, if there's a caste system, etc. Pretty much the framework for every country you have.
3. Magic system. If there is science or magic in your book, it needs to be consistent. If a character needs ammo for a spell, then you better not have him ever cast it without ammo. Likewise, if a ship engine can only cover so much distance in one go, keep that consistent. Your readers will thank you by not bringing it up at every conference you go to.

     This is the extent of my world building. I try and get most of this figured out beforehand, and then modify it as I go... The only rule is that everything has to be consistent.