Building a Universe

Geography

The most basic aspect of world building is determining geography. The geography determines every other aspect of the world. For instance, the life and geopolitics on a desert world, like Arakis for instance, is far different than that of the world in Planet of the Apes. (Okay, I used these examples because as of this writing I finished reading Dune and watching the Sci-fi channel mini-series. I also just read the Planet of the Apes novel and if you haven't heard yet, Tim Burton is making a Planet of the Apes movie. So, these two worlds are on my mind. tee hee!)

When you create your world, here are some things to ponder about geography:

How much water is on the planet?
What's the terrain like? Mountainous? Flat? In-between?
What's the climate like?
How close is the planet to its sun?
What's the average temperature? Is it hot, cold, somewhere in between?
What are the seasons like?
What color is the sky?
Is there an atmosphere? What's it composed of?
How much gravity is there?
What sorts of resources are available?
How many moons are there?
What sorts of celestial bodies are visible during the day and night?
What sort of geothermal activity is there? Is the planet volcanically active? Where and how much?

Of course, there is a lot more you have to think about, but this should get you started.