This is the first in a series of posts sharing insights from my journey creating the Lumen Universe, a vast science fiction setting spanning nine galaxies and countless civilizations. I'm sharing these hard-won lessons because I believe the world needs more thoughtfully-developed science fiction, and perhaps my experiences can help others avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered along the way.

Before diving in, I want to be clear about something: This isn't meant to be a definitive guide to worldbuilding or even a "correct" approach. Creative work, especially something as personal as building an entire universe, can be done in countless different ways. What worked for me might not work for you, and that's perfectly fine. I'm sharing my experience simply to help those who might be starting out, stuck on particular problems, or curious about one person's approach to cosmic-scale worldbuilding. Take what resonates with you, adapt what needs changing, and feel free to completely ignore what doesn't fit your creative process.

A note before we begin: I firmly believe that true worldbuilding, when done with passion and depth, is impossible to "steal." Others might derive inspiration or similar ideas, but the richness and interconnectedness of a well-developed universe is uniquely yours. With that in mind, I'm sharing these methodologies and insights openly, hoping to see more incredible science fiction universes emerge.

## How It All Started

The spark for the Lumen Universe came from two separate instances colliding. The first was my speculation about humanity's future - what life would look like in 10,000 years, 50,000 years, 100,000 years, and 150,000 years. As I dug deeper into this speculation, I unconsciously started building a narrative. I established that humanity would evolve into essentially a new species, become spacefaring, encounter various alien species, and eventually form a galactic community. By 150,000 years in the future, we'd be on the verge of not just detecting inter-dimensional and extra-dimensional beings, but actually interacting with them and eventually integrating them into the galactic community.

The second spark came after watching Scavengers Reign. Frustrated with the lack of science fiction content I wanted to watch (space opera, aliens, future humanity, advanced technology), I found myself comparing other shows' worldbuilding unfavorably to how Scavengers Reign built its vibrant setting. Fresh from rewatching Adventure Time and impressed by its seamless lore integration, an intrusive thought hit me: "Why is it so hard to make good sci-fi?" My sassier internal voice quickly shot back, "If it's so easy, why don't you just do it?" That one thought sent me down the rabbit hole.

## The Initial Development Frenzy

From that point, I dove headfirst into developing this universe. I started with the aliens - their homeworlds, appearances, capabilities. Then I worked backwards from those deep future stories set after 150,000 AD, figuring out how humanity and the galactic community got to that state. I developed character details - their home planets, upbringings, crucial locations in their lives.

Before I knew it, I had so many Word documents about the Lumen Universe that I couldn't keep everything straight.

 Finding the Right Tools (When Building at Cosmic Scale)

One of the first challenges in developing a universe spanning nine galaxies was simply managing the sheer volume of information. My journey through organizational tools proved crucial:

1. Word Documents: My first attempt was creating dedicated documents for important aspects. This failed because flipping between documents to find relevant information was time-consuming and frustrating.

2. Fantasia Archive: A great free option I'd recommend for anyone starting worldbuilding. It offers flexibility and local storage, but I found myself overwhelmed.

3. World Anvil: An excellent platform, but it took multiple attempts to figure out how to use it effectively. While its prompts provide a good foundation for worldbuilding, I found myself spending too much time on formatting and categorization instead of actual development.

4. Notion: Finally found my home here, though it also took several attempts to get right. Its endless nesting of subpages and parent pages lets me organize information hierarchically in a way that makes sense to me.

The Organizational Breakthrough

After several iterations, I finally found an organizational hierarchy in Notion that could handle the complexity of a multi-galactic setting. My main categories now include:

- Universe Overview (cosmic principles, fundamental laws, creation myths)

- Galactic and Astronomical Structures (mapping nine galaxies worth of space)

- Species and Civilizations (tracking dozens of sapient species across millennia)

- History and Timeline (managing events across vast distances and timeframes)

- Geography and Environments (from quantum realms to galactic superclusters)

- Characters and Personalities (bringing individuals to life within this vast canvas)

- Narratives, Myths, Legends, and Folklore (the stories that bind civilizations)

- Science, Technology, and Magic (maintaining consistency across light-years)

- Important Objects, Artifacts, and Resources (the physical elements that shape history)

- Military and Conflict (from personal skirmishes to intergalactic wars)

- Socio-Political Structure (governing bodies spanning multiple galaxies)

- Culture, Religion, and Philosophy (the beliefs that guide civilizations)

- Resources and Additional Information (reference materials and inspiration)

- Notes, Templates, Prompts and Instructions (tools for managing the complexity)

The Evolution of My Process

The Essential "Ideas" Document

When dealing with a universe of this scale, I quickly learned that I needed a way to capture the constant flow of ideas - My "Ideas, Notes, Concepts, and To-Dos" page became my lifeline, capturing:

- Random inspirations

- Partial ideas to develop later

- Development session continuity notes

- Questions to answer

- Connections to explore

This simple document became my compass whenever I felt lost in the development process.

The Alien Perspective Revelation

Another one of my biggest challenges was creating truly alien civilizations that felt both foreign and believable. A breakthrough came when I realized that while a completely alien perspective is impossible to create authentically, I could build rich and diverse civilizations by:

- Grounding each species in familiar concepts that readers could relate to

- Exploring how the absence of common human cultural elements would shape their development

- Considering how their unique environments and evolutionary paths would influence their worldview

- Examining how different physical capabilities would affect their technology and society

- Building complex interspecies relationships that felt natural and dynamic

Building the Foundation

Looking back, I should have started with the origins and pantheon before developing the universe's rules and laws. When you're building a setting that spans nine galaxies and countless civilizations, you need strong foundational elements that everything else can build upon. Most of my universal rules emerged naturally as I discovered what I did and didn't want, rather than through arbitrary decisions about physics and cosmic aspects.

The establishment of origins, gods, and primordial beings revealed themes I'd unconsciously been developing:

- Cycles of creation and destruction

- Uplifting, sentience, and consciousness

- Alien culture

- Transhumanism

- Advanced technology's effects on society

Managing Scale and Detail

Spatial Organization

The challenge of managing nine galaxies worth of locations initially seemed overwhelming. I developed a hierarchical system that helped me maintain consistency while building out the setting:

- Galaxies (the nine primary regions of known space)

- Galactic sectors (major subdivisions within each galaxy)

- Regional clusters (groups of interconnected star systems)

- Solar systems (the building blocks of civilization)

- Specific celestial bodies (the actual locations where stories unfold)

Each level nested within larger ones, with clear definitions helping me develop thousands of solar systems that felt connected and lived-in, while maintaining the sense of vast cosmic scale.

 Timeline Management

Timeline development required focusing on essential events first:

- First contact between various species

- Development of FTL travel for each civilization

- Major technological breakthroughs that shaped multiple societies

- The emergence of galactic-scale organizations and conflicts

- Cosmic events that affected multiple galaxies

With these anchor points in place, I could develop more detailed histories that felt coherent across vast distances and timeframes.

Political Development

Understanding nation development helped build the galactic community's socio-political structure. I created different classes of nations:

- Galactic (spanning multiple sectors or even galaxies)

- Stellar (controlling multiple star systems)

- Planetary (focused on single worlds or systems)

This framework helped me track how societies evolved across millennia, naturally generating conflicts, alliances, and technological arms races that felt believable within the setting.

The Final Pieces

With the framework in place, I could focus on making each species feel distinct while maintaining consistency across the setting. I developed standardized approaches for:

- Unique worldviews shaped by their evolutionary history

- Motivations that made sense given their capabilities and limitations

- Psychological frameworks influenced by their biology and environment

- Traditions that reflected their relationship with the cosmos

- Abilities and limitations that felt natural within the setting

- Environmental influences on their development

- Cultural evolution across vast timeframes

This foundation finally allowed me to create detailed characters and specific narratives, bringing this vast universe to life through individual stories and events that felt both personal and connected to the larger cosmic scale.

Conclusion

Building the Lumen Universe has taught me that effective worldbuilding requires both structure and flexibility. While organization is crucial, it shouldn't overshadow the creative process. Start with big ideas, work backwards to fill in the history, and let the details emerge naturally. Most importantly, keep track of your ideas and don't be afraid to revise and reorganize as your world grows.

Remember: A universe isn't built in a day, but with patience, persistence, and the right tools, you can create something truly extraordinary.

This is just the first of many posts I plan to share about worldbuilding insights and methodology. I'd love to hear about your own worldbuilding experiences or answer any questions about specific aspects of my process. Whether you're building a single planet or an entire multiverse, we're all part of the same community of creators.

Future posts will dive deeper into specific aspects like:

- Developing consistent alien species and cultures

- Managing timelines across millennia

- Creating believable technological progression

- Building complex political systems

- Balancing mystery and explanation in cosmic worldbuilding

Feel free to reach out with questions or topics you'd like to see covered in future posts. Let's build amazing universes together.