How To Write A Novel In A Universe That Uses Base 12 (without Blowing Your Readers Brains)Further suggestions appricia

[NigaiAmaiYume 0]

I'm writing a novel that, for many reasons, uses base 12, also know as Duodecimal.

The ways I have come up with to make this work:
1. Have an appendix explaining exactly what I'm up to.
2. Never mentioning any numbers above 12.

*whimpers*

Any more useful suggestions? And "Taking it out" won't work, I tried that, the universe got grumpy and wouldn't let me write anymore until I put it back in.

Man, I wish that last bit was an exageration... LOL

Notice from jlhaslip:

Adjusted title length

[ghostrider 0]

You can always make sure your readers know assembly language, we use lots of different bases and will get the concept. other than that i'm not sure. the appendix sounds like a good idea. sorry i wasnt much help.

[rvalkass 5]

Teaching the readers assembly code isn't really practical, so I'd go with the appendix explaining what base 12 is and why you have to use it in the book. Not mentioning numbers higher than 12 isn't an option either, that would just get too confusing both for yourself and readers, so go either for an introduction or an appendix explaining what base 12 is.

[ghostrider 0]

Maybe you could have a glossary of all the base 12 numbers you use in your book and convert them into regular base-10 decimal. This might not be very practical either, but its a hell of a lot better than my last idea.

[salamangkero 0]

The fact that my usually hyper-active imagination cannot conjure any sane idea of what you're trying to achieve in your novel makes me all the more interested in what actually might be in it, but I digress.

You could, for one, like all the other creative works, begin your story with an introduction. It is a familiar, popular and recommended approach when considering subjects relatively alien to the audience.

For example, Mattel's CG film Barbie in Fairytopia, a narration at the very start says:

Beyond the world we see, somewhere through the rainbow, lies Fairytopia

Don't mind the movie, it's cheesy as hell but the point is that the audience was introduced to the "existence" of this "Fairy" world.
Another example, one of the first few words in The Legend of Zelda, a Link to the Past:

In a world beyond sightwhere the sky shines gold, not blue,
there, the tri-force's might
makes mortal dreams come true.

You could very well begin with a paragraph about numbers, the number systems of some civilizations (The Aztecs, for one, used a system based on 13 and 20) and the number system of your universe. Come to think of it, was it absolutely necessary to create a new universe? It could just very well be another race, planet or galaxy. C'mon, like anyone would think our universe "is base 10" simply because the denizen of the third pebble from the Sun used that system.

Ahh, forgive me. 'twas an unsolicited criticism, I understand. Best of luck with your novel.

P.S. Most novels I have encountered, that did have appendices, were either non-fictional, chronicles of wars, scientific or a combination of all three. Just in case you still intend to push through with an appendix

[NigaiAmaiYume 0]

Thanks for the suggestions, particularly in support of the appendix. I'll actually be using a LOT of appendixes, because I'm writing a fantasy novel based in another reality that has an entirely different rule-set than ours. The basis of a lot of this is the numerology.

 

BTW, my inspiration for most of this is Lord of the Rings. If anyone read my introduction, the novel I'm discussing is Phoenix Flair, Dragon Descent.

 

Brief description of the numerology:

 

The world of PFDD was created by Turtle*. Being created, almost everything in the world has a deeper meaning and connection. Many of the principles behind the creation are founding in the numerology of Turtle's people, which was passed on to the people of her new world.

 

While there are gods in this world, they are not "worshiped" in a traditional, Western sense. They are considered beings of power that fulfill important tasks and ensure the continued existance of the world. They do not require faith, because faith needs belief, and one does not need to "believe" in something that is a known fact. The closest thing to a religion in this world (At least, as it was created and intended), is self-actualization, guided by the principles of the numerology and the process of reincarnation.

 

The most fundemental numbers - often considered literally "holy" - are 1, 2, 3, and 6, as well as multiples of these numbers (Adding and subtracting are not considered in the numerology). In the beliefs of these people, they are understood as meaning:

 

1 - Unity, wholeness, perfection. In describing the process of self-actualization, the most frequent saying literally translates as "make yourself 1", or everything in the smallest form.

 

2 - Duality, opposites, and the balance between opposing elements. Everything in the universe is assumed to have an opposite, and by balancing with that opposite, an individual can achieve "1".

 

4 - 2X2, opposites by opposites. Important because in this reality there are four elements that make up everything: Fire, Water, Air, Earth. Also deals with the idea that while everything has an opposite, by definition THAT unit must have an opposite, which spirals onwards to infinity.

 

3 - Change, cycles, "past, present, future", "body, mind, soul", and a host of other concepts described as "forces". The word for 3 also is the word for "circle", and in many ways the two are the same in the minds of these peoples. The idea is that all things change, following pre-set cycles, in the end coming back to where they started from, the same but somehow different. If 2 is an image of HOW one reaches 1, 3 encompasses the method. (Does any of that make any sense?)

 

9 - 3X3. Like 4, important in that it's the square of one of the holy numbers. As there are four Elements that make up the universe, it is believed there are three Forces, each of which has three parts. I'm still working on this part, but what I've got now for Forces are: Time or Viewpoint (Past, Present, Future); Self or Focus (Body, Mind, Soul); and Sense or Experience (Feel, See, Hear).

 

6 - Often described as "next to 1". Being 2X6, it is the process in which an individual becomes whole, by "finding and balancing their opposite" while "moving through the cycle of Forces".

 

5, 7 - These numbers are considered unlucky, even evil, when alone, because they are cannot be reduced down to one of the holy number. To a lesser extent, all other "prime" numbers are quietly ignored. Similar to Triskaidekaphobia, the phobia of the number 13, these numbers are rarely used unless in sequence, and sometimes skipped by the superstitious like numbering the 13th floor "14".

 

An interesting fact is that when Turtle created the mortal form, she gave them 6 digits on each hand (four fingers and a thumb on each side). So, not only is the numerology something all mortals have learned from their first life, duodecimal is as natural to them as base 10 is to us.

 

 

* Footnote: I'm still developing proper names for some of the charaters. Turtle is not the name that will appear in the final novel.

[Cerebral Stasis 0]

I'm afraid I do not fully comprehend the prupose behind such an endeavor, but in any case, good luck.

 

Concerning "Turtle", is this perhaps based upon the same idea that Stephen King's It was based upon (with a Turtle having puked for the universe)?