Hello architects!

As a non-architect, I hope I'm not boring you all with my ignorance. I really could use the advice of someone competent. 

I'm currently hashing out some blueprints to express my rather specific design ambitions, but I'm hung up on lighting. I'm a window lover, but direct light makes my partner's head hurt. 

In my quest to appease us both, I've discovered light diagrams, but I'm at a loss as to how to start making my own. I wasn't able to find anything on google. 

What I'm specifically wondering, is how I might be able to angle my windows, or place them strategically, so as to get ambient natural light without having to get a faceful of the glaring Indiana sun. I'm not opposed to curtains, but I want to start off with a sound architectural design. 

I plan to look in to different window materials that I might be able to use to diffuse sunlight, but I thought this would be a more foundational starting point from a learning perspective.

• Does anyone here have any examples or suggestions of how to place windows so as to minimize glare?
• Does anyone know of any good books guides that describe the process of building a light diagram? Or else, is the process simple enough that someone could describe it to me here?

PS: We will hire an architect in the end obviously, but I like art, and I find architecture to be very fascinating. This is a seriously fun project for me, and I'd like to learn enough to have an educated perspective for my eventual consultation. 

Also, (and I hope I'm not embarrassing myself), after slogging through a couple of very limited free 3D softwares, and sketching a view blueprints by hand...I've taken my work to the sims 3. So as I'm probably not using any kind of software a qualified professional would use, I'd like to learn how to do these by hand.