Jessica Steiner (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jessicasteiner) wrote2013-04-18 08:10 pm
jessicasteiner) wrote2013-04-18 08:10 pm
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P is for Places and Setting #atozchallenge
Today's tip is about creating places for your fantasy or science fiction setting.
You can go into more or less detail depending on how much you're going to use your setting in the story. But regardless of whether your entire series is going to be set in one small town, or if a particular place is only going to be used for one scene, you should consider the following five areas:
1. Climate and geography - What is the weather like? What are the major geographical features? How do these geographical features and the weather interact and affect one another?
2. Natural resources, economics, major industries - What sort of natural resources does this place have? What sorts of industries are important in this area? What sort of resources does this area need and has to obtain from elsewhere or go without?
3. History - What important events have taken place in the history of this place? How have those histories shaped the local culture?
4. Culture, ritual, religion - What sorts of cultural or religious rituals are common here? Holidays, rites, cultural events? Are there multiple cultures/ethnicities/religions in this area or is it more monolithic? Think about rituals around food, greetings, gestures, other important interactions like first meetings and visits to friends.
5. Politics - Who are the major political figures? What external and internal political forces are at play? What kind of political system does this place follow? Is the political landscape stable, or unstable?
There are many other areas one might think of, as well. Don't just make up a city that's the same as a place you've been before and give it a new name. Don't just assume things like cultural rituals or political system, like the ones you're used to. Your new places will have more spice and realism if you think outside the box and come up with things that are new and different.
You can go into more or less detail depending on how much you're going to use your setting in the story. But regardless of whether your entire series is going to be set in one small town, or if a particular place is only going to be used for one scene, you should consider the following five areas:
1. Climate and geography - What is the weather like? What are the major geographical features? How do these geographical features and the weather interact and affect one another?
2. Natural resources, economics, major industries - What sort of natural resources does this place have? What sorts of industries are important in this area? What sort of resources does this area need and has to obtain from elsewhere or go without?
3. History - What important events have taken place in the history of this place? How have those histories shaped the local culture?
4. Culture, ritual, religion - What sorts of cultural or religious rituals are common here? Holidays, rites, cultural events? Are there multiple cultures/ethnicities/religions in this area or is it more monolithic? Think about rituals around food, greetings, gestures, other important interactions like first meetings and visits to friends.
5. Politics - Who are the major political figures? What external and internal political forces are at play? What kind of political system does this place follow? Is the political landscape stable, or unstable?
There are many other areas one might think of, as well. Don't just make up a city that's the same as a place you've been before and give it a new name. Don't just assume things like cultural rituals or political system, like the ones you're used to. Your new places will have more spice and realism if you think outside the box and come up with things that are new and different.
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Have someone who's lived in such a place look over what you've written. I grew up in the country (not in a small town -- it's not the same thing) and people who've only lived in cities/suburbs can get rural life very, very wrong.
Remember that there can be wide differences within an area. Example: Broad Channel Island; population about 3,000. Surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary. Part of New York City.
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