Story Plan Checklist: Setting part 1

[ladyseishou]

The writer operates at a peculiar crossroads
where time and place and eternity somehow meet.
His problem is to find that location.

- Flannery O’Connor



And where does your character hang his hat?

"Your setting," writes Karen Wiesner "is a basis for building your story - it enhances the characters, conflict and suspense, and provides a place for all three to flourish."

And whether this place is found in the real world or an imaginary one, the writer should be as familiar with the story's time and place as well as his POV character. Better perhaps as the writer's description is critical as "to allow the reader to 'see' what the main character sees, as well as to give a sense of the characters." But as Ms. Wiesner cautions:

Very few characters will notice every detail of their surroundings. A character notices the things in his setting that are important to him at the moment. In other words, focus the description. Describe only what means the most to the character, what enhances the mood you're attempting to create.

Of course, some writers spend literally years creating fictitious worlds for their stories. Indeed, Nano Writers worked through Stephanie Bryant's 30 Days of Worldbuilding last August, creating and detailing imaginary worlds for our characters to explore and conquer... but with less than nine days until the start of NaNoWRiMo let's apply Karen Weisner's advice and focus on only what our main character sees of his or her world. Or as Holly Lisle says so succinctly in her online workshop:
Build only what you need; imply the rest.
From your character's POV, where does his or her story begin? What does your character see, hear, taste, smell, and feel?

One of my protagonist owns a tavern, the only tavern in a small, border town. It is early morning (the tavern is empty) and he sees and hears that a wooden barrel of ale he has tapped is emptier than he would like when two local boys come in with news that several strangers have arrived in town.

A small town, a tavern, a wooden barrel. These details suggest many things about my story world. Indeed, the fact that my main character "sees" and "hears" suggests that he is more or less human and that the town exists on an earth-like planet. Not necessarily so but for my story, this is what I will assume which simplifies my worldbuilding. I'll be able to write from my own experiences and research: a yellow sun, a single moon, established weather patterns, familiar physical geological events. Where my world deviates from this earth-like setting, will be introduced as my character experiences it for himself as the story unfolds.

For our sci-fi Nano Writers who will be venturing further afield perhaps the following links may be helpful:

Worldbuilding from scratch with lots of equations to help build your planet from the cosmic dust up:

The World Builder's Cookbook

World Builders

Creating an Earthlike Planet


Fantasy-based worldbuilding tutorials/advice:

Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds

Patrica C. Wrede's Worldbuilder Questions


At this point, I can (and have) sketch out rough maps for my world, once again from my main character's POV: his tavern, the small town and environs, the capital city (where he lived as a boy and young man).

So Nano Writer, where is your main character when your story begins? From your character's POV, tell us about your world!

Tomorrow we will take a brief look at the social systems for our worlds. Until then, keep writing!

Comments

[falkner]

This year I'm writing a fanfiction for Nanowrimo, because I want to try something different, so a lot of the "world" I need it's already there ready for me. But there's stil work to do since in the game my story is about, the biggest towns have got like 5 houses, and I want to expand those towns without risking to write something that conflicts with canon.