Story Plan Checklist: Setting part 2

[ladyseishou]

Setting exists so that the character has someplace to stand,
something that can help define him, something he can pick up and throw,
if necessary, or eat, or give to his girlfriend.

- John Gardner



And more about the the "where" for our story...

Yesterday we took a brief look at the physical description for our story. Today, we're going to consider the more social aspects of our worlds - what is sometimes called Human Geography.

Working from my thumbnail setting description from yesterday:

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.

There are many details about my world here that imply a larger social structure:

Political: a small town that has been established on or near the border of two countries

Economic: commerce (a tavern)

Cultural: food and drink (ale), family groups (boys)

Technology: wooden barrel for storage

These observations are all from my main character's POV. From these notes, I will expand the descriptions as the story develops.

A very important cultural aspect that I have not addressed specifically in my setting sketch is the naming of things. Fine beginner's advice is offered by Holly Lisle:

...it does pay to know what the dialects or languages would be like, how the grammar works, and what sounds the native speaker can and cannot comfortably form in casual conversation. This will allow you to hint at accents, suggest alien grammars, and whisper of far away places and foreign climes...

Here are several websites that Nano Writers may find helpful as they create the social aspects of their worlds:

How Much of My World Do I Build by Holly Lisle (mentioned before but deserving of another if just for the advice she offers for naming your characters)

A Naming Language - "Inventing a language for naming people and places" (good overview of a complex topic)

Words Maketh the Culture

What's In A Name?

I also like the advice offered by John Scalzi:

I try to build my worlds at least two questions deep — that is, you make your creations robust enough to stand up to a general question and then a more specific followup question.

As an example:

Question (to my main character): what kind of drink can I buy in your tavern?

Answer: A good, honest ale.

Follow up question: (after tasting the copper-amber drink) Earthy, sweet. What am I tasting here?

Answer: A winter brew. Six-spike barley. Potato. Wheat if it's been a good year. (smiles) Mostly potato.


So how about you, Nano Writer? Post something about your world and we'll ask your character about it... can you pass the two-question test?

Comments

[lea_hazel]

I'm not working in an exact period or Earth analog, but it bears some resemblance to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Hats are actually not very in style, but Orane wears very concealing clothing because she has to hide the fact that she's not human.

The knives are actually the least interesting. Wood etching is a hobby for Kasha.

Ulla crochets because it's part of his job. He just needs to have the colors pre-matched for him, because he's color blind.

[ladyseishou]

What about Orane would a keen observer note is not totally human even disguised? Does her disguise set her apart (are any other passengers wearing hats or is this something that causes tongues to wag)?

Why are Orane and Kasha traveling together? What about them tells something about their relationship (body language, clothing or jewelry, etc.)?

[lea_hazel]

Over time, the observer would note that she never, ever reveals more than her hands, forearms and face, and often less than that. An Occam's Razor theory might be that she has a very bad skin condition and maintains a terrible fashion sense to hide it. She is also very retiring and frequently claims headaches or vague symptoms as an excuse to be away from general society. Many other women of her class wear broad hats, low necklines and very bright floral patterns, but she wears things like pinstripe suits, blouses with buttoned sleeves, and lots of dark or drab colors.

Orane is Kasha's official mistress. She has legal status, although not as much as a wife. Their body language is very familiar, and a casual observer might mistake them for being relations. Although her role is to provide sex and companionship, they have never had sex and don't relate to each other as lovers. When in public, they usually walk arm-in-arm. There's no token like a wedding ring, since the relationship is not meant to be public, so she doesn't need to be seen as affiliated with him.