Many fantasy writers struggle or worry about how to
build their new worlds—how much detail, when to describe the settings, how
characters should interact with the setting. To simplify the process, begin
with an analysis of the story itself. Three basic relationships between plot
and setting will help you more easily decide your direction with worldbuilding.
1) The Home
Base
In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Hogwarts is a clear example of a setting that serves as a recurring home base. This type of story revolves around a recurring “there and back again” cycle. Readers can develop a sense of home that ultimately becomes a character in itself. The collective circus environment in The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern becomes as vital as the individual characters themselves.
To write this type of fantasy,
spend time developing your home base to make readers feel at home, in a place
they will want to revisit.
2) Landmarks
In this type of fantasy, characters
visit a series of known landmarks. These stories benefit from use of a map to
aid the reader. An example of this relationship between story and setting is
found in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
The narrative is a linear journey, traveling from one landmark to the next.
To plan this world, the writer
needs to determine what will be the landmarks. How will the geography of
terrain traveled mirror the ups and downs of the quest or journey?
3) The Unknown
Characters may be led into
unchartered territories. Many dystopian fantasies are structured this way. No
one knows what is around the corner. Reader and main characters are in the same
boat.
In this type of story, the writer
should not world build in advance. Let the characters discover the new world
along with you to make the element of surprise more natural and believable.
Which type of relationship between setting and story do you like in your fantasy fiction? To read? To write?
I generally like a more grounded story with a home base, but also enjoy quests that take interesting journeys. I'm usually not drawn to read or write fantasies with worlds that are totally unknown to all the characters.
Which type of relationship between setting and story do you like in your fantasy fiction? To read? To write?
I generally like a more grounded story with a home base, but also enjoy quests that take interesting journeys. I'm usually not drawn to read or write fantasies with worlds that are totally unknown to all the characters.
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Photo credit:
Hogwarts: This image was made by Loadmaster (David R.
Tribble) Email the author: David R.
Tribble Also see my personal gallery at Google Picasa (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
