2-minute read
The setting of a story is the place, the time and the environment in which the story arises.
It is very important to have the show the set to the reader as this provides the backbone that your story needs to establish it in a place in the reader’s mind where they can form tangible pictures as they follow along with the story.
If you are writing a novel about characters that can do incredible things or they have some abilities that would be considered outside normal, how can you create a novel that your reader can relate to when the elements in the novel are so…incredible, maybe unreal to most readers?
For instance, the storyline of StarTrek involves advanced technology that we do not presently possess today, and some of the scenes are set in planets that we have never heard of, with characters of different shapes and forms from these planets that we have never seen before on earth.
How do you make a fictional setting that would still keep your readers enthralled, even if the setting is a place that does not exist in any reality as we know it? This is where the skill of world building comes in! You want to build a world that will make your fictional setting come alive!
To build a world for a fictional set, there are some elements the world needs to have as a foundation:
- A location: Your world could be described as 20 million nautical miles from Planet Earth. That is a tangible placing, don’t you think?
- Relatable elements: How does a living being survive in such a world? Is there air? Food? A moon, starts, sunshine? Maybe you want to give that world 7 moons, or something equally different. Go for it. Or maybe, instead of moons, there is an alternate night light source called Nightrays. Or whatever. It would be interesting to imagine what other planets call their moons, if such worlds exist with people, no?
- A culture: This is what will build your story up. What do the people believe in? Do they have night life and go socializing? Do they have weddings, parties? These ideas will help you along with your plot to tell the story of how the people relate or interact with each other.
With these 3 main points, you will have the main foundation for a fictional setting, even if you are writing a supernatural novel. Therefore, give it a shot, and see what you can come up with. Write about the world you have created, if you have done so before, in the comments below. If you are thinking of making one, share it here! It would be lovely to talk about your ideas and learn about your book.