Series Craft 101 Read Free Page B

models, you can modify them into something unique to your story.
     

Setting Creation and Development
     
                  Creating a setting on the scale of Middle Earth, Narnia, or Hogwarts can be a massive project but is executed over time as a series progresses.  I recommend reading Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia Series, and The Harry Potter Series with a focus on setting and the different approaches to style.
    As with long paragraphs of character description, setting details have a d anger of bogging down your pace.  My example with writing sci-fi is that you don’t want to go on and on about how the futuristic toaster works to the point your character can’t finish breakfast.  Introductions to new concepts can be done through context if possible, and any direct explanation needs to be short.  (One shortcut to this is having one character—often the protagonist—that is new to the environment along with a guiding character that is savvy to it.)
    Smaller settings—such as a character’s home or vehicle—can be a reflection of their personality.  There is also a larger dynamic of how the character is shaped by his or her setting and also responds by taking actions to either change the setting or move on to another location.
     

Setting Development Template
    (Originally published in 2010 in How to Build a Fictional World ; Revised 2013.)
     
    The Big Picture
     
    What overall mood do you want your setting to convey?   Does the main setting of the story stay consistent, or does it change over time?  (If you have different stages of setting in your story, it may help to have several smaller templates instead of a single large one.)  In creating a mood of suspense or mystery, you can work backwards from the ending of the story and seed clues in previous chapters.
     
    Think about your story in terms of light and dark.   Horror or mystery stories traditionally have darker setting than other genres, and other aspects can become connected to that overall atmosphere.  (The same applies with comedies and romances having a lighter feel to them.)  Some stories have a gray area or alternate between different levels of light and dark based on the scene.  You want to have a rough idea of the progression of this so you know which direction your writing should be heading.
     
    If you’re writing in first-person, keep in mind that the setting is going to be conveyed through the lens of your character’s perspective.   If you’ve created your characters first, put thought into how you can create a setting that reveals their traits without having to use direct description.  (A character that tends to be neat is going to be disgusted finding dust on a desk or table.  A child is typically going to view the world from a more innocent point-of-view than an adult.  A detective is going to be more observant of facial expression and body language than the average person.)
     
    If you’re starting with your setting first, your focus will later be on how it would shape the life of a character and his or her thought process.
     
    Make use of all your senses.   Novels and short stories have an advantage over film and television in that you can bring to life the senses of smell, taste, and touch in a reader’s mind.  This takes practice to craft, but it impacts the realism and believability of the story.  Keep this in mind as you build details in other areas of this template.
     
    Biology and Physical Environment
     
    Planetary Characteristics (mainly for sci-fi)
    Factors may include gravity, atmosphere, rotation, orbit, placement near sun (if applicable), size, moons, closest neighbors, surface temperature (and variations), water availability, polar regions, ability to support life and what kinds, possible hazards (asteroids or comets within range, etc.)  
    How will these qualities impact the appearance of life?
    How long could a human survive there if stranded?
     
    Physical Geography and