How to Set the Scene

Writing fiction, whether that be in the form of a short story, novel, or script, is a tricky business. You have to make sure that your characters feel human, that the dialogue is realistic, and that the whole story “makes sense” to the reader.

World-building is another important thing to consider when you’re writing. You have to immerse the reader into the world you created, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to suspend their disbelief.

This is why today we will give you some tips as to how to introduce a new location in your story. Find out the ways in which you can make your story feel as real as possible.

Tips on Creating a Location in Fiction

The tips here should apply to all forms of written fiction, but there are natural differences depending on the medium. We’ll mainly concentrate on creating a location in a book because it’s especially difficult to achieve that in a long text.

We will divide this section into two – one dealing with real-life locations, and another dealing with completely fictional ones.

Real-life Locations

If you are a writer who prefers realism over fantasy, it might be useful to set your story in real-life places. Check out these tips for more info:

• Observe and re-explore your surroundings

We tend to disregard our immediate surroundings because we are so used to them. You might have heard your friends, who live in a different place, comment on how interesting your city is. That might have surprised you, but it’s only because you forgot how interesting your city really is. Go on a walk and try to explore your environment from a third-person perspective. You’ll probably notice things and places that you haven’t before.

• Research your location

If you found a location you want to describe in your book, research it as much as possible. It would be best to visit the location in person, but if the place is in a different town, use the Internet, it’s a powerful tool. Let’s say that your characters meet on a racetrack, look at online greyhound betting sites to explore the terrain and watch a race or two, so you can make sense of the dynamics.

• Take photos

If you live close to your chosen location, take as many pictures as possible. Print them and look at them while you’re writing.

• Engage your memory

Think of a place with deep emotional connection to you from the past. Something probably already popped up in your mind. Describe it, it’s best (and easiest) to write about your personal experiences, so that might be the answer as to the perfect location.

• Looking into the past

If your location once existed, but it doesn’t anymore, try to find as many contemporary sources about it as possible. It’d be very helpful to talk to people who have been there as well if you can.

Non-existent Locations

To create something out of nothing is a writer’s job, but creating a non-existent location is a beast of its own. We hope that these tips, inspired by the works of George R.R. Martin who’s a master of world-building, would help you:

• Don’t just look, smell, taste, hear and feel – A mistake that writers often make is to concentrate too much on the visual aspect of a location. Humans have more than one sense – engage them; describe scents, flavours, sounds etc. Example: “The smells filled his head, alive and intoxicating; the green muddy stink of the hot pools, the perfume of rich rotting earth beneath his paws” (from A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin). See how Martin describes a location only using smells and try that for yourself.
• Make it unique – The sky is the limit when you’re creating a location out of thin air. Give it a characteristic that would make it completely unique. Example: Winterfell in A Song of Ice and Fire is a castle built above hot springs whereas the walls and floors exude heat and keep the people there warm throughout the winter.
• Give it a sense of mystery – Sure, you have to describe a place as best as you can, but you can also omit information, which could engage the reader’s interest more. Example: The Shadow Lands in Martin’s saga are perhaps the most mysterious location. All we know is the geographical location and the fact that the land is barren with only the shadow living there. There are tales of dragons originating from the Shadow, but it’s all speculation on part of both the book characters and the fandom, which makes it such an attractive location to have in a book.
• Varying reactions to a location – Some characters in your book might love being at a certain location, while others might hate it and even find it ugly. This gives the location three-dimensionality and realism. Example: When Sansa first visits The Red Keep, she is amazed by its splendour. After a series of tragic events, however, she comes to see it as an ugly monster with the red bricks now symbolising blood rather than royal magnificence.

Final Thoughts

We hope that you enjoyed reading this article and that you found these tips helpful. Remember that there are limitless possibilities when you create a world of your own. Be confident and keep going!