NaNoWriMo Prep, Part Six: Setting

Now that you have your characters fleshed out some, you need to know more about your various settings. Like with character design, you need to know enough about your setting to describe it properly. This can be difficult, especially if you've never been there.

                                                                     Step One
Where is it? In a broad sense, where does most of your story center? If your story is a fantasy, then you'll need some information on how the world works, as well as an idea of what sorts of landmasses and countries are there. If it's set in the real world, then what country are you going to use? This can dictate what language is spoken and the surrounding culture, so choose carefully.

                                                                    Step Two
What sort of town/village/city are your characters in? You need to know how big this place is, especially if they do any sort of thing that involves traveling through it.
If, for example, your character meets a friend at a coffee shop, you might need to know how much traffic they'll have to drive through, how far away the shop is, things like that.

                                                                  Step Three
What exact locations are you planning on using? For example, you'll probably have your main character's house on your list of settings. You might have a school, a castle, a wizard's house, a friend's house, a workplace. You'll need to know what locations you're planning to use. These may or may not all be in the same general location - you might even have them in separate countries or worlds.

                                                                   Step Four
Using your list from step three, you'll need to know what each place is like. Start with the outside. What kind of weather is there? Is it a building? You'll need to know things like how it smells, how hot or cold it is, what kind of people frequent it and why, and why your character goes there. If this place is (or has) a building, what is it like inside? How is it decorated? Is it a home? A business? Who lives/works there? What is the temperature like inside? How does it smell? If your setting is an existing place that you've never visited, then you'll want to look up pictures, descriptions, and the culture. Someone who's been there and reads your book isn't likely to fully enjoy the story if they see inconsistencies or details that are wrong.