Defining Rules for a Fantasy World

Rules are the 'way of things' in the worlds where stories take place. They can influence the who, what, where, when, why, and how of a scene. For instance, if a scene in your story takes place in Virginia in 2011, your reader is likely to assume the characters have access to computers and cell phones with cameras. However, in 1988, people didn't have smart phones with digital cameras and computers weren't the staple they seem to be now. Okay, this is a simple example and basically common sense. Let's take it up another notch.