Road Trip to NaNo: Build a Solid Foundation for Your Setting

NaNoWriMo is an international event, and the stories being written every year reflect our hundreds of participating regions. We’re taking a Road Trip to NaNo to hear from our amazing volunteers and writers all around the world. Today, Richard, one of our Municipal Liaisons in the Europe :: England :: Kent region shares how to build a foundation for your novel’s setting:

Welcome to the Garden of England, otherwise known as the beautiful County of Kent. With rolling fields of lavender, the white cliffs of Dover, and many historical towns including Rochester, Canterbury and Royal Tunbridge Wells, what better place could there be to stop and soak in atmosphere and scenery to influence your writing.

When you think of the inspiration that people have drawn, look no further than the Canterbury Tales, and, of course, Great Expectations. When you are travelling through, don’t forget to stop at our cathedrals, castles and, of course, numerous bunkers and wartime buildings. There is something here for everyone, and you will all take something away.

One of the most important things you will take away with you is the vast variety of locales that you could set your novels in. From quaint little villages and modern towns, to castles and churches, you can live and breathe your story, just by closing your eyes.

And this is what your readers will do…

Having a living, breathing environment in which your characters live their lives will make the whole story that little more realistic to your reader, and enable them to engage in the story. If you set the environment right, your readers will actually be able to walk around the setting with them. Of course, the setting is much more than just the physical places your novel takes place in. It is also about where your character has come from, and the environment that they developed in to make them the person they are today. What kind of family did they come from? What school did they go to?

Stop for a moment and think about your favourite novel. Remember how you felt, immersing yourself in its surroundings, following those characters around corridors, across fields and even crossing oceans. During NaNoWriMo, the goal is to write your novel in a month. Being able to quickly call upon the setting is key.

Even if you create a fantasy world, having the basics grounded in an area you are familiar with will enable you to draw your setting up quickly. I remember when I was young, playing in the woods. No matter what story I was telling, or what my imagination was creating, the trees were always in the same place. In the same way, having set buildings or locations in mind will enable you to build a world quickly around those sites.

This is therefore my advice to you. Color in your novel’s settings with elements of places you know, even if just to act as a foundation to be built upon. An environment you know will be easily called upon during this month, make a great base for your characters to develop in, and help the reader call the location to mind.

Good luck during November!

Richard is returning to Kent as NaNoWriMo ML for the second time. He usually writes thriller and suspense novels, but may be attempting a completely different genre this year. When not writing, he helps out at a number of local charity events supporting individuals in need, as well as assists with the running of national call centres raising funds.