Those who get onto the boats are taken across the lake to Slotaan where they enter quarantine for up to six months, and sometimes even longer. They’re indoctrinated to the ways of the East, and everything is done to make them forget about their former lives in the West. From there those deemed fit to integrate into Eastern society are allowed to do so, although most don’t achieve the bright futures and levels of success they always imagined.
Well, that’s how to write a fantasy world’s setting in a nutshell. Your terrain can really do a lot to create a story for you, mixed with the right amount of imagination of course. In future posts we’ll try to see how we can populate this world with the characters that will make up the story. Characters are essential to writing a fantasy novel, after all! If you like the way this world is developing let me know. I think it would make a great short novel. If not, well, I’m sure someone struggling with writing a fantasy novel will get an idea or two.
11: The Setting (The West)
I’ve made some changes to my fantasy world map. Still no name for the world as of yet, but I do have several more place names and proper nouns.
As you can see I’ve named the large body of water at the center of the continent Lake Lo’tan. I felt that kept with the pronunciation of the East, while also rolling off the tongue a bit.
Roads have also been added to the map, which was the first thing I did. It looked a little odd only having roads heading to the major cities, though, so I added some to the desert in the north as well as the swamps in the south.
It still didn’t look that good though, so I put in a few more cities. I had to think what these would be doing there, but it wasn’t too difficult. When you’re writing a fantasy novel you’ve often got to put in extra places that may never be used, just so you can have that added sense of realism.
In this case, however, I feel those places with form important parts of my story, and it will make it easier for me to write a fantasy novel when I can see those right there on my map.
The Desert
I started off by putting the Slums of Mareto up near the Wo’dan Desert. It seemed logical to me that many of the poorer people living in the West would try their hand at crossing the desert from time to time. Most would no doubt fail, but some would succeed. That’s why this slum grew up, which only grew over time.
To counter that threat, the East set up their own watch posts across the desert. One is a land post that will stop anyone crossing over the desert by foot. The other is a sea post which will intercept, or shoot down, anyone trying to get by on a boat, or by swimming. Collectively they’re referred to as North Post.
The Swamps
The same thing sprang up down south. The Swamps of Miletus weren’t always there. Perhaps as little as a few hundred years ago they were a developed city, surrounded by great pastures, farmland, and vineyards. Something happened, however, but at this point I’m not quite sure what. Maybe a natural disaster from the sea befell the people there. It could have been a catastrophic earthquake which caused the surrounding mountains to collapse onto the city. It could even have been through the fault of the people living there, or one of the major cities in the East or West.
Nowadays there’s the Ruins of Miletus in the West. Just like the Slums of Mareto, these grew up mainly as a staging ground for people wishing to make a crossing. Most fail at this, even more so than in the Wo’dan Desert, so the ruins are not nearly as inhabited. I’d say a few thousand people live in the Slums, and only a few hundred live in the Ruins. That’s a big difference from the tens of thousands that live in both of the major cities, Finnegal and Drubeck.
Across the Swamps of Miletus is South Post. Just like North Post, these two posts guard the land and sea against illegal crossings from the West. Duty here is much more boring than at North Post, but those that attempt to cross here are more daring as well. When an illegal crossing does take place, it’s often violent, and people on both sides die.
The Lake
The last thing I did on my map was to give my lake a name. Lake Lo’tan sounded good, so I kept it for now. Remember, all of these names can be changed later, especially if you find that writing a fantasy novel is getting on your nerves. You want names that are easy to say, and easy to write hundreds of times. I might get tired of the apostrophe in “Wo’dan,” so I might change it.
There needs to be something in the lake, or else why wouldn’t the people in the West just swim across or wade along the mountainous shores? Piranhas would be a good thing to put in there, or something similar but unique to a world that comes about when you write a fantasy novel. Perhaps the lake has been poisoned, but I feel as though there has to be some fishing and other commerce on the lake. After all, fishermen from the West will be allowed to troll the waters, but they’ll probably have to have special permits to do so. No one deemed a flight risk will be given one, and these people will often be the first to crack down on Visa scams and illegal crossings.
But now I’m getting more into how to write a fantasy novel’s characters. I think I’ll save that for next time. Feel free to comment if you think this world is rubbish, or if you like some of the ideas. Regardless, I’ll just keep going.
12: The Setting (The East)
When you’re writing a fantasy novel with two opposing areas on one map, it can be a little difficult to keep everything straight. It can also be difficult figuring out how and why those two areas came into opposition.
Writing a fantasy novel is just like writing anything else. Outlining your story is essential. Mapping out your world is a must. And defining who your characters are, what they care about, and what their motivations are is crucial. It all takes time, and shouldn’t be rushed into. A slow, measured approach is better than charging in with guns drawn.
There are a lot of slap-dash fantasy novels selling out there; just look at how many don’t appear on the bestseller lists. Writing a fantasy novel to get on one of those lists is a good strategy to follow when you start your story, but it shouldn’t be your only motivation.
You’re going to invest a lot of yourself in this world and these characters over the next several months or years, so getting it right is key. And maybe that’s why spending a few bucks to get a new map might be a good idea…or just getting someone you know to do it, like in this case:
I haven’t made anymore changes to my map. At this point the only changes that would be necessary would be the addition of minor terrain features and smaller towns. A better approach would be to make additional maps of detailed areas, like around Slotaan, Drubeck, the Wo’dan Desert, and the Swamps of Miletus. For now let’s take a look at what we’ve already got going in the East.
The Capital
The East is the real power on the continent and everyone from the West wants to get over there. No one from the East wants to go West. The capital city of the East is Pa’dun. It lies to the north of the continent, the closest major city to the Wo’dan Desert. I’d think that this would be a dry and arid region, perhaps with one major river running by. Sandstorms from the desert could be a problem in the city, but I get the feeling this is an advanced place that has some kind of technology to stop that.
Pa’dun is also close to North Post, so it probably has a lot of military people around. I’m not sure yet what the government is like in the East, but the king or emperor or whatever will reside here. It’s a city of plenty, of learning, and of the highest culture in the world. The thing is, you have to make the reader realize that this is the best place. Why does everyone in the West want to go here, to this city? They have magical notions of what it is, but is it? Are there cracks in the luminous façade, or is it really the city of splendors that it’s made out to be?
Nothing’s perfect, and Pa’dun can’t be either. Just the fact that this is a society that holds another in repression, mainly through their unwillingness to help lift them up, or just stop holding them down, means that it has problems. Getting to the bottom of what that is can be difficult in the real
world, and quite difficult when you’re writing a fantasy novel. But you can use your imagination to solve the problems.
The Lake
Lake Lo’tan supports the East. Something is there that makes them money. Is it a mineral resource? Some kind of power source to fuel their cities and way of life? Is it just fish? Figuring out what the key item of desire is for a society is important when writing a fantasy novel. Perhaps something is hidden deep down in the lake bottom, perhaps something that both societies want to or need to forget. I’ve already laid out how the lake is possibly poisoned or has some negative powers to it.
Maybe people living on the lake for too long develop a disease or become weak. If they continue to stay they die. The fishermen that have special visas to move about the waters may only be able to do so for a few years, or even a few months, before the lake forces them into an early retirement, or an early grave.
We already know that the lake sees a lot of bloodshed each year when the Visa fights break out. Could the lake turn red with blood on those days? I don’t’ think there’s that many people in the area, but it’s an idea. When you’re figuring out how to write a fantasy novel, you’ve got to go through all options and explore all ideas.
The Visa System
The East came up with the Visa System several generations ago to try and help the West. Somehow the East pulled way ahead of the West technologically, culturally, and economically, but in which order or how, I’m not quite certain yet. What I do know is that the East wanted to guard this newfound wealth no matter the costs. When people in the West saw how much better life in the East was becoming, they wanted to head over there. A gold rush mentality sprang up, and so did all the shanty towns dotting Lake Lo’tan’s eastern side.
It soon became apparent that the East would have to stop this influx of people from the West. That’s when the Visa System came into place. At first thousands were let across each year, but for whatever reasons, the number grew less and less each year. Perhaps animosity grew up among those in the East over the different ways the people of the West had. They certainly had different cultural attributes, and many of their ways could have appeared foreign to the East.
But I think there were more similarities than differences. It simply became a point of superiority to the East to not let anyone in. The whole Visa System was debated, and many wanted to end it entirely. But a strong sense of social justice had come along with all the other gains made in the East, and an ethical sense of charity grew up. Still, many don’t like the idea of anyone coming to the East from the West, and there are always pushes to end the system.
The Visa System continued, but at a much smaller rate. I’m not sure yet what the actual numbers are on how many Visas are issued each year, and perhaps no one knows. That could be a major reason for all the Visa fights; the people expecting there to be more issued when there’s not.
The Posts
The Posts necessarily grew up along with the Visa System. If there was to be only one crossing point for those with Visas, and a one-way crossing at that, then the other avenues of getting into the East also had to be stopped. The most obvious were the Swamps of Miletus to the south and the Wo’dan desert to the north.
Lots of people try to cross over at these points, and we know that settlements have sprung up around the areas. Soldiers stationed at the Posts have to be alert, but there’s really not much threat from the people crossing over. It’s really a life of boredom, and one that most stationed there have to suffer through for years at a time.
Do these Visa stragglers get imprisoned, sent back to the West, or simply killed on the spot? You’d think there should be some reward for those lucky enough to thwart the system, but the East would most likely frown on that idea.
There were people who were sent back originally. As the attempts to cross illegally increased, however, things began to change. The same people were caught again and again, and that’s when the killings or disappearances began. There are still a few of these Visa stragglers alive in the West.
The Mountains
There is no way to cross the mountains, although it’s been tried. Roving patrols from the posts often ensure that anyone lucky enough to make it over the frigid peaks will be rounded up quickly.
Do people live in the mountains? How about at the base? And surely there are some caves around, and perhaps some hidden things within? When you’re writing a fantasy novel, your mountains can have a strong allure. But they often just become window dressing for your maps. I don’t think these mountains, which have yet to be named, will play that large of a part in the story, except for some of the history and explanation of the current setting.
But who knows? When you’re writing a fantasy novel, things can change on you as the writing takes hold. Now it’s about time to begin exploring who the different characters are in this interesting world.
13: Main Characters
I’ve got my world made, and I’ve got most of the details on the setting taken care of. I have my terrain, my roads, and my cities. I’ve got an idea of the major problems in the world, and who they benefit and who they hurt. Now it’s time to start putting some characters into my world. That can be one of the most difficult things when it comes to writing a fantasy novel.
When many people start to write a fantasy novel, they’ll focus on the characters they like. That’s great, and you could go a long way with that. Perhaps you’ve already got a great character in mind, and maybe even a lot of details about them.
When I write a fantasy novel’s characters, I usually start with a broad character template. Let’s start in the West.
Characters in the West
The West is poor and everyone there suffers. They all want to get a Visa at the end of the year, but most don’t and never will. I’ve already got a few character ideas, but I don’t have names for them. Here they are:
– Visa Shark;
– Preacher;
– Mayor;
– General;
– Slum Rat;
– Slum Rat’s Family.
Those are pretty broad. Let’s flesh them out a bit.
Slum Rat
This will be one of my main characters. I’d imagine it’s a boy or young man, perhaps 15 to 20 years old. Remember, the life expectancy in the West is only about 40 years, so they’re already middle-aged.
This boy has no prospects. His family is poor, and always has been. His father was killed in the slums or during one of the Visa fights that happen each year around Drubeck. His mother is still alive, but crippled or sick or something. She’s not much help, and probably only holds the character back.
He really wants to get over to the East, but he also wants to help the West. He’s a bit naive, that’s for sure. The story will largely be seen through his eyes. When it comes to writing a fantasy novel, you’ve got to get your main character pretty quickly. This is mine, and he’s still very rough around the edges. I’ll have to polish him up in the coming weeks, really flesh him out.
Visa Shark
I imagine this character to be the Slum Rat’s brother. He’s older, has been around the block a few times, as well as to the school of hard knocks. He’s tough, and has few feelings or emotions left other than hate, anger, and greed. He’s long ago given up any hope of getting a Visa, and now lives off of others’ hopes, dreams, and fears.
He’s corrupt, and will sell his mother out and probably brother too at the first chance he gets. But is there still a kernel of goodness left inside of him? That will be a major plot point when I start writing a fantasy novel. And to make it easier, I found a picture that will help me, here on Deviant Art:
Image from Deviant Art that Helps with Writing Appearances
Preacher
Someone has to rail against the Visa System and what it’s doing to the West, and the East. That person is the Preacher. He’s the type to stand atop his soapbox and spout off to anyone who’ll stop and listen. And more and more people are starting to do that. The Vi
sa fights that break out are happening earlier each year, and they’re claiming more lives.
And all the while, conditions in the West get worse and worse for those living there. This character represents the conscious of the West, and what he says will impact the main characters a lot.
Mayor
Someone’s got to be in charge in the West, and this will probably be the Mayor. I don’t know yet what the exact governmental structures are in both the East and the West, but I have a feeling that the mayor of the major city will in effect be the boss of that side of the continent.
So our Mayor will probably hail from Finnegal. He oversees the city and ensures that it can run as smoothly as possible. His job’s not easy, and certainly thankless. He might have even started out with good intentions, but I have a feeling he’s given in to corruption to some extent. He no doubt lines his own pockets, but I have a feeling that there’s still hope within him.
How to Write Fantasy Page 4