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The wild wood and the holy city: settings for fantasy

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I’ve been re-reading recently one of my favourite fantasy novels, A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay, and it got me thinking about something that’s very important in good, satisfying fantasy novels like that one, but that’s often taken for granted. And that’s setting and atmosphere. Setting and atmosphere are always (at least to me!) an important part of a novel, but in fantasy they are often much, much more than just background or wallpaper for your story. In fact they can loom very large indeed, almost like characters in their own right, whether major or minor. In my own fantasy writing, I’ve focussed very strongly on setting and atmosphere, and I want to pass on some of what I’ve learned.

Atmosphere comes out of setting, which itself is a mixture of the physical and sensual (both natural and man-made), the cultural (history and society) and the psychological and imaginative (beliefs, stories, the magical). Before setting out on the journey to create your world, ask yourself:

*Do I want to use the basic fantasy setting template?

This is basically the world of the medieval Arthurian romance, which in my mind is the true fore-runner of most modern fantasy: a Celtic-flavoured feudal, agrarian society, with only small cities, villages set around fortified castles and vast tracts of wilderness. It’s standard, but there’s still lots of unexplored territory there.

*Do I want to go for a completely different setting?
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Interview with Lorin Oberweger, Part 2

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If you missed part one of my interview with independent book editor Lorin Oberweger, click HERE, then come back. Lorin not only has nearly two decades of experience in the publishing industry, she’s an expert at honing in on what writers want–what they need–and offering workshops tailor-made for them. She’s also a ghostwriter and award-winning […]

Interview with Lorin Oberweger, Part 1

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Lorin Oberweger is a highly sought-after independent book editor and ghostwriter with more than eighteen years experience in the publishing industry. Her company, Free Expressions, also offers writing seminars nationwide with Donald Maass and others. In addition, she serves as editorial director for the renowned Writers Retreat Workshop. Lorin is also an award-winning author, whose […]

Libby Fischer Hellmann On Suspense, part 1

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Mystery and suspense writers are in for a treat this week. Noted suspense author Libby Fischer Hellmann has agreed to guest blog with us to reveal a few weapons in the suspense novelist’s arsenal. We’ll have our Q&A with Libby on her latest mystery novel DOUBLEBACK posted later. Today, enjoy part one of Libby’s two […]

Sloppy Firsts

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Please welcome Anna Elliott to our family of amazing contributors! Dark Moon of Avalon, Anna’s second novel, will release in May 2010. She recently welcomed a daughter to her growing family, and we look forward to her perspectives on juggling motherhood, writing and sanity. Welcome, Anna! When I was an aspiring author, I spent a […]

Now. Yes, now.

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The image you see here occurred to me in talking about one of the submissions to my Crafting a Killer First Page workshop at the Write on the Sound Writers conference. Backstory (yes, yes, I know, but you need to know this! Really.): workshoppers submit their first chapters, and we critique the first page. The […]

Finding the Will

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My last post was about milestones and rewards. This one is related, at least tangentially. In this business, fear and uncertainty can be your biggest enemies. Is this book any good? Will anyone want it? As I see it, those are the wrong questions. Instead, you need to ask yourself: am I writing because I […]

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