Introduction
Your fantasy novel might be set in a single place or it could contain multiple realms. These could include a celestial realm, underworld, waiting area for the dead, the home of one or more different species or somewhere reached through a portal.
If you have spent months creating every detail of your main world, the thought of starting again for a new realm might seem daunting. I hope to make it as easy for you as possible with this article and with the free settings templates you can download here.
What This Realm Is Like
How do your characters get to this realm and what is their first impression of it? Think about all the ways it might be different from your main world. People often have preconceived ideas of what certain realms, such as a fae world or celestial realm, will be like. Perhaps you can play with these ideas to change them or turn them upside down. Maybe your celestial realm does not have to be filled with light and tranquillity.
Think about the things we take for granted in our world: gravity, time, day and night, weather and seasons. Time might stand still or move at a different pace in this new realm. Rather than rain or snow, there could be storms of thunderbolts or sentient fog. The realm might exist in permanent darkness.
Think about how to make the landscape in this setting unique. Centaurs or ogres might live outside and not need any buildings. Fairies might live in flower-shaped houses. Perhaps a celestial realm looks different to each character, representing places they love.
Using all the Senses
Aside from describing how this realm looks, use other senses to describe it. An underworld might reek of brimstone or sulphur. Pixie magic might emit a particular fragrance that lingers in their realm. There might be unusual noises affecting what happens. This could be the roar of machinery in a Steampunk world or the sounds of animals and birds in a fae realm.
Think about the textures of objects your characters might touch. Objects or plants might feel the opposite of the way characters expect them to feel. A plant might latch onto a character’s hand or burn them.
If your characters eat or drink anything in this setting, think about how it tastes. Sweet, salty, citrusy or sour? Rainwater might have an unusual taste in this realm. Food might have hallucinogenic or magical qualities.
Inhabitants
Who or what exists in this realm? This could be deities, demons, ghosts, fae, centaurs or something unique. Think about the needs these beings have and how the setting satisfies them. Perhaps the deities are ten times larger than people, with a world that reflects this. Would deities or demons need homes or other buildings? If not, then what do they need here? They might have magic that lets them create anything they can wish for in an instant.
Using this Realm in a Scene
This setting will be part of one or more scenes, so think about what mood you want to create in the scene(s). This could, for instance, be romantic or sinister.
Many scenes contain some kind of conflict, so think about how to use your setting to enhance this. It might be someone with an obvious threat, such as an active volcano or lack of oxygen. The danger could also be unexpected, such as a deity threatening your protagonist. Your characters might not know how to interact with a bizarre environment or they may struggle to communicate with the lifeforms there.
The scene could help bring to life the central theme of your novel. If might show people from different species finding reasons to stop a war when they get to know each other. It could show the power of strong magic corrupting your protagonist.
Finally, is this setting going to be used more than once? If so, cut and paste any descriptions into a story bible so that there are no inconsistencies the next time you use it.
If you want more help creating memorable settings, you can get the e-book or illustrated paperback of “A-Z of Fantasy Settings” at Amazon now. You can also download the book for free when you join my email list for writers, where you can also get other gifts and bargains.