Written by: wera_nyooms

Hello Citizens!

Today, we will be going over how to choose a setting in urban fantasy.

What is a setting?

A setting is when and where the story takes place.

Are you unsure of what your setting should be? We will begin by discussing possible settings you can use in your urban fantasy story.

Setting #1: The Modern World

Your story can take place anywhere in the modern (present-day) world. So, let's say you live in California and want it to be filled with fae. You can certainly do that!

Setting #2: Alternate World

Another setting you can use is an alternate universe, otherwise known as a multiverse. These alternate worlds take place in a different dimension but may have some characteristics that are similar to our modern world. Though there may also be some startling differences (i.e., in laws, customs/traditions/beliefs, and even something as simple as clothing and food).

How do I choose a setting?

1) When you choose a setting, you want to ensure that it's immersive for the reader. You want to ensure you're accurate. For example, if you write that your modern-day story takes place in Oregon, in the United States, you don't want to classify it as a desert, when it's known for its rainy weather. And if you do, you want to make it abundantly clear to the reader that it's an alternate universe and there's a reason for the change in climate.

Tips: Some ways to make your story more immersive is to ensure you're dedicating some time away from the story to build your world. If you have a stronger sense of the setting, you'll be able to convey it in a way that's easy to understand and visualize for the reader. An underdeveloped world will be obvious. And don't be afraid to draw upon real-world examples to create a vivid and visual picture for the reader. The best way to show this to the reader is to show a main character interacting with the setting and the people in it. Perhaps there's a food stand they love to stop by every day or maybe they go for a walk in the park to meet with an elderly woman they've come to be friends with.

2) Ensure you balance magic with reality. Do the humans in the world know supernatural creatures exist? Or are there laws in the supernatural world that keep humans from finding out? If they do find out, are there consequences? This can be a good source of conflict - the main character may discover vampires exist and it sets them on a path of chaos (e.g., Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, etc.). In doing so, you may come up with specific themes (e.g., Good vs. Evil, the Chosen One, etc.).

You also want to ensure that every magic has its weakness. Unless there's a reason for certain characters to have god-like magic, it's always important to have a strength and weakness for every type of magic. If a character never gets hurt in a fight, they might be a bit overpowered. Now, if they are injured and their body heals itself, that's a different story.

3) Tension, tension, tension! An element of urban fantasy that always keeps a reader on their feet is the amount of tension. You can portray this tension through a fighting scene between two prominent characters or an argument about morals. You want to ensure you have a balance between static and dynamic scenes. There can be scenes where two characters are recuperating from a battle, but you want to be careful of what's done in that chapter so you don't bore the reader. Perhaps they could discuss the aftermath of the battle or plan next steps while they recover from their injuries. Whichever you decide, this is an important element to include if you want to develop your characters a little more and illustrate the tone and overall mood of the setting.

4) Don't forget about emotions. You don't want your character to just be doing action A and action B in a scene. You want to ensure you're incorporating bits about their body language, facial expressions, and emotions. Sometimes being in certain settings can trigger memories, either regretful or peaceful, in characters and can motivate how they act in those settings and around people in those settings. And you don't have to do it based on the character's emotions only! You can influence the reader into thinking about the tone/mood of the scene through the setting description. A sunny day may insinuate that it's a happy and peaceful day. A solar eclipse may imply there's something darker on the horizon. And don't forget about temperature!

5) Finally, don't forget to add levels to your setting! If you've established that you want your story to take place in Oregon, or another real-world setting, you want to go past the city and state. For example, stating that the story takes place in Bend, Oregon isn't enough for the reader to visualize what's happening. Do scenes take place in specific parks, streets, stores, etc.? You want to ensure you're incorporating further description of the setting so that readers can continue to visualize what's happening as the character moves from scene to scene.

You don't need to include several locations, but only the memorable ones that are central to your plot. Will a big battle occur in one of the parks? It might be helpful to use a setting as a motif to get the reader thinking of its significance and it can be a good way to foreshadow that something terrible, or good, may come soon.

Sources:

5 Simple Tips For Writing Awesome Urban Fantasy – Writer's Edit (writersedit.com)

How To Master Setting In Your Novel – Writer's Edit (writersedit.com)

https://writingtipsoasis.com/beginners-guide-to-writing-urban-fantasy/#5_The_urban_fantasy_world