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Is having your characters explore a new world difficult? Maybe. Some authors have an easier time than others. This depends entirely on how your imagination works and what your writing style focuses on. For example, I think those who work hard on settings will have an easier time than those who concentrate more on characters. You really do need to pay attention to setting, mood, and tone when the story involves exploring a new land. So, are there some tips?
- Research couldn’t hurt. This might sound like an obvious thing, but many people assume they already know enough about the real world biome to get by. The truth is that we might have less knowledge than we realize unless we’ve experienced that type of place ourselves. For example, I’ve met people who only know that the desert is hot and sandy with an occasional oases. They don’t realize that it gets cold at night, so they keep the area scalding.
- As much as as it is to have set pieces that break the laws of physics, you have to be careful you don’t overdo it. Having a land with reverse waterfalls, floating islands, increased gravity zones, low gravity zones, and whatever else you can imagine will come off as too much. Think about what the purpose of going to and through this area is then create set pieces that work for that. They can be obstacles, helpful regions, or awe-inspiring background. A simpler way to say this is that you shouldn’t overwhelm your audience. Keep them satisfyingly whelmed.
- Having your characters show up with no knowledge of the area does make for great tension, but you don’t have to make them 100% ignorant. Them stumbling around and getting panicked by the surprises can only last so long. Perhaps one member of the group has heard rumors or read books on the region, so they think they’re aware of the dangers. Some information could be right and others wrong. This gives the characters a better and more believable chance of surviving.
- Not every new wilderness has to have a stereotypical tribe covered in war paint and wielding spears.
- While the flora and fauna should be unique, you don’t always have to make everything lethal. Think about real world areas and there are many things that are harmless. It would increase the impact of the dangerous organisms to have them be outnumbered by the benign.
- If you establish that a place has never been visited before then you have to make sure that there are no signs of previous visitors. You can’t have characters be told that they are the ones to discover the land then find skeletons of previous adventurers. It could be that they were lied to for a variety of reasons, but that’s the only situation where you can get away with it. Beyond that, your readers will notice when signs of civilization and previous visitors are mentioned in an uncharted, previously undiscovered location.
- Have fun with it. I really can’t think of a 7th tip, but you should have fun with creating a new land.
Legends of Windemere 