Tag: DIscworld

The City as a Character

Quan

If you’ve ever read fiction reviews, you may have heard the phrase “The City is a character within itself.” have you ever wondered what that means? How can an inanimate, non-sentient location become an actual character? Well, obviously this is not to be taken in a literal sense. When the location a story is set in is so vivid, and engaging that it takes a life of its own, then that is what this phrase refers to.

Think of some of the more iconic locations in fiction. Whether it be Castle Rock in many Steven King novels, or The Shire in The Lord of the Rings books, or Terry Pratchett’s Discworld locations, or even the cities of Metropolis and Gotham in comic books, these are iconic locations that are more than just a static backdrop for the characters to operate in. Much more.

What makes these places so memorable? The answer lies in how they are portrayed. These locations are presented with such ambiance and detail that they can function as fully realized areas independent of the characters operating within them. When you hear of Gotham, you can see Gotham in your mind’s eye and actually envision life there, Batman or no Batman.

The advantage of having such a well-developed locale for your story is that it adds a new layer of uniqueness to your story, and a new level of authenticity. If your location is so well developed that your story literally cannot happen anywhere else, then that is a great way to measure how well-developed your setting is. When the novel “Clockers” was adapted into film, Spike Lee was able to take the entire story out of its original Boston setting and place it squarely in Brooklyn, NY. I argue that if the locale had been better presented and made more integral to the story Spike would not have been able to do that.

Just as characters can have varying levels of depth, so can settings. Anything and everything can be used to bring a location to life. Here are some things you can highlight to do just that.

1. Geography

A locale’s geography and architecture can play a key role in making the city unique. When writing, be sure to include landmarks, specific locations, and descriptions of some of the more notable parts of the city. Include street names and building names whenever you can. Mention local businesses, parks, and monuments, even if they aren’t the focus of your scene. These details will help your reader be able to see the city in their mind’s eye.

2. Local weather

You can really define a locale by its weather. Is your setting in Sunny Los Angeles, Muggy Miami, Snowy Denver or Rainy Seattle? Describing the weather of you locale can also serve to set a certain mood and tone for your story, and also the mood of your characters.

3. History

Adding references to the locale’s history can also add to the character of a locale. If a building your characters are at has some historical significance, that can add a great deal of gravitas to whatever is happening there. Furthermore, if a city has any dark secrets in its past, you can really have that play into what is currently going on in your story.

4. Local slang, customs, fashion, cuisine

What is life like for the average folk at your locale? What are the aspects of life there that are unique to that area? Whenever I write about specific cities like Chicago or Detroit, I love to include the local cuisine, especially the hot dogs the city is famous for (i.e. Chicago Dogs or Detroit Coney Dogs). If you can actually describe how the food tastes, all the more better. The local slang and colloquialisms can also set the place apart, along with the way people in that area dress.

All of these techniques, especially if combined, can really give your locale a distinct character and feel. Adding these details can really help your reader visualize the place and feel like he or she is actually there. When that happens, then the setting becomes an integral part of the story, almost like it was a character unto itself.

Avoiding Information Dumps

Quan

While critiquing a fantasy novel written by a colleague of mine, I made the observation that the vast majority of her first chapter was exposition explaining the world and its backstory. Nothing actually happened until Chapter 2 when the story REALLY began. In my book, that’s a no-no. I’ve explained in a previous post that using chapter one to focus on worldbuilding was a possible way to start off a novel, but it must be done with great care and precision to be able to get pulled off successfully, and I don’t think just any writer can do it. But this also speaks to a larger point, which is having large chunks of exposition and what I call “Information dumps” in a story. The problem with an information dump is that is grinds the flow of the story to a halt (or in my colleague’s case, prevents the story from even starting) so that you can explain whatever necessary tidbit of information you think is essential for the story.

Granted, When writing Sci-fi or fantasy, or any story where there is technical information that must be explained, certain exposition scenarios are unavoidable. If you have a piece of futuretech to be used in story, you HAVE to explain how it works. But even in those instances, there are ways to make that work that will not slow down or stop the flow of your story. Here are a few options to consider:

1. Sprinkle details of your exposition throughout your story.
I think this is effective because it adds extra depth to your story and doesn’t reveal everything at once. I used this method when Setting up the world and science of Godmode. As Elijah explores his environment, the reader learns and experiences things as he does. The key is to have the information you want to deliver be relevant to whatever situation your protagonist is in at the time.

2. Break your info dump up with actions and dialogue.
This is an option when you have an active narrator, like in a first-person perspective story. While your perspective character is explaining your world’s history, or that complex technical detail that is vital to the story, also show your character actually doing something and interacting with his or her environment at the time. This serves the purpose of moving the story forward while also explaining that vital information tht the reader needs to know.

3. Make an appendix.
You also have the option of taking that technical information and backstory and placing it in the back of your book as an extra bonus. This also adds a layer of depth to your story. A story with an appendix has a different feel than a story that doesn’t. It adds an extra gravitas to the story, because if it was major enough to need its own appendix, then it must be VERY major, right? Footnotes and annotations also count. Terry Pratchett used footnotes masterfully in his Discworld series.

These are just a few options you can utilize to get all of that pertinent information into your story smoothly. Give them a try and see what works for you.

As mentioned, Pratchett was an absolute master of adding to his world via footnotes and annotations. And they were also hilarious. Here is one of my favorites from his Discworld series of books.