Last month I looked at how to set the scene for good fantasy books. That post was more of mid-level look at the individual landscapes of the world. Though I intend to talk about building the entirety of a world in the future, this week I want to take a closer look at laying the scene in each individual chapter.
Weather Can Change a Story
One of the first things to consider when writing is how your landscapes can affect the emotions of your readers. Weather is one of the most powerful ways to help set a scene where you want to evoke a particular emotion. For example, describing a temperate day with the sun shining down and the a sweet breeze in the air will set a completely different mood than a scene where the moon is eclipses, thunder is crashing off in the distance and a thick fog fills the air.
How do you properly implement weather? Well, the key is to be somewhat original with it. Using rain during an intense battle scene can be an effective way to add to the chaos and uncertainty. At the same time, if you have it raining every time there is a battle coming up people are going to get tired of it. In other words, use weather to help set up extreme conditions rather than focusing on it in every scene.
Concerning the Immediate Environment
Just like weather conditions, it is important that you are careful in how you present the environment for major events in good fantasy books. When a character in a fantasy novel travels to a dark and muggy swamp or a forest with dead trees, people expect there to be some clash with a dark force. Though there is certainly a time and place for these elements, look at ways to make it so the scene does not give away the action. One way to do this is to introduce those creepy elements but play them down. Have the character focus on the reason he is there and oftentimes this can lead to a greater sense of surprise when the action begins.
Bringing it all Together in Good Fantasy Books
Ultimately, the key to writing good fantasy books is figuring out how to bring it all together. Make sure that your characters interact with the environment in a believable way and if you are going to use obvious story elements in the scene, make sure that they really have an impact. The last thing you want is for readers to expect a big and exciting showdown and leave them with nothing more than a creepy scene and some bad weather.
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Hailed as the J.R.R. Tolkien of the 21st century, Joseph Macolino is the author of the Evorath series, providing good fantasy books to those looking for heart-pounding action in a magical world.
