How to make a Setting Compelling?

Every Setting has Peculiarities.
Since Settings are intangible, it’s essential to materialize them.
As much as it is essential to allow the Public & the Character to relate to them.
Relatability creates Attraction.

Summary – 5 steps to a Compelling Setting

Present the Setting as a Character.
Present the Environment.
Present its Inhabitants.
Present the Atmosphere through Senses.
Tell the Story.

Stories are Anthropocentric.
Therefore, present the Setting as a Character.
What makes the Setting Enjoyable?
What makes the Familiar?
What makes it Memorable?
How do you create a Place where the Public wants to return?

Present the Setting as if it was a Character

Purpose
Define the Origins of the Setting.
Who build it?
What for?
What is the Goal of this Environment?
What are its Strengths?
What are its Weaknesses?
What are its Quirks?
What defines this Environment?

Diversity & Consistency
Present the Environment through Multiple Point of View.
4 Characters should be enough.
What makes the Environment Diverse?
How is this Diversity displayed?
Can multiple people live in this Environment?
How diverse would these people be?
Can they live there peacefully?
Do they need to live in separate places?
Which kind of places?
What makes them satisfying?
It is all a matter of Scale.
The Setting can be Closed or Open.
It may be as large as you see fit.

A living Entity
How Unified is this Environment?
How does it gather life?
How does it Shelter living beings?
How is Life represented on its Surface?
How is underground Life?
Do they live in Conjunction?
Do they live in Synergy?
How does the Environment evolve?
How does it change?

Attachment
Link the Characters & the Environment.
Create a bond between the Characters & the Environment.
Integrate the Characters in this Environment.
Link them through the Story.
Create a Story for each Character or for the Group in order to display their progressive attachment.
You can Present the Environment as:
- A New Character
- A Returning Character
How we identify ourselves to other characters.
Project the Character’s Identity through the Environment.
Develop Non-human Characters.
And integrate them to a specific Environment in which they need to live.
Use Anthropomorphism.
Let the Characters be triggered.
Let them display immediate reactions.
Let the Short Term matter, in order to create an attachment in the Long Term.

Where are we?

Atmosphere
How is the Atmosphere?
What are the dominant Colors?
How does it Evolve?
How Progressive is its evolution?
What are the Available Gazes?
How can they be used?
Is the Air Breathable?
What are the Atmosphere’s Properties?
- Acidity/Alkalinity
- Corrosiveness
- Toxicity
- Other

Temperature
How Dry in the Environment?
How Wet is it?
How many zones are there in this World?
What are the Variations between these zones?
What’s the Relationship between Temperature & Climate?
What’s the Relationship between Weather & Climate?

Water
How much Water is Available?
What is the Water’s composition?
How does it evolve from 1 part of the world to the next?
In this State is it?
- Solid
- Liquid
- Gaseous
- Other?
Are there Landmasses?
What is the relationship Land/Sea?

Landscapes & Landmarks
How are the Landscapes?
Which kind of Landscape can be found?
- Mountains
- Seas
- Meadows
- Forests
- Marshlands
Are there Landmarks?
How are these Landmarks?
Were they Built?
Make use of Elevation in order to create Depth.

If you want to know more about how tell Stories through a Setting.

Who lives here?

Living Beings
Your Characters are meant to encounter Creatures.
With different level of Intelligence.
With different Customs.
With different Structures.
Are there Living beings?
Are there Animals?
Are there Vegetals?
How does life develop?
Are there areas?
How are they defined?
How can they be identified?

How do they look like?
You can create a lot of diversity just by tweaking 3 elements :
- Size
- Form
- Color
Are they Humanoid?
Are they Human-like?
Are there only animals?
Are there hybrids?
How did the hybridization happened?
How do they Adapt to the World?
How is their Body?
How did they Externally adapted?
How did they Internally adapted?

How do they behave?
Creatures are meant to have alien behavior.
Behavior different from your Characters.
In this manner, they should react to your Characters.
How do they act?
Which Behavior do they display?
Are they hostile?
Are they welcoming?
What makes them a Community?
What creates a sense of Belonging?
What creates a sense of Unity?
Do they regroup?
Do they live in Communities?
Are they gregarious?
How do they Organize?

Which Organizations populate this world?
Organizations are meant to administrate a due Environment.
To manage its resources according to its population’s needs.
What’s their Goal?
What are their Symbols?
Which Resources are they looking for?
How do they use it?
How is their Hierarchy?
How do they Administrate their territory?
Which Technology did they build?
What kind of Technology scares them?
What kind of Technology amazes them?
What kind of Technology interests them?

If you want to know more about Cultures.

Sound, Senses & Stimulation

Embodying your Characters helps you to create more Affect.

Which kind of Sound can you hear?
Sound is prevalent in most Settings.
The Nature of the Noises greatly variates from 1 setting to the next.
Do people Speak?
Can you hear their voices?
What do they evoke to you?
How do they feel?
How do they sound?
Is there Chatter?
What do people speak about?
What interests them?
How do they speak?

Which kind of Music can you hear?
Other than Noises, your Characters may hear Music.
Is it enjoyable?
Is it loud?
How are your senses Stimulated?
What are you attracted by?
How do the ambient noise articulate with the Music?
Are they muffled by the Music?
Is the Music smothered by the Noises?
Do they cancel each other?
Do they complement each other?

Where do you imagine you are?
Using some degree of Abstraction helps to reinforce Concrete objects.
Look for contrast.
Which image can you see?
Which form does it take?
Is it an Ethereal Message?
Is it a Voice?
Which Sensation does it convey?
Where does it bring you?
Where do you want to go?
What do you want to do?

Other Senses
Other sense than hearing should be stimulated.
Sight is the most obvious.
But the Setting itself can have a poor luminosity.
Smell is another.
Think about how entrancing odors can be.
Or about the complete lack of odor.
Think about the relationship between odor & taste.
Which kind of Molecules are released through the Atmosphere?
Consider that your Character may not be able to perceive all sensations in this Setting.
She may require the help of its inhabitant.

Adventures

Mystery
Stories are Based on Information Deficit.
What are the Characters looking for?
What disappeared?
What Information do they need?
Which Hidden information are they looking for?
Where can they find it?
How can they find it?
How do they face the Unknown?
- With Excitement?
- Fear?
How do they manage Randomness?

Discovery
Which place will the Characters Visit?
What is their Goal?
What do the Characters look for?
What do they intend to find?
What do they find?
What makes it Incredible?
What makes it Foreign?
What makes it Memorable?
- Creature
- Location
- Song or Tale
Why would 1 be Visiting this Place?
How do the Characters access the environment?
Can they access it?
Should they penetrate it?

Recovery
What is the Characters’ Mission?
Who do they need to Rescue?
What do they need to Recover?
Which Dangers could they face?
Which Dangers can they handle?
Which Hazardous conditions should they compose with?
How is the Atmosphere?
- What’s its composition?
- How adapted to the Characters is it?
- What damages can it cause them?
- Does it enhance their Capabilities?
How’s the Fauna?
How’s the Flora?

Refuge
Where can the Characters Hide?
Which place represents Safety?
What makes it Safe?
What is the original use of this place?
How can it be used as a Shelter?
Should it be rearranged?
How?
Are there any sources of danger nearby?
Could the Characters be Living there?
Consider that the Character may not flee and therefore be forced to live in this Environment.

If you want to know more about Adventure types.