A Believable Fantasy: 10 Points to Consider: Point #1: Milieu

A story without milieu—or setting—is like a picture without a background. You have a detailed and well-rendered subject floating in empty space, the blank white of the paper. Was the artist too lazy to create a background for the subject? Did it seem unimportant or too boring a task? No matter how amazing the drawing is, it remains unfinished, empty. So, too, is a story without context.


The setting of a fantasy novel may be a strong focal point, accentuating phenomena that cannot exist in our world. Purple snow, mountains of crystal, trees that grow upside down. This can be wonderfully fantastical and alluring or downright distracting and annoying if your fantasy setting is not your story’s focus. Even if your unusual phenomena do not warrant an explanation, they do need a point or purpose. Will this fantastical setting play an important role in the plot, or is it merely there to convince the reader he’s reading a fantasy novel?


Creating a world does not have to be boring and tedious. It can be addictive and fun, like fitting together pieces of a puzzle. The landscape will dictate climate, the plants that grow there, the animals who eat the plants, and ultimately the people who will settle in that environment. If you’re the writer, you get to paint this picture.


It seems like every good fantasy novel has a map, and often the hero’s journey will traverse this variable landscape and showcase just how unique and diverse the world is. Draw or examine a map. Will mountains divide kingdoms, or is there a great and mystical forest that people dare not enter? Who or what will dwell there, and when you give the location a name, does it hint at its inhabitants? The Dragontooth Mountains, for instance, sound like impassible, jagged peaks. Do dragons kite along the summits? What does this mean for nearby villages?

How big is this world? Can you judge its scale? When Matt and I created our map, we included a scale to determine just how far one could travel in a day by horse, by foot, or even by boat. Realistically, you can chart those incredible journeys the characters will be taking. It may take a couple days to travel from one town to another or weeks from one kingdom to the next.


Topography aside, time is also an important indicator of setting. Yes, it’s fantasy, but you don’t want people driving cars while they live in primitive Medieval-type homes. You may need to do a little research to be consistent. Personally, I prefer novels that are set in a more archaic time—without modern conveniences. Many classic fantasy tales are set in a Medieval-type world with castles and peasants. Is there a hint of the Renaissance in there? Whether the time period is reminiscent of an older culture or modern times, it should be consistent.


Consistency does not come at the price of creativity. Remember, in a world where magic exists, anything is possible! Creating a rich history—both culturally and geographically can only improve the believability of your novel. Your character lives somewhere, came from somewhere, was born at some point. All of this will influence the tale, and it’s worth the time to build a whole new world!

-Stefanie