Kirin Dale

Building a believable city, whether in SF or fantasy, requires many layers of detail.  Odds are that your protagonist will visit a new city (or large town) at some point during his or her journey, so it pays to create a fully-realized destination for them to explore.

In the beginning, basic world-building (geography, weather, size and breakdown of the population) is paramount.  But these basics can be expounded by viewing them from a different angle – the tourist’s angle.  Tourists, like your reader, approach new surroundings with fresh eyes.  Their alternate perspective may allow you to brainstorm various backdrop details, enriching the location.

Some ground work can get your creative juices flowing.  Flip through some real-world guidebooks and see what is deemed worthy of a visitor’s notice.  A field trip is fun too – try visiting a city near you and notice what interests you, how you interact with locals.

When you feel comfortable with this framework, apply your experiences to your fictional city.  Either write a scene about or mentally explore how a fictional tourist would interact with your new city.  You may be surprised by details that pop out and become useful for the plot.

Some questions to ponder:

• What are the landmarks that a tourist might visit in the city?

• Are there places that locals would consider “insider” destinations?  What makes them different from the tourist traps?

• Are there actual tourists that visit the city?  Do they come for entertainment, religious pilgrimages, or other purposes?

What helps you create your locations?