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Fictional locations vary greatly in their size. Very small places like a single room are kept out of the umbella of fictional locations by convention, as are most single buildings. A fictional location can be the size of a university ( Howard Phillips Lovecraft 's Arkham University), a town ( Stephen King 's Salem's Lot ), a county ( Raintree County ), a large section of continent (as in '' Lord Of The Rings '', which supposedly represents Europe before some western sections sank), a whole planet ( Anne McCaffrey 's Pern ), a whole galaxy ( Isaac Asimov 's Foundation books), even a Multiverse ('' His Dark Materials ''). In a larger scale, occasionally the term Alternate Reality is used, but only if it is considered a variant of Earth rather than an original world. Austin Tappan Wright 's Islandia has an invented continent, Karain , on our world.


LOCATING A STORY

Within narrative prose, providing a believable location can be greatly enhanced by the provision of maps and other illustrations. 1 This is often considered particularly true for , William Faulkner , etc.. Fantasy and science fiction novels often also provide sections which provide documentation of various aspects of the environment of the fiction, including languages, character lists, cultures and, of course, locations.

In an online article on writing Dawn Arkin writes about the importance of location to the author's art.


''"Setting has become a very important part of most novels."'' (Dawn Arkin) 2

But if the location is real that can bring discipline to the creative process or a straightjacket from which some authors will need to escape.


''"Creating a fictional location has many advantages for the writer. You get to name the town, streets, businesses, schools, etc. Everything inside your town is under your control."'' (Dawn Arkin) 3


Maps are an immediate necessity for some works, as they do not take place on our Earth. Writers need working maps to keep straight at a glance whether the castle is north or south of the river, and how long it takes to get between valleys. '': "Of World-Making: Some Problems of the Invented Milieu," dealt directly with fictional geography, and how to prevent snags.


Authors are as forgetful and absent-minded as the lesser breeds of humankind, and a simple precaution like taking a moment to sketch out a map helps prevent such errors and inconsistencies (upon which eagle-eyed readers are bound to swoop with gleeful cries, thereafter sitting down to write nasty letters to the poor author).


Sometimes an actual geographic corner is used as a model for "getting it right," and identifying these can become a game for readers. Authors may turn an island into a continent or vice versa, rotate orientation, or combine two similar locales to get the best (for the story) of both.


SEE ALSO



FOOTNOTES



REFERENCES

  • 4 0-345-27399-0 - it includes science fiction and mainstream maps, as well as maps imagined only for their own sake, lacking any literary connection.