M3: LESSON 5 WORKSHEET

How to Develop an
Immersive Setting
Setting is the WHERE and the WHEN of your story. It’s the physical space in which your story takes
place or the stage in which your characters stand upon. But it’s more than just the physical world—
it’s also the period in time in which your story takes place, too.

And setting is important because as writers, one of our main jobs is to transport readers to another
time and place. It’s also your setting’s job to provide context for your entire story. Great stories use
specific settings to highlight their characters’ lives, amplify plot events, or reveal something about the
larger story world. Your setting can even help you express your theme, too. And the more you take
advantage of these opportunities, the more impact your story will have on readers.

So, to start developing your story’s setting, there are two main questions I want you to answer...

Question #1: When does your story take place?

There are two options for the WHEN of your story—your story either takes place in the eternal
present or in a particular period in history.

Stories that take place in the eternal present make the reader feel like they're reading a
story that could be happening at that very moment.

Stories that take place in a particular period in history make the reader feel like they're
reading a story that happened in a different period of time.

So, when does your story take place? In the eternal present? Or in a particular period in history?
Why did you choose this setting?

NOTES TO NOVEL™ | © SAVANNAH GILBO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Question #2: Where does your story take place?

Once you know when your story takes place, it's time to drill down into where it takes place. Use the
space below to brainstorm all the different settings you'll need in your story. And remember, don't
get stuck on the details here! Just get the general locations down first.

5 Tips for Developing an Immersive Story World

Regardless of where your story takes place, you need to make it feel as real as possible in order to
get your readers to feel fully immersed. And one of the main ways you can do this is by making sure
everything hangs together internally. Here are five tips for developing your setting:

Look to your content genres for guidance on what settings you need to include.

Establish the rules and internal logic of your world. For every cause, there is an effect, and
for every action, there is a reaction.

Populate your world with believable characters, organizations, and practices.

Use your setting to help you establish a unique conflict and then solve that conflict.

Go narrow and deep with your worldbuilding elements, not wide and shallow.

NOTES TO NOVEL™ | © SAVANNAH GILBO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 M3: LESSON 5 WORKSHEET

Bonus: Worldbuilding
Worksheet for Sci-Fi & Fantasy
If you’re writing science fiction or fantasy, you’ll need to do some work on building out your world.

Worldbuilding is a complex and sometimes difficult task that you will likely be unable to complete in
one sitting. As you begin to write, you’ll need to circle around again and again to these elements,
tweaking them, revising them, and sometimes changing them completely. It’s all part of the process.

But resist the urge to spend hours and hours here—that can be a form of resistance that will keep
you from achieving your goal. Here are some questions that will help you to start brainstorming your
world and creating your world’s internal logic.

Questions to Help You Develop Your Story World

Will your story take place in the future, the present, or the past?

Will your story take place this universe or an alternate universe?

What is the history of your world? How did your world come to be? And why is your story happening
at this particular moment in time? Why now?

NOTES TO NOVEL™ | © SAVANNAH GILBO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Does magic exist in your world? If so, what are the rules of magic? Who can use magic? Why?

Do people live forever in your world? If so, do they go to heaven and hell? Or somewhere else?

What's the mood of your world? Are people happy, content? Traumatized? Rebellious? Why?

What's the environment like? Is there oxygen, gravity? Is it light or dark? Pristine or polluted?

Are there any twists to the basic rules of reproduction? Is there anything about inheritance or lineage
that will impact the way your characters behave in the story?

NOTES TO NOVEL™ | © SAVANNAH GILBO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

What is the nature of technology in your world? What impact does it have on society?

How do people get around? What is transportation like in your world?

How is food produced, distributed, and controlled in your world?

What are the social realities of your world? Who holds power and why? How did they get it?

NOTES TO NOVEL™ | © SAVANNAH GILBO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Is there a dominant religion? If so, what do you know about this religion?

What is the nature of the government in your world? What is the government like?

Who or what is the enemy of your protagonist's people? Why are they enemies?

What is the culture like in your world? What are the main qualities of this culture?

NOTES TO NOVEL™ | © SAVANNAH GILBO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

How do people communicate? Is there a dominant language?

What is the role of money? How is it acquired, spent? Who is rich and who is poor?

Where do people work in your world? What is the nature of their work?

What do people do for play or for entertainment in your world?

What kind of education do people in your world receive? Can everyone get that education?

NOTES TO NOVEL™ | © SAVANNAH GILBO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Notes, Ideas, and Reminders:

NOTES TO NOVEL™ | © SAVANNAH GILBO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.