Warning: Setting-focused prompts beat character sheets for building worlds, but my club disagrees

Last month, I used a prompt that only described a place, not people. My story felt rich and full of life. My writing friends say you need deep characters from the start. I think they are missing the point. A good setting can drive the whole plot.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_morgan1mo ago

That line about harsh settings leaving marks on someone made me rethink everything. I used to swear by character sheets, believing deep backstories were essential. But after describing a crumbling city ruled by gangs, my characters' motivations came from dealing with that chaos. Now I get how a strong setting can BUILD character depth naturally.

benk261mo ago

Wait gangs actually ruled the city in that prompt? That's wild lol. No wonder the characters came out tough.

jesse_craig261mo ago

Can you expand on how you used that place prompt? I bet the setting itself built in problems or history that forced the characters to act. A tense location creates conflict before you even name a person. Your friends aren't wrong about needing deep characters, but those characters get deep by reacting to a world that pushes back. The best backstory is often just the marks a harsh setting leaves on someone.