Pens and Protagonists: Really Cool Locations You Can Use in Your Book

Whether you're writing a story about a huge inter-galactic war, a sweet romance, or a swashbuckling action-adventure book, location really is everything. Sometimes I think the standard locations in books these days are rather limited - you know, the never-ending suburbs of Chicago, or a vacation house at the beach, or a castle in the forest.

Which are all very well and good... until several people all decide to write about the same location, over and over.

So here's some really neat, diverse locations that are sure to spice up your book.

1. Forests
Now, forests are very common in many fantasy novels and perhaps overused. But, I realized while researching that there isn't just any one kind of forest! It will help add some variety if you specify what type of forest it is...

Pine forest, where the trees are close together and there's a lot of shelter under the trees?

Is it a redwood type forest, where the trees tower into the sky and lots of moss hangs off the branches?

Or maybe an alpine forest, covered in snow and sparse timber?

2. Jungles and rain forests

I also feel like jungles are very under-used. I've hardly ever read about jungles in books, except one. Maybe that's just because I don't read enough. But let's be honest, jungles are really awesome. Who wouldn't want to trek though a hot, steamy environment, slashing through vines with a machete and keeping watch for panthers and snakes and insects that could come flying out at you at any moment? OK, well, maybe not.

3. Deserts

I don't see deserts a whole lot in books, either. But, there's even variety in those, too. There's the rocky deserts that can be the cold kind...

Or the kind that is made of shifting sand dunes.

4. Grasslands and plains
Plains could be either lush and grassy, or they could be dry, cold, and barren, a bit like the alpine tundra. Either way, they make great settings for stories. Plateaus are flatter than plains, less rolling, but still ideal places.

5. Oceans, archipelagos and islands
I've always thought the ocean was super cool, if not a bit scary, but islands and reefs make really awesome places for stories. The main character in the book I'm currently writing is from a cluster of islands, and I've had fun playing around with her natural instincts for water and boats. Plus, you get to explore lots of stuff in the ocean... atolls, reefs, beaches, deltas, fjords, harbors, lagoons, and a lot more. Overall, they are on my list of top ten locations in story writing.

6. Mountains
Mountains are always great to have in any kind of story, just because they are so majestic and awe-inspiring. Plus, you can play around with the climate... cold, snowy alps that are treacherous in wintertime; wet, tree-covered ranges that trap in lots of moisture; or dry, barren peaks where almost no life forms can be found.

7. Tundra
Tundra is that weird in-between place where it snows half the year, the soil is permanently frozen, and it has no trees, but it's still very cool, pun intended.

8. Urban cityscape
This is useful when you need a high concentration of people in one area. I don't use it very often, but it will come in handy if one of your characters needs to get lost in a crowd.