October Novel Prep Challenge

Tomorrow's assignment is your Settings List:
(1) Create a list of settings in a format easy to edit and expand.
(2) Add brief descriptions, drawings, images or Google Maps coordinates (find the location on Google Maps/Earth and record the URL) for each.

NOTE: You can revise this list at any time, so this revision is not expected to be fully accurate or complete.

I'd like to take a sec and circle back to a question asked by Mousewitch a couple days ago, here: "setting too huge?"  

This is a GREAT example showing how organizing your settings will be useful. For example, if your settings are entirely fictional, and you need to keep track of details, a hierarchical structure might help:

Galaxy: galaxy1name
- Sun: sun1name
          - Planet: planet1name
                    - Nation: nation1name
                              - City: city1name
                                        - Building: building1name
                                                  - Room: room1name
                                                  - Room: room2name
                                                  - Room: room3name

                                        - Building: building2name
(etc.)

Organizing your settings by size within their hierarchies allows you to see everything at a glance and determine which levels need definition. Where will you scenes take place? How many cultural details do you need to tell your story? How about logistical details like travel from location to location?

But those are details you can worry about later. For this assignment, all you have to do is write the settings down. It doesn't have to be hierarchical if that's not relevant. It doesn't have to be a traditional list, either. Maybe color coded index cards are more your speed. Maybe you're a Scrivener aficionado and prefer a database style.

What's your favorite method for of organizing your settings?