Problem with the Modern-Day Settings

[JDC_OnPaper]

Just like the title, I have a problem about picking a perfect setting, While I may be good at making fantasy worlds, my mind often goes to a certain point where Shit lets loose and the world goes downhill.

So I tried limiting that and decided to go into a more Modern world Fantasy, Fiction, Whatever... but there's this problem, Political and social problems.

I mean, if we're going about in this way, Korea and Japan are technologically advanced and Economically successful nations (Apart from their Ever-so increasing Debt), and their infrastructure is also great, thus creating good settings, but In my country, where webnovels and Webcomics aren't much successful, along with that is our Shitty economy, Technologically Inept gadgets, and shitty crumbling Infrastructure, the Setting sucks.

Adding to that is the 'Antagonist', which obviously needs to be guys from different countries, I mean, I don't have the balls enough to make references to certain Foreign Political leaders, unlike Korea and their Infamous Modern-day Manhwa's which basically undermines other countries and showing theirselves in a good light, though at a certain limit, (It is also successful because most of their readers are Korean, since Webnovels are very popular in Korea, The same goes with Japan and their Light novels, their readers are mostly local, thus making them successful, unlike my country)

So, repeating the question, how can I make a modern-day setting successful, with a good reader base (Maybe even International)? and without... discriminating and Undermining one's country?... (I mean, I can make them antagonists, but I don't want them to be too salty or something, I dunno know?)

(If you want to know my Country, Here's a hint, Our president declared an All-out war against Drugs.)

 

[SailusGebel]

Don't focus on worldbuilding and world setting.

 

[Galen]

Ask yourself a collection of questions.

1. Is the modern-day setting with magic and/or Urban Fantasy? Science fiction? Apocalypse?
2. Can you create an antagonist society? Or enemy?
3. Who are your readers? Are they local, or foreign?
4. What kind of genre are you writing?
5. Can you focus on the seedy underbelly of a country instead of its political-public identity?
6. This is the most important, are you writing the novel for yourself? Or for others?

 

[Agentt]

Well, its easy dude, just don't have a person's country affect their personality. Like, well, it would be racist if you potray a chinese person to just pick up a grass hopper from ground and eat it, but not if you have a normal villian, who just happens to be chinese, like, by sheer coincidence, because of which, he likes to go to a local family restaurant, and eat the grasshopper soup there.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Just like the title, I have a problem about picking a perfect setting, While I may be good at making fantasy worlds, my mind often goes to a certain point where Shit lets loose and the world goes downhill.

So I tried limiting that and decided to go into a more Modern world Fantasy, Fiction, Whatever... but there's this problem, Political and social problems.

I mean, if we're going about in this way, Korea and Japan are technologically advanced and Economically successful nations (Apart from their Ever-so increasing Debt), and their infrastructure is also great, thus creating good settings, but In my country, where webnovels and Webcomics aren't much successful, along with that is our Shitty economy, Technologically Inept gadgets, and shitty crumbling Infrastructure, the Setting sucks.

Adding to that is the 'Antagonist', which obviously needs to be guys from different countries, I mean, I don't have the balls enough to make references to certain Foreign Political leaders, unlike Korea and their Infamous Modern-day Manhwa's which basically undermines other countries and showing theirselves in a good light, though at a certain limit, (It is also successful because most of their readers are Korean, since Webnovels are very popular in Korea, The same goes with Japan and their Light novels, their readers are mostly local, thus making them successful, unlike my country)

So, repeating the question, how can I make a modern-day setting successful, with a good reader base (Maybe even International)? and without... discriminating and Undermining one's country?... (I mean, I can make them antagonists, but I don't want them to be too salty or something, I dunno know?)

(If you want to know my Country, Here's a hint, Our president declared an All-out war against Drugs.)

that stuff isnt all that hard, your mindset is just a bit weird there with the political references and shit, but that usually doesn't come up in most stories anyway so I'm not sure why its brought up unless you actively make your story a politics-heavy one.

Whats ACTUALLY hard is the geography of it all. Sure, you can make up towns and all that. Pull things out of your ass. But for example, my latest story is set in Japan and the dude works as a Host and i had to look up cities where these type of places would be found. Then i had to look up schools that would be near enough but far enough that he has to take a few train stops to get to his workplace so that he doesn't run into too many people he might know on accident.

Then i had to determine which cities and schools fit the images i had in my mind, aesthetically. A vibrant nightlife, an old-fashioned school with a big track field like you see in every school life anime ever.

I spent hours doing that. I even used google maps to look at the streets. I made up a random Host club set along one of these streets, placing it in a prime position between some gambling dens and restaurants.

Anyway, i did that so i didn't just make up shit. Because the story is set in on earth in the modern day, i couldn't very well just bullshit my way through, Maybe i could get away with it if it were set somewhere in the US since its so big and also cuz i know it's geography better. But yeah

If its set in the modern day earth, the biggest hurdle for me at least is establishing the setting the story takes place in. In fantasy stories, i dont have to worry about this. Maybe I'm just a bit nitpicky since i dont wanna just make things up entirely, but I'm also lazy enough to where i hate having to do all this research and so mainly stick to fantasy stories to avoid this

 

[Sabruness]

well, i suppose it depends on what your novel will be about and feature. If it's slice-of-life and any other genre where the focus isnt on "big picture" stuff like politics, foreign relations etc then i dont think you really need to worry about it.

If it is something that will have, or touch, on those things then just roll with what you want for the setting. There's always the alter-world path you can take and which you can generally pass over most butthurt by it being an alternate world and thus not subject to our precise reality.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Dude, go vague I guess, you don't have to go full stereotype like how the japs are either betacucks or xenophobic, or how thais have five genders when eagleland has 33, or how China is regressing to the Qin dynasty with Xi, or how no one cares about EU until their Article 13.

Leave the background characters vague and your setting vaguer if you don't want to bring in RL issues and try not to be like Shirlatoon's jokey jokey but suddenly political tone in a couple of his depiction about everyone including Aussies. We like to overexaggerate other people's culture when we have no idea or barely experience it, so take it with a grain of salt with online readings and try not to let your own view affect you. Good luck.

Or you can go full blown and be like some philippino writers here and end up with a racist name. You know what? If you want to be sensitive, turn a blind eye to RL problems unless you want your characters to express concerns over them, just do a short, simple line and I'm sure that somewhere in your reader group, someone will definitely misread the meaning.

 

[Zirrboy]

Foreigners are one, but by no means the only antagonist archetype.

So long as the MC is part of an organization, their leader qualifies as such. Principal, CEO/Boss, guild leader if you're going for an adventurer setting, politicians (so internal political conflict. f.e. tax theft, power hunger or just personal feud)...
Or those threatening the MC personally/the group they're part of. Organized crime, the above of rivaling groups, basically anyone with conflicting goals.
Granted that you don't use real people (And refrain from giving politicians any actual and possibly controvesial political agenda), the offense taken should be minimal.

 

[RaizarP]

Make a disclaimer that your novel is a work of fiction.

And to make sure you won't offend anyone, just try to change it a little. Example you change Nike to Mike, Adidas to Adisas

 

[Ilikewaterkusa]

Just like the title, I have a problem about picking a perfect setting, While I may be good at making fantasy worlds, my mind often goes to a certain point where Shit lets loose and the world goes downhill.

So I tried limiting that and decided to go into a more Modern world Fantasy, Fiction, Whatever... but there's this problem, Political and social problems.

I mean, if we're going about in this way, Korea and Japan are technologically advanced and Economically successful nations (Apart from their Ever-so increasing Debt), and their infrastructure is also great, thus creating good settings, but In my country, where webnovels and Webcomics aren't much successful, along with that is our Shitty economy, Technologically Inept gadgets, and shitty crumbling Infrastructure, the Setting sucks.

Adding to that is the 'Antagonist', which obviously needs to be guys from different countries, I mean, I don't have the balls enough to make references to certain Foreign Political leaders, unlike Korea and their Infamous Modern-day Manhwa's which basically undermines other countries and showing theirselves in a good light, though at a certain limit, (It is also successful because most of their readers are Korean, since Webnovels are very popular in Korea, The same goes with Japan and their Light novels, their readers are mostly local, thus making them successful, unlike my country)

So, repeating the question, how can I make a modern-day setting successful, with a good reader base (Maybe even International)? and without... discriminating and Undermining one's country?... (I mean, I can make them antagonists, but I don't want them to be too salty or something, I dunno know?)

(If you want to know my Country, Here's a hint, Our president declared an All-out war against Drugs.)

Just create an alternate mock reality of earth, and dumb things down. also I might literally release a story that is just going to get me on a kill list, because of how much countries I offend in it.

 

[Akivien]

Well, its easy dude, just don't have a person's country affect their personality. Like, well, it would be racist if you potray a chinese person to just pick up a grass hopper from ground and eat it, but not if you have a normal villian, who just happens to be chinese, like, by sheer coincidence, because of which, he likes to go to a local family restaurant, and eat the grasshopper soup there.

I mean by sheer coincidence.

 

[Owl]

I'm confused why you limit yourself to our world? What's wrong with a modern day setting on a fictional/parallel world? You can still have an Earth-like planet with your own countries, own technological levels, own relations....? You're writing a story. No one is forcing you to not make the modern day setting fiction.
More work, depending on the details, less accidental offending people

 

[CL]

Just like the title, I have a problem about picking a perfect setting, While I may be good at making fantasy worlds, my mind often goes to a certain point where Shit lets loose and the world goes downhill.

We don't have a single location in the world that's a utopia, so I suppose that explains your adept writing skills on fantasies.

I mean, if we're going about in this way, Korea and Japan are technologically advanced and Economically successful nations (Apart from their Ever-so increasing Debt), and their infrastructure is also great, thus creating good settings, but In my country, where webnovels and Webcomics aren't much successful, along with that is our Shitty economy, Technologically Inept gadgets, and shitty crumbling Infrastructure, the Setting sucks.

Again: no place is perfect (except fantasies). Utopias are a dream (your nation's iconic "Dream" remains a dream). Reality will always display a decline for every nation (that sounded edgy). But my question is why do you consider a failing nation a bad setting? I've always thought of a protagonists striving to improve their livelihood as an ambitious goal. They want to reach higher heights. That is a story moving forward. That sort of trait, to discover opportunities and to motivate growth, is good. That kind of character focus is what keeps us readers interested and shows the battle against the nation's stagnation. Through characters like these, you'd be creating your own good setting and we readers get to feel a part of it. That part there, us feeling we'd done something to help, is also a dream. Immerse us into a world we want to make better with the characters; with you.

 

[ElijahRyne]

Just like the title, I have a problem about picking a perfect setting, While I may be good at making fantasy worlds, my mind often goes to a certain point where Shit lets loose and the world goes downhill.

So I tried limiting that and decided to go into a more Modern world Fantasy, Fiction, Whatever... but there's this problem, Political and social problems.

I mean, if we're going about in this way, Korea and Japan are technologically advanced and Economically successful nations (Apart from their Ever-so increasing Debt), and their infrastructure is also great, thus creating good settings, but In my country, where webnovels and Webcomics aren't much successful, along with that is our Shitty economy, Technologically Inept gadgets, and shitty crumbling Infrastructure, the Setting sucks.

Adding to that is the 'Antagonist', which obviously needs to be guys from different countries, I mean, I don't have the balls enough to make references to certain Foreign Political leaders, unlike Korea and their Infamous Modern-day Manhwa's which basically undermines other countries and showing theirselves in a good light, though at a certain limit, (It is also successful because most of their readers are Korean, since Webnovels are very popular in Korea, The same goes with Japan and their Light novels, their readers are mostly local, thus making them successful, unlike my country)

So, repeating the question, how can I make a modern-day setting successful, with a good reader base (Maybe even International)? and without... discriminating and Undermining one's country?... (I mean, I can make them antagonists, but I don't want them to be too salty or something, I dunno know?)

(If you want to know my Country, Here's a hint, Our president declared an All-out war against Drugs.)

There are many ways, but I would suggest starting out in a city or town. Before fully developing your nation, focus on a smaller area. Where does the protagonist(s) grow up? What is this city? Is it filled with blatant crime, I.E. Gotham, or is it seemingly peaceful, I.E. Morioh. How does this setting influence the protagonists? Etc.You can have world scaled settings but it is best to start small.

In example, one way to see Batman is through Gotham. Batman starts by showing that Gotham is home to the rich and the poor. The government is corrupt. With the death of his parents, Batman decides to protect the city by rooting out its corruption.

Batman does not stay in Gotham, but without Gotham there is no Batman, so when writing your setting I suggest that you start small! (If you want to see this at its best, I suggest 20th Century Boys. It is a thriller mystery manga about a cult that is taking over the world.)

 

[K5Rakitan]

Use Google maps and street view

 

[Agentt]

I mean by sheer coincidence.

Meh, don't worry about that, just don't assume anything. A lot of people, including my parents are like,
"Oh, I am not racist, but it is common knowledge/facts/history that french are gay/americans are horny etc etc, don't assume anything like that.

If your character does follow these stereotypes, make sure to properly depict that it is his personal preference, and not the country's. Like i said in the previous example, if your chinese villian does in fact eats raw grasshoppers from the road, make sure to properly potray that only he does that, perhaps by showing a bystander being disgusted.

 

[udin-san]

Can you elaborate what kind of story you want to tell? Maybe the central theme?
I'm not a writer so I'm not sure, but I always thought that a writer decides what kind of story they want to tell first before choosing the setting that fits the purpose.

 

[KittraMcBriar]

You realize that you can completely make up a modern setting, right?

Make up a world. Make up countries just like you would with a standard fantasy. Give them modern technology and societies. Now you have a fantasy in a modern setting where you don’t have to worry about any of that crap. You can draw some inspiration from real world stuff if you want, just don’t make things shitty stereotypes and you’ll be fine.