Worldbuilding Tips for Writers Part 1: Landscape, Ground & Trees

 

In finding The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs by Tristan Gooley on the Amazon Wishlist of Whisperwind ASMR, it occurred to me that this book could provide some valuable information for writers, no matter what genre you write in. Readers usually pick up on details that clash or don't seem realistic. In addition to making your worldbuilding immersive, it can give you a good general knowledge about things you've wondered, but forgot to ask. For example, why is it common to have a smoky scent in the air during fall?   

According to Gooley, temperature inversion occurs when you smell smoke on a cold morning. A "layer of warmer air traps a cooler layer near the surface." For example, you smell smoke in the fall from home fireplaces. 

Keep in mind that this book sometimes focuses on specific areas, such as the English countryside, so the observations and tips Gooley provides will differ for warmer climates. 

When there's a temperature inversion, sound, light and radio waves are trapped on top of the cool lower layer of air and ground:

• Sounds are louder because they travel farther (e.g., planes and trains).
• Light refracts in an inversion and can lead to an optical illusion called 'Fata Morgana' where objects seem to appear as if floating in the distance (e.g., bridges over water).
• Radio waves travel farther, allowing you to pick up stations that would normally be out of range (e.g., VHF).

It's very likely to have fog during an inversion, whether it's morning or evening. Smog is also common.

Photo by Archie Binamira

Ground

In learning to read nature's signs, it takes time to cultivate the habits of noticing details. Worldbuilding is about details, but don't go too deep, otherwise you'll bore the reader. 

Perspective

If you're writing from the point of view of multiple characters who are in the same location, remember that what they see will differ.

For example: If Delilah is standing on a hill, she can see much more than Candace, who is standing at the bottom of the hill. Delilah will be able to see various landscape features, from telephone poles to farmhouses to clusters of woodlands and the sea. Candace will probably be able to see only the woodlands and maybe one other landscape feature.

People usually have a harder time remembering less prominent features, but this can improve over time by making sketches.

Light & Contrasts

Rayleigh scattering is an optical illusion where things that are closer to you appear darker and things farther away appear lighter. This explains why the sky is light blue, for example.

The north and south sides of a hill will vary because of the amount of solar energy to which they're exposed:

• The northern sides will generally be cooler and have less vegetation than the southern side.
• Plants on the northern side will usually germinate four days after those on the southern side.

Fun Fact

One way to figure out if a river is one way or tidal is to look at the direction of the moored boats; if they're all pointing in the same direction, there's a high chance the river flows in one direction.

Pedology

If you've gone through color swatches for DIY projects, you may have heard of the Munsell color system. Albert Munsell developed an effective system that labelled soil colors, introducing it to the world in 1913.

Soil variation reflects the amount of water contained in the soil and shows how the iron in the soil has reacted to other elements:

• Red, yellow and grey soils are visually high in iron.
• Grey soil often contains more water than red or yellow soils.
• Grey soil indicates leaching where nutrients and minerals have washed away, leading to little vegetation and animals in the area.
• Darker soil is an indicator of rich nutrients and a high amount of organic matter.
• A drastic change in soil color within a short distance will likely indicate human activity, such as mining.

Photo by Саша Круглая

Tracks

Gooley travelled in the Libyan Sahara in 2009. His two guides helped me become more observant, which led him to discovering a cool find:

I realized that the shapes in the sand by my feet were tank tracks from the Second World War. In places where water rarely reaches, tracks can last a very long time. (21) 

If you've read or watched mysteries, you probably already know that tracking is a useful skill for finding culprits or establishing a suspect's alibi. Sand, snow, grass, and mud are useful surfaces that provide clues, whether animal or man-made. Landscapes with patches of woodland, open country and sources of water can provide a lot of tracks since animals often move in packs and need the basics:

• Shelter
• Food 
• Water

However, tracks can sometimes be seen only from certain perspectives and light.

Print Forms

When it comes to tracking, you may think that you have to memorize hundreds of animal prints, but that isn't the case. Different areas will have native species, such as rabbits, squirrels and deer, to name a few. Again, don't overpopulate or complicate your worldbuilding.

Successful outdoors observations is not about possessing extraordinary skills, but about choosing to notice certain things when others do not. (31)

When including animal prints in your story, it's good to have some details to show that you want your story to be accurate and immersive. For example, cat paw marks don't show claws, whereas those of a dog do. But paw prints will change based on pace. When being chased, humans and animals propel themselves forward to run, which means that they are kicking up dirt, sand or whatever soft surface they're on. Humans and animals will also take fewer, but longer strides, when running, which will be reflected in the tracks they leave behind.

Prints can also be used to create a timeline. For example, if someone walks through the mud, then a cyclist runs over one of the footprints, it's easy to see which came first. 

Another way to detect if people and animals frequent an area, such as around the outskirts of a town or village, is by the worn paths and broken sticks. Vegetation will be beaten back by the frequent foot traffic. If you've ever been in a forest, there may be main paths you can take, but look between the trees; you may see a worn dirt path that people repeatedly took that wore away the grass, moss and shrubs.

Even in the wide-open country, there are spots where people will always stop and congregate based on the layout of the land. For example, there may be a good place to get an overview of the land and admire the horizon. There may be fallen tree trunks or flat-sided boulders that are perfect for people to rest on.

"The Birches (in Blue)" Tapestry by littleclyde | Redbubble

Trees

Above, I mentioned the terms 'forest' and 'woodlands,' but what are the differences?

A forest is a dense gathering of trees that has mostly shade due to its thick canopy. Animals that can live solely in the trees are found here. The soil retains its moisture due to the lack of sun exposure.

Woodlands or 'the woods' consist of trees that are spaced out with an open canopy, allowing sunlight to enter. As a result, there will be many ground-dwelling animals, such as rabbits, deer and raccoons,  and the soil is drier.

For more information, check out this website.

Woodland

If your character finds themselves in a woodland, be sure that the trees reflect the right amount of light. For example, trees that thrive with a lot of light include:

• Pine
• Oak
• Birch
• Willow
• Juniper
• Larch
• Spruce 

Trees that prefer more shade include:

• Yew
• Beech
• Hazel
• Sycamore

The trees located at the edge of a woodland will also depend on the type of soil. Larches are a common tree type to be located here since they can slow down wildfires.

Trees also reach a certain height where the temperature and wind are too harsh for them. This is called the "tree line," which becomes obvious when in hill country or flat lands.

Trees that are forced to endure the wind grow short and stout. These windward trees bear the brunt of the wind's force, but if there are trees growing behind the windward trees, these trees will be a little taller, and the third row of trees will be a bit taller than the second row, and so forth. This is called a "wedge effect." From the side, the trees will kind of resemble a staircase because each tree gains a little more shelter from the previous tree.

Gooley, Tristan. The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs. p. 43

As a whole, trees are sensitive to:

• Water
• Soil Types
• Wind
• Light
• Air Quality
• Animals and People

If a tree can tolerate one of the elements above, it will be more sensitive to the rest. For example, oak trees can tolerate wet or dry soil, but they have a hard time growing in thin soils above chalk. Beeches, on the other hand, thrive in this soil type, but can't take waterlogged conditions like ash trees can. Many trees cannot survive in soil with coastal salt, however.

If your character is near a stream, river or spring, alders and willows should be there because they like wet soil. (Remember the willow tree from Disney's Pocahontas?)  

Various tree types can share a space because they can tolerate similar conditions. For instance, the ash, hazel and field maple are a common trio in woodlands. While they may be together, ash prefers a wetter soil than hazel can tolerate, but a moister soil than the field maple likes.

With all of this information, you can paint a more accurate and colorful picture in your story. Fantasy stories often have characters riding through various lands, so if these lands have trees of this world, you can direct them to the right place. When your character needs to bed down for the night, they would choose an area with beeches because this tree type likes really dry soil. 

Trees that like alkaline soil include:

• Beech
• Yew
• Ash

Trees that like acidic soil include:

• Oak
• Sycamore
• Birch
• Linden

Photo by Ron Lach

Knowing the pH of the soil provides a good indicator of the types of plants and animals in the vicinity, which can give writers opportunities, such as accidental food poisoning where the character is forced to seek out the witch of woods or there could be a possible werewolf encounter. Look into types of fantastical creatures that would be at home in sycamore trees or living farther away from water sources.

Forests and woodlands often have several of the same types of trees together. But it's not always the case. A crab apple tree will usually be by itself  with a group of other tree types. 

When it comes to your characters planting magical seeds or what have you, know that pine and birch trees are indicators of infertile soil. Rich soil can be found where elms, ashes or sycamores grow. Although if the seeds are magical, maybe they don't need fertile soil to grow?

The Shape of Trees

As mentioned earlier, the shape of trees is partly influenced by wind, water and sunlight. Trees that grow in dry soil don't grow very tall, so combine that with strong, persistent wind conditions and the trees will be remain short.

Sunlight affects trees in the following ways: 

• The amount of sunlight determines the types of trees that will grow in a certain area.
• Sunlight causes asymmetrical growth.

If Tree A is on a hill and Tree B is on flat land near the base of the hill, Tree A will receive sunlight from the sides and overhead; Tree B will receive sunlight only on its sides. Rounded trees will more often be at lower altitudes and tall, thin trees will be at higher altitudes.

However, there may be some exceptions. If sunlight bounces off of a surface consistently and shines on the tree, this will also affect its shape where one side has more growth than the rest of it.

Trees and other plants naturally grow curving towards the South because they're influenced by light. This is called 'phototropism.' Green plants have auxin, which is a hormone that allows the plant's northern side to grow quicker than their southern side. But the northern side will grow slightly tilted, so the plants aren't quite vertical. With their growth from the sunlight and the conditions they endure from prevailing winds, it's easier to see how trees are shaped. 

Gooley, Tristan. The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs. p. 49

If you take the weather conditions of your story's world into consideration, the trees and other plants are practically designed for you! How would your world look with two suns, like in Star Wars? Or with a blue sun?

Winds are usually harsher near the coast or higher up in altitude, which means that trees are more likely to have their branches broken off on one side, the windward side, because the wind is abrasive, carrying salt and/or pieces of ice.

Additionally, trees are designed to support their branches, so they can withstand downward pressures. Upward pressures, consequently, easily break a tree's branches. Trees that deal with upward and downward pressures are called 'flagged trees' because they resemble a pole with a flag; their branches and foliage are only on one side of the tree.

Sometimes, these trees may be resilient enough to keep a few branches on their windward side, along with dead leaves, but the tree will look unhealthy. Many coastal trees in northwest Ireland have this 'burning' effect.

For a writer, this could lend itself well to creating a scary atmosphere. Maybe your protagonist or cast of characters find themselves lost at a camp near the coast and see the trees at night. These trees could easily inspire fear in the dark, or in the spooky light of a flashlight or torch, with howling winds, animal noises and the rush of one's heart beat in the characters' ears.

The author of The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs recommends finding and observing deciduous trees and conifers, such as the Scots pine, to observe sun and wind effects.

Tree Growth

In forests and woods, you can sometimes find one or several trees that stand out. Like the one in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, you can give your remarkable tree a supernatural or magical backstory for its appearance. But for a more natural and scientific reason, it sometimes has to do with shift landscapes. 

It's common for fairy tales to have a character that cuts down a tree, for example. They will return the next day and be shocked to see that the tree is back in its place, as if it had never been cut down in the first place. This happens in real life, though not quite as quickly or dramatically. Elms are one type of tree that will grow from their roots beside the place where the old tree was. This is called coppicing where cutting back trees (and shrubs) down to ground level will evoke new growth, but it's a practice that's done periodically. 

The planned, regular harvesting of wood from trees, like hazel and ash, [allows the trees to] regenerate after being chopped in this way. [...] Coppicing sounds harsh on a tree, but it actually allows them to live a much longer life. (53)

Photo by Mark Sc

Roots

If you've ever walked through a forest, woodland or park you may have ventured too close to a tree and tripped over its thick roots. This section is called a 'root collar.' It's where the tree trunk and roots blend together. Take a good look because there's a high chance that the roots are thicker and larger on only one side of the tree. This is because the tree's roots act as an anchor against strong winds; it's a sign that the roots have adapted to their environment.

However, sandy soil poses a problem for trees since the roots can't get a good grip, so the root system adapts, creating widespread undergrowth to compensate instead of having strong roots only on one side.

Bark

Ever wondered why some trees have rough and rippled bark while others are smooth? It's because the ones with rough ripples allowed themselves time to mature. Rapid growth creates smooth bark. 

Tree bark, like soil, has its own pH:

• Larches and pines are highly acidic.
• Birch, hawthorn and oak are less acidic than larches and pines.
• Rowan, alder, birch, linden and ash are less acidic than the ones above.
• Willow, holly and elm are acidic, but close to neutral.
• Sycamore, walnut and elder are alkaline.

The less acidic the tree, the more plants and lichen it will have on its bark. 

Trees that have burrs or their bark, such as the oak, use these to defend against the larvae of insects, including wasps, flies and mites. If your character finds themselves in a strange world, maybe fruit-bearing trees grow spikes on their bark to prevent creatures from stealing their fruit before it has fallen. 

Creating trees is like creating a character; it needs unique traits and reasons for said traits. A character that often bites their lip will have chapped or discolored lips. The reason for their appearance could be a coping mechanism to stop themselves from speaking their mind or they may be of a nervous disposition. Why do they restrain themselves? What makes them so nervous? These questions help writers add layers to their characters and world, making it a story readers can relate to and love.  

Leaves

Leaves are categorized as sun leaves and shade leaves. In comparison to sun leaves, shade leaves are: 

• Larger
• Less Lobed
• Thinner
• Darker

As trees age, certain leaves will develop into sun leaves as they are exposed to ongoing sunlight. Shade leaves are usually located deep within the canopy and on the northern side of the tree because it's shaded. Sun leaves won't survive if they're suddenly shaded; if the shading is gradual however, the sun leaves will adapt. 

Gooley, Tristan. The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs. p. 64

When you look up and down a residential street or explore a park, you may notice that some trees have leaves sooner in the spring or later in the fall. Tall trees have their leaves later; however, there are some exceptions.

Oak comes into leaf eight days earlier for each degree rise in temperature, while ash will only be hurried by four days. This is why you will find trees on different aspect slopes and at different heights coming into leaf at staggered times. (64-65)

A tree's growth and shedding period are affected by:

• Day Length
• Temperature
• Soil Moisture

The wind is a major factor that determines leaf fall. Depending on where you are, the windward side of trees is usually stripped of its leaves fairly quickly.

Time

Ever watched Bill Nye the Science Guy? Or seen the Doctor Who episode "In the Forest of the Night"? If you watched either of these or simply remember your grade school science classes, you know that you can tell a tree's age by counting the number of rings on its stump after it's been cut down. But what if you want to know its age without cutting it down?

In the case of conifers, there's an easy way to know. Ever put up a fake Christmas tree? When you open the box, you place the stand on the floor and add one level of branches at a time to build up the tree to its point. Each of these levels is called a 'whorl' that corresponds to one year of the tree's life. 

This type of information could be used in a mystery for a puzzle or a series of riddles. A tree's height was a vital piece of a scavenger hunt in the Sherlock Holmes mystery The Musgrave Ritual. And as I mentioned, mundane facts about trees and the conditions they endured helped The Doctor realize what was behind the sudden arboreous invasion.

Everything I've covered can be used in a hundred different ways in all types of genres in all aspects of writing, from worldbuilding to plot to character (Remember Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy?).

Further Reading

I highly recommend The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs by Tristan Gooley. He has also written other books that analyze aspects of nature that the average person's doesn't see or think about. His books contain details that will enrich your story. 

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I have a freelance business where I offer editing, beta reading and ARC reading for mysteries, historical fiction and fantasy stories. Email me at smurphy.writer1@gmail.com. 

Happy writing!