Worldbuilding
Coasts are only interesting when they make decisions for you. A tide that changes the route, a path that vanishes twice a day, a headland that cuts people off without anyone treating it as dramatic. That’s where the actual worldbuilding is.
Not in the pretty description of cliffs. In who plans around the water, who shrugs and says “wait till low tide”, and who has learned not to trust the map. If a place is isolated, the story usually becomes more honest about it. People notice access when it stops being theoretical.
Not in the pretty description of cliffs. In who plans around the water, who shrugs and says “wait till low tide”, and who has learned not to trust the map. If a place is isolated, the story usually becomes more honest about it. People notice access when it stops being theoretical.
Coasts are also where people get weirdly sentimental about inconvenience. A ferry timetable becomes folklore, a closed road becomes a personality test. The practical stuff does more work than the scenery ever will.
I’m always more interested in the small adjustments. Boots left by the door, spare food, the local habit of checking the weather twice before breakfast. That’s the bit that makes a place feel lived in, not just photographed.
I’m always more interested in the small adjustments. Boots left by the door, spare food, the local habit of checking the weather twice before breakfast. That’s the bit that makes a place feel lived in, not just photographed.