A place in fiction has to be more than a name and a map dot. It needs a population, a government, a climate, a character and people who live there. A location profile is the page where you collect all of that, so that you describe the same place the same way across chapters and books, and so that when a scene needs a detail you have one ready. This guide explains what belongs in a location profile, how deep to go, how to use a location's profile to create scenes, how to describe a place on the page without a list, and how to create profiles in Quillen, where each map or place has its own page with prompts.
The short answer
For each place that matters, record what kind of place it is, where it sits, who lives there, who rules it, what it looks and feels like, and what is notable about it. Then use the profile as a source of scenes, not just a reference. In Quillen, each map entry has a location profile with 11 prompts, from aliases to culture and society, below the map itself.
What a location profile holds
A good profile answers the questions a reader (and a character) would ask on arriving. The sections below are the ones Quillen provides, and a good general template for any place.
| Section | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Aliases or other names | Old names, nicknames, names used by other peoples | Different characters call a place different things |
| Region (parent location) | The larger area it belongs to | Places the location in the world |
| Type and size | City, town, region, building; rough scale | Sets expectations for scenes |
| Population | Roughly how many people | A town of 400 and a city of 40,000 behave differently |
| Demonym | What the people are called | Useful in dialogue and descriptions |
| Government or rulership | Who runs it, and how | Creates authority, law and conflict |
| Notable locations and landmarks | Places within it that scenes may use | Scene settings |
| Notable residents | Key people who live there | Cast and contacts |
| Climate and geography | Weather, terrain, water, seasons | Shapes mood, food and travel |
| Culture and society | Customs, religion, class, tensions | Gives the place character |
| Other notes | Anything else | A catch-all |
How deep to go
A town your hero passes through once needs a sentence or two. A city where half the book happens needs a full profile. Match depth to use. A rule of thumb is three levels: glimpse (a name and one vivid detail), visit (a short profile for a place the characters spend a scene or two in) and home (a full profile for the places the story returns to).
A place has a personality
The profile entries that matter most are often the least concrete: culture and society, climate and mood. A walled port city and a hill village differ not only in size but in how they feel. Ask what a stranger would sense on arrival: the smell, the sound, the way people look at you, what is not allowed. One concrete image does more than a page of statistics.
Use the profile to build scenes
Treat each entry as a prompt for conflict.
- Government: what rule would a visitor break by accident?
- Culture and society: what taboo would a character trip over?
- Climate and geography: what weather would complicate a chase or a crossing?
- Notable residents: who would the protagonist meet, and what do they want?
- Landmarks: which would make the best setting for a secret meeting or a confrontation?
- Name and aliases: what do locals call it that outsiders do not?
Describing a place without a list
A profile is for you; the page needs something different. Do not transcribe it. Choose two or three details that tell the reader what the place is, filtered through the point-of-view character's mood and need. A hungry character sees the stalls; a hunted one sees exits. A short example, for the port city of Stormwind Gate:
The Gate smelled of tar and river mud, and every rooftop had a lookout on it. Wren kept to the lanes where the lanterns were broken.
That line uses the profile (a walled port, a watchful society) without reciting any of it.
A worked example
The profile for Stormwind Gate, the walled river port in Hollow Crown:
| Section | Entry |
|---|---|
| Resume | A walled river port at the mouth of the Drowned Valley, where ferries from the north bank meet the salt road |
| Aliases | The Gate; Storm Landing (old name) |
| Region | The River Countries |
| Type and size | Walled port city, about 4,800 people |
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A profile that reads like an encyclopedia entry | Facts with no scenes | Add what would cause conflict |
| Profiles for every hamlet | Wasted effort | Match depth to use |
| Reciting the profile in the text | Info-dump | Choose two or three details, filtered through the character |
| Inconsistent names | Confusion | Record aliases and use each deliberately |
| Ignoring scale | A 'city' of 500 people | Check population against what happens there |
| No link to the map | Distances do not match | Keep the profile with the map |
Do it in Quillen
Each map in Lore has its own page, with the map at the top and the location profile below it.
- Make or add a map. In Lore, open Maps. Click Generate City Map and export a PNG, or Upload Map to add your own picture.
- Open the map under Picture maps by clicking its card. Its page shows the picture, a Resume box and a row of profile cards.
- Name the place using the title at the top.
- Write a Resume. One or two sentences that sum the place up.
- Fill in the profile cards. They are: Aliases or other names, Region (parent location), Type and size, Population, Demonym, Government or rulership, Notable locations and landmarks, Notable residents, Climate and geography, Culture and society and Other notes. Click a card and type. Everything saves automatically.
- Add more images with the Add Image area, such as sketches of a landmark.
- Link places together using the Region card: enter the name of the parent location.
Checklist
- Depth matched to how often the place appears.
- Type, size, population and region recorded.
- Who rules it, and what a visitor could do wrong.
- A concrete sense of how it feels to arrive.
- Aliases noted for places with several names.
- Two or three details chosen for the page, not the whole profile.
Common questions
What should a location profile include?
Aliases, the parent region, type and size, population, demonym, government, notable landmarks and residents, climate and geography, culture and society, and other notes.
How detailed should a location profile be?
Match depth to use. A place visited once needs a sentence or two; a place the story keeps returning to needs a full profile.
Where do I write a location profile in Quillen?
Each map in Lore has a page with the map, a Resume and 11 profile cards below it. Open a picture map from Lore, Maps.
How do I use a location profile in a scene?
Treat each entry as a source of conflict: a law a visitor might break, a taboo, weather, a resident with a want, a landmark for a confrontation. Then choose two or three details for the page.
How do I link places together in Quillen?
Use the Region (parent location) card to name the larger place a location belongs to.