Character development Female character. Her mother was a noble. However, the female character does not know this. She grew up thinking she was ordinary and poor. Her mother decides it is time to go back to the "land" and take back nobility. The female lead would feel alienated in the "land". She wouldn't be infatuated by all of the wealth instead she'd notice the disparity. Setting idea one The female and her family live in the "land" and are farmers. Kind of like old Britain, they live on someone else's land work for them and get paid nothing. Character already knows peasant culture and suddenly is thrown into royal life. Setting/backstory idea two The female and her family live in America. Her parents both work minimum wage because they don't have a real education. The "land" is reached through a portal through two trees. The "land" is in another dimension. Character is thrown into a world with completely different cultures and environments.
Setting one makes the most sense to me, because how would her mother be a noble and have no education? Added to that, if her parents have no real education, why would they even consider going back to their home world to rule? What hope or chance would they have when they don't have the education necessary to rule and they haven't even been living in the same dimension, and thus don't even know what's been happening? Those are the questions I'd be asking the author, and while I believe it's possible for you to pull it off, it'd be difficult not to make it feel forced or amateurish to me. If you really like the idea of her being thrown into a different culture and environment, you could have her live in a different kingdom. Sometimes that's all it takes to have a completely different culture. I mean, look at the real world--we have Internet and TV, and we still have many different cultures living in countries right next to each other (and even mini-cultures within those countries).
Which setting is more interesting? Which will imbue the story with enough energy to keep the reader turning pages until the very end? Which setting fills you with the desire to get your thoughts down? I'd choose that setting. Either of the scenarios could work but you want the one that blows up in your face. Thats where the magic is. I personally find the second one more interesting because of the portal, but I recommend you choose the one that you find more interesting. You're the one who is going to spend hours and hours in this place. Best of luck.
Shadowmagic is a lot like setting 2 in ways. (If you need inspiration. It's available as a free Podiobook and the author reads it with his glorious Irish Accent) When you say "The Land," my mind instantly goes to Ireland and Tir Na Nog. I think the biggest thing that needs to happen is to flush out the who, what, when, where, why, and how before a decision can be made. Ask yourself why the mother moved away, How it remained a secret, So on and so forth. This will help you develop an idea for which way each story would end up branching out. Both have the potential to work for the character development. Flushing out each a bit might help you choose which you'd prefer to write.
Setting two seems a bit more interesting to me, but I don't know that either one really relates to her development any better. I think it's more a mater of the flavor you add to either setting once you actually choose. There's more freedom to do that in a fantastical setting, in a way, but I wouldn't have a magic portal without some sort of magic in the other land - it'd feel a bit out of place otherwise. Maybe the mother is skilled with magic and intelligent in that way, and just doesn't know as much about Earth, hence the min wage job? IMO it's easier to explain why a noble is stuck in destitution if she's having to manage in a whole other dimension. I also think there could be something interesting to say about the MC being first-generation - well - Earther? - and her mother being less assimilated and homesick for the other land, if that's the story you're looking to tell. Don't really get that angle in setting one.
I agree. She'll be out of place if she comes from either setting (and thus have similar character development in relation to her background) but if she lived in the same country her mother once ruled, I'd wonder why her mother wasn't ruling. And if it was because she'd been overthrown by someone else, wouldn't they be searching the country for her so that they could kill her and make sure she never tried to take the throne back? She and her daughter wouldn't be able to work on that farm in broad daylight - they'd have to be in permanent hiding! Otherwise someone would notice them and would sell that information on for money. People just do. The second setting would therefore make more sense. The mother escaped through this magical portal that only she can control/insert another explanation here and thus she and her child are now safe in our world. Whether it actually makes sense needs to come before which would give better character development, because you can always add other factors that mould her personality the way you would like it.
